Returning challenger Gene Andersen of Rindge is facing perennial Rindge lawmaker John Hunt in November’s race to represent Cheshire District 14 in the N.H. House. The district has one seat and consists of the town of Rindge.
Hunt, a Republican, has served in the House since he was first elected in 1986. He has been chair of the House Committee on Commerce and Consumer Affairs in recent years.
Democrat Andersen served three terms in the House representing Lebanon about 20 years ago. He has since lived in Rindge for 17 years. A former infrastructure and defense project manager who worked in 14 states and Japan, he said he feels he’d bring a uniquely diverse perspective to the House.
Hunt, a former computer retailer who also volunteers with several community organizations, said that if reelected he plans to lean on his deep institutional knowledge and connections in state government to continue advocating for the people of Rindge.
“The biggest thing for Rindge is that I have, in my phone, cell numbers for every department, every agency … So if anybody has a problem in Rindge, they should be calling me,” he said.
As for legislative priorities, Hunt said he’d be focused on two outstanding issues from last session.
One has to do with FAST Forward, a wraparound program that provides individualized care for children aged 5 to 21, including peer support, crisis planning and family-centered services for critical mental health concerns.
Legislation was on the table last session to require commercial insurance to cover the cost of that program for families who don’t qualify for a Medicaid waiver.
Hunt said there may be a solution reached outside of legislation, but that closing that gap is a goal this year either way.
Additionally, he said he’s planning to work to increase regulation of risk pools, an alternative to traditional private employer-based health insurance that is used by many New Hampshire public sector entities, including school districts.
Issues with those pools came to the fore last school year when districts throughout the state, including Jaffrey-Rindge, received surprise bills from their risk pool after the pool underestimated cost increases.
“I’m the one who followed this issue … and it was a classic case of not being properly regulated,” Hunt explained.
He said he aims to get risk pool oversight moved from the N.H. Secretary of State’s office to the insurance department, where risk pools would be regulated similarly to traditional insurance companies.
Andersen said his big-picture goals have to do with school funding.
“I believe in public education and I think we need to support public education. Unfortunately, the way to do it is not with a property tax,” he said. “… We need to come up with a funding mechanism that’s more equitable.”
Andersen said he wants at least 80 percent of education funding to come from the state. In the Jaffrey-Rindge school district, the state provided less than a quarter of the funding, according to Sentinel reporting from the 2025-26 school year.
Andersen said that, if elected, he’s also prepared to make a difference in whatever committee he might be assigned, adding there’s plenty of small-scale but impactful work to be done when representatives “put the work in.”
Abigail Ham can be reached at 603-355-8554 or aham@keenesentinel.com.
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