Protecting Our Lakes

John has made protecting New Hampshire’s lakes one of the central priorities of his service in Concord.

2026 — Neonicotinoid pesticide protections advance to rulemaking

John was the prime sponsor of HB 1431, bipartisan legislation restricting neonicotinoid pesticides. The bill passed the New Hampshire House, and the issue has now moved into the Pesticide Control Board’s regulatory process. (New Hampshire Government)

The work is not finished. John continues to push for meaningful protections from pesticides that can reach our waters and threaten aquatic insects, pollinators and the natural systems our lakes depend upon.

2026 — A long-term response to cyanobacteria

John co-sponsored SB 598, now law, establishing the Cyanobacteria Mitigation Loan and Grant Fund Task Force. Its job is to develop a sustainable source of funding to help New Hampshire confront the growing cyanobacteria problem. (New Hampshire Government)

2026 — Addressing pesticide-treated seed

John was also the prime sponsor of HB 1086, addressing neonicotinoid-treated cornn& soy seed. The House passed an amended study measure, although the Senate ultimately declined to advance it. (New Hampshire Government). Reintroducing this is being planned for the 2027 session.

John continues to pursue the issue because protecting New Hampshire’s waters requires looking at all significant pathways by which these persistent pesticides enter the environment. Treated seeds are a documented source of contamination.

2025 — Keeping yard waste out of our waters

John co-sponsored legislation prohibiting the intentional disposal of yard waste into New Hampshire surface waters—another practical step toward reducing unnecessary nutrient loading in lakes and streams.

2024 — Strengthening shoreland protection

John supported stronger enforcement of New Hampshire’s Shoreland Protection Act, helping protect the natural buffers that safeguard water quality.

Keeping People Safe

Long before serving in the Legislature, John spent his career protecting people—as a member of New Hampshire Marine Patrol and as a New Hampshire State Police detective.

That experience continues to shape his legislative work.

2025 — Standing up for crime victims

John was the prime sponsor of HB 218, now law, giving crime victims a copy of the police investigative report without requiring them to pay for it.

For John, it was a straightforward question of fairness: a victim of a crime should not have to pay to obtain the report documenting what happened to them.

2024 — Safer, more accountable boating

John prime-sponsored legislation strengthening boating-accident reporting requirements.

It is a natural extension of a lifetime spent around New Hampshire’s lakes and his early service with Marine Patrol: people should be able to enjoy our waters safely, and serious accidents should be properly reported.

2023 — Protecting young children

John supported legislation strengthening automobile restraint requirements for children under two.

Supporting Our Schools, Towns & Taxpayers

John knows that decisions made in Concord eventually arrive in somebody’s property-tax bill.

He has supported state budgets and policies that return substantial resources to communities, help fund public education, support roads and bridges, and reduce pressure on local taxpayers.

As Vice Chair of the House Municipal and County Government Committee, he works directly on many of the issues that affect towns like Wolfeboro and Tuftonboro.

Government That Works

John’s approach to government is practical rather than ideological.

He has supported stronger conflict-of-interest protections for local planning and zoning decisions, additional tools for municipalities, and measures intended to make government more accountable and responsive to the people it serves.

He has earned a reputation for working with legislators in both parties when there is a problem worth solving.

The Work Isn’t Finished

There is another reason John is asking voters to send him back to Concord.

The work he has begun is not finished.

New Hampshire is only beginning to confront the effects of pesticide contamination in our waters. The Pesticide Control Board’s neonicotinoid rulemaking is an important step, but John believes additional work will be needed to protect lakes, aquatic life and drinking water.

Cyanobacteria is another challenge that will not disappear after one legislative session. The state now has a process underway to determine how New Hampshire can sustainably fund prevention and mitigation rather than leaving lake communities to face the problem largely on their own.

Experience and relationships count in that work.

John knows the legislators, state agencies, scientists, lake advocates, municipal officials and residents who have been working on these issues. He has demonstrated that he can bring people together across party lines and stay with an issue long enough to move it forward.

Re-electing John MacDonald means keeping an experienced and effective voice in Concord at a time when some of his most important work is just beginning to produce results.

For Wolfeboro and Tuftonboro—and for a state whose economy, property values quality of life are so closely tied to its lakes—there is still much more to do. He already knows how to get things moving. Don't start over