Former Rep. Pushing for Change

It's quite obvious that former State Representative and Hampton native Renny Cushing is not "laying low" simply because he isn't currently occupying a political office.

In fact, this assessment couldn't be further from the truth.

Cushing is the executive director of a human rights organization known as Murder Victims' Familes for Human Rights, which works to abolish the dealth penalty and help murder victims' families cope and find justice in the aftermath of violence.

He has testified before the U.S. Congress and several state legislatures and addressed hundreds of audiences in other venues in the United States and abroad regarding victim opposition to the death penalty.

For Cushing, his work is deeply personal due to the fact that his own father was murdered in the house he grew up in in 1988. He said this personal connection causes him to feel immensely passionate about victims' rights and justice in general, and Cushing has brought this passion with him to the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

He has served there three separate times: 1986-1988, 1996-1998, and 2008-2010.

"In each term I focused on different issues," Cushing said. "In my most recent session, I focused a lot on crime victims' issues and became an effective voice for victims of crime in the state, as well as a voice for justice reinvestment. I wanted to make sure we had a sense of priorities about what we do."

An important priority for Cushing is providing respectful and humane treatment to those with mental illnesses.

"We treat people with severe mental illness who have not committed a crime and are a threat to either themselves or to others as criminals," said Cushing. "We have them sent to state prison where they are watched over by prison guards instead of having them sent to hospitals, which is where they should be. To me, that's an abomination and something to be ashamed of."

When asked if he plans on running again for state representative, Cushing said he is uncertain due to the current atmosphere.

"I think there's a really toxic political environment in Concord now, and what was different in my last term than my previous two terms is the level of nastiness and demonization of people with whom you have a political disagreement," he said.

"To be honest, it feels like the Taliban has taken over the New Hampshire House of Representatives. They're on a campaign to eradicate social compact that has been in place for four or five generations. Their vision of New Hampshire is one of beggaring thy neighbor, and they are treating public employees like public enemies. They're abandoning any sense of concern for people who are at the margins."

Cushing said the new state budget is something that greatly troubles him.

"It's going to impact anyone who has healthcare because of the tax they're imposing on hospitals, and it will make our economy worse because of the huge layoffs that have taken place," he said.

Cushing also said he feels New Hampshire lawmakers have broken their campaign promises by not focusing on job creation and instead focusing on social issues.

"There's this social agenda taking place, and it involves a glorification of guns, an attack on women and their right to choose, and an attack on gays and lesbians," he said. "They've done nothing to help the economy."

However, Cushing warned that change will not come unless people in this community step up to the plate and get involved.

"People should care about what's going on in this community because it's our home," he said. "We enjoy the benefits of living in an amazing community and we have a responsibility to the seniors who live here and helped create it. And most of all, we have a responsibility to our children who are going to inherit this place and become the stewards of it."

If there's one lesson people can learn from Cushing, it's that local politics is just as important as what's occurring on the national stage because as he put it so simply, "It's our own backyard."