Why I’m Running

I met my husband Zach right out of college, when we were both running group homes for adults with developmental disabilities. That experience led me down the path I’ve been on ever since.

For over a decade, I’ve worked in nonprofit healthcare: supervising case managers, working with high-risk Medicaid clients, and helping people stay in their communities. That work showed me firsthand that policy written three hours away can determine whether someone gets to live in the community and lead a full, rich life.

Today, I serve as director of provider engagement at the Foundation for Healthy Communities, an affiliate of the hospital association. I’m in Concord every week, testifying at the State House about hospital and patient experiences, the impact of healthcare quality on communities, access challenges in rural areas, and the importance of rural hospitals. I know the State House building. I know the committees. This work is already in my heart.

I know what the State House can do for a community. I also know what it looks like when a community stops being the priority.

What I hear in Peterborough and Sharon

Zach and I are raising two children in Peterborough. What happens in Concord isn’t abstract to us. It decides what our schools can afford, whether young families can find a place to live, and what kind of town our children will inherit.

When I talk to neighbors, I hear the same concerns again and again: housing costs that have outrun local wages, childcare that’s as expensive as a mortgage, property taxes doing the job the state should be doing, and healthcare that can be hard to access.

These are the issues that decide whether people can build—and sustain—a life here in Our Town. These should be our representatives' priorities.

Public service should be exactly that: service

For four years, Peterborough and Sharon have gotten something other than what we voted for. We elected Democratic representatives to bring our community’s values to Concord. Instead, Representative Jonah Wheeler:

• Voted against common-sense gun safety (HB 1642, HB 56, and HB 32).

• Co-sponsored HB 357 and HB 358, weakening vaccine standards. (He was the only House Democrat to do it.)

• Supported HB 679, restricting which childhood vaccines the state can require.

• Voted for HB 148, rolling back protections for transgender Granite Staters, and spent the time since defending that vote publicly instead of listening to the people who raised concerns.

To be clear, my objection isn’t just that he voted differently than I would have. Reasonable people disagree. My objection is the pattern: four years of votes moving further from the values of the community that elected him, on issues this community has been clear about.

The seat belongs to the people of Peterborough and Sharon, not to the person who holds it.

What I’ll do differently

I’m running to be a representative, in the ordinary meaning of that word.

I’ll listen to everyone, including people who disagree with me. I’ll do the unglamorous work that rural districts depend on. I’ll follow the evidence and explain my votes. And I’ll treat every person in this community with dignity and respect, without exception and without needing to be persuaded that they deserve it.

Basic rights aren’t up for debate. Every person who calls Peterborough and Sharon home deserves safety, dignity, and the freedom to take part in public life. I’ll defend that—and then get back to the work this district needs: Supporting working families, expanding affordable housing options, strengthening rural healthcare access, adequately funding public schools, growing a strong local economy, protecting individual rights and dignity, and bringing practical, accountable leadership to Concord.

Amanda's background

• More than 10 years in nonprofit healthcare leadership

• MBA in Healthcare Management

• Peterborough Affordable Housing Committee

• Inclusive Community Committee, founding member and Chair

• Board Member, Monadnock Area Transition Shelter

Amanda Allen lives in Peterborough with her husband, Zach, and their two young children. She is the director of provider engagement at the Foundation for Healthy Communities, where she works with healthcare providers statewide on clinical readiness for emerging therapies that offer curative options for people with chronic illnesses. She testifies regularly at the State House on rural healthcare access, hospital and patient experience, and the role of community hospitals.