Dr. Warren Smith - Town Council

Education:

Doctor of Business Administration, Harvard University (including doctoral courses in Engineering at MIT)
MBA, Brigham Young University
BS Physics, Brigham Young University
Fulbright Scholar: Japan

Occupation:

Founder/Operator of JETS: Japanese-English Technology Services and JapanesePatentTranslation.com
Consultant (business, quality control)

Years as Durham Resident:  25 years

Previous Service on Governmental/Community/Civic Boards:

Substantial experience in policy analysis in advising political committees, along with volunteer service in my church (including the executive committee for my congregation), service in the Boy Scouts of America, fundraising for Cross Roads House, etc.

Reason for Interest in Running for Elected Office:

Durham, NH is a wonderful place to live.

25 years ago, when I finished my degree, my wife and I had the choice of living anyplace in the world (as my work is nearly exclusively over the Internet). We chose Durham because of its good schools for my kids, the intimate "small-town" feeling while still having all the cultural and sports opportunities afforded by the university, and the astounding natural beauty and recreational opportunities here. My wife and I have made our life here, raised our kids here, and built our business here.

Durham is a wonderful town: Over the years my wife and I have basked in the sense of community here; as with most people in town, we feel a kinship to the town when we run into friends, neighbors, and community leaders at Young's and at town events, enjoy having a mechanic we can trust (and who knows our names!) at the Village Garage, and feel welcomed and known even by the good folks in our town hall. Rather than faceless multinational chain stores and fast-food outlets, we find our friends and neighbors running the downtown businesses and restaurants. Durham is a wonderful and welcoming place indeed, with a kinship and culture that has a rare beauty to it.

But some in town field that their voices are not heard – and that true "diversity" of thought is lacking in the city council. In our town of Durham, we pride ourselves on being welcoming to all people regardless of nation of origin, religion, race, creed, or sexual orientation or identity. And yet many people have expressed to me that they feel that they are not truly represented on the town council, that the perspective of many of the citizens here who love Durham the way it is, with its cherished traditions and stoic, independent New England culture are being overwhelmed by others who would change our beloved town into something fundamentally different. It is in response to urging from such people that I have chosen to run for town council – to give voice to the voiceless to ensure true diversity of thought in town decision-making, to preserve the traditions and cultures that have made Durham a wonderful place to live, while welcoming all others who wish to join us in growing a strong and coherent community.

When I looked further, I found other  serious issues that need to be addressed as well. For example, our Durham 2020 property tax rates are MUCH higher than the average for the state.

(Ref. https://www.revenue.nh.gov/mun-prop/municipal/documents/20-tax-rates.pdf)

Yes – our Durham municipal tax rate is a whopping 52% higher than the average for New Hampshire. When combined with reports that Durham property values average 33% higher than the state average, our per-household municipal tax burden is more than twice that of the average NH household. While the average property tax rates in NH decreased from 2019 to 2020, taxpayers in Durham were faced with an increased tax rate (despite the many other challenges we have had to face in 2020). The tax burden in Durham is high enough that, a few years ago, a friend of mine was faced with having to leave the home she had lived in for 50 years and that her husband had built with his own hands, because, as a fixed-income widow, she could no longer afford the taxes in Durham. Surely we can do better. Yes – Durham is a wonderful place to live, but we must ensure that those who have built their lives here are not taxed to the point that they have no choice but to leave.

But balancing between taxes and services is no easy task. My mission on town council will be to use what I have learned with my doctorate in business administration (Harvard Business School) to negotiate with the other counselors based on rational fact-based analyses to preserve the best of what Durham has to offer while bringing our tax rates more in line with the rest of the state.

Principles:
My guiding principles are as follows:

• Integrity,
• Transparency,
• Fairness,
• Principle and data-driven policy formulation,
• Service above self,
• Minimal necessary government, and
• Welcoming all who want to join in building a diverse community with mutual respect for both our traditional cultures and the vibrancy of contributions from new-comers…

      ...to keep Durham, NH a wonderful place to live.