Ben Ming:

Current Member of the Hollis, NH Planning Board

When my family first settled into Hollis, I knew that I wanted to get involved with the community because it was apparent, even before we moved, what a tight-knit town Hollis is and many towns in New Hampshire are. I feel more connected to my neighbors now than in any other place I’ve lived, but it was serving on the planning board that has made me feel like a part of the community. There are few things that people in Hollis put above its rural character and small-town feel, and it’s that value I hope to uphold as your State Representative. I feel fortunate to be able to take a small part in hearing the concerns of my town and it’s my greatest hope to be able to do the same for Milford, Mont Vernon, and New Boston if I’m elected to represent you in Concord.

For the nearly ten years that I’ve been a practicing lawyer, I’ve met and worked with many lawyers and the ones I admire the most, the ones who are able to reassure their client and deliver a positive outcome, are often able to connect with their clients in a way that acknowledges the complexity of federal, state, and municipal laws and regulations. Rarely is a trip to the lawyer a situation lacking in stress and it requires a great deal of expressed empathy to gain the trust of a client. This type of empathy is something that elected legislators should be expected to show. Not just an understanding of the concerns of the citizens of New Hampshire, but an understanding that we as a community care enough to understand the laws that we are governed by. Legislators should be able to distill our laws into something understandable by every person they represent and, when I’m elected, this is one way I will not let you down.

We are living in unprecedented times as parents. Should we work to provide for our families or should we educate our children whose futures we care so deeply about? The answer for many, if we’re fortunate, is both. My wife and I regret nothing about the life we’ve crafted, but we also stress over the never-ending frustration of not being able to give our kids everything we believe they deserve; teachers in the classroom that inspire, playdates with friends, birthday parties, more one-on-one time with us. We are all, of course, redefining what each of those things mean. Our laws were always meant to take the shape of who we are and I believe they must reflect not only the brightest future we see for our kids, but how we get there.

If I were talking to you in person right now and trying to explain to you what motivates me, not just to run for New Hampshire state representative, but in everything I do, this is the part where I might get emotional. I’m married to an emergency medicine doctor. This pandemic is not the first time I’ve had to consider the sacrifices she makes. When we met, she was sacrificing her 20s to this higher calling with long educational and residency training periods. She has sacrificed much of her 30s giving birth to our children while continuing to work full-time. She sacrifices her time with our kids because she wouldn’t be the complete person she demands to be; one who had long dreamed of helping people and saving lives. She worked when Ebola reached the United States. She’s been called every bad name you can think of. She works in a place not unaccustomed to violence. Her life has been threatened by her patients. Despite all of this, she never has and never will need me to be her knight in shining armor, but this is the first time I’ve ever been presented with the opportunity to make a difference in her life as a doctor. Her sacrifices inspire me every day and they will drive me if and when, you, the people of New Boston, Mont Vernon, Milford, and Hollis, choose to give me that opportunity.