Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy

The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy (JBCPP) is a think tank "focused on state and local public policy issues that affect the quality of life for New Hampshire’s citizens." The center states as its mission to promote policy that supports its core beliefs of "individual freedom and responsibility, limited and accountable government, and an appreciation of the role of the free enterprise system" through "information, research, and analysis." JBCPP is a member of the State Policy Network (SPN).

Supported ALEC Legislation
JBCPP has worked to support and push ALEC legislation, including specifically legislation on school vouchers. During the 2011-2012 legislative session New Hampshire passed legislation to divert taxpayer dollars to private and religious schools. In 2013 the legislation came under review and organizations like Granite State Progress testified to the ALEC origins of the legislation. Josiah Bartlett Center President Charlie Arlinghaus dedicated part of his testimony time to attempting to discredit this accusation, telling policymakers that the school voucher legislation was actually his own idea, and blatantly poking fun at those who raised concerns that it was a rubberstamp agenda item being implemented in states across the country with the aid of ALEC.

Blocked Medicaid Expansion
In September 2013, JBCPP President Charlie Arlinghaus was on the New Hampshire Study Commission on Medicaid Expainsion. According to a report by Granite State Progress, Arlinghous has a long history of opposing health care reform measures, with particular opposition to the Affordable Care Act. In conjunction with other conservative members of the Commission, Arlinghaus complained about the lopsided representation of speakers in favor of expansion. JBCPP affiliated NH Watchdog editor Grant Bosse used his weekly column in the Concord Monitor to rail against supporters of expansion.

New Hampshire Watchdog
In 2008, JBCPP hired former radio-host Grant Bosse to create New Hampshire Watchdog, a "new investigative project for the free market think tank." Bosse is a known Republican and has also served as a policy aide in both the NH State House and in Congress for Sen. John Sununu. The organization pitched the new auxiliary site as a conservative investigative reporting site focusing on the state legislature and as a place for the Center to release it's groundbreaking news reports.

NH Watchdog is the New Hampshire affiliate of the Franklin Center and holds similar standards to its sister groups across the nation, eschewing ethical and journalistic standards in favor of functioning as a right-wing news feed. Franklin Center affiliates have a known history of manufacturing stories and subpar reporting. A report by Granite State Progress highlights NH Watchdog's failure to provide unbiased reporting, showing their lack of commitment to true journalistic integrity. Both JBCPP and NH Watchdog are funded by right-wing supporters and push a particular policy agenda.

Bosse continues his partisan work, even as he claims to be editor and founder of the NH Watchdog. While reporting for the NH Watchdog and the Concord Monitor, he worked on think tank policy reports on legislation under consideration, testified as an expert in front of legislative committees. Bosse has held professional journalism in disregard, voicing his contempt for ethical standards in regards to conflicts of interest. In a op-ed piece for sister network, the Montana Watchdog, he wrote "Journalism is an activity, not a club. If you are reporting news, the you are a reporter, and employment at a news paper or membership in a trade association grants you no more rights than every other American citizen."

Personnel
As of April 2013:

Board of Directors

 * Rich Ashooh, Chairman
 * Eugene M. Van Loan, III, Immediate Past Chairman
 * Anna ‘Bobbie’ Barbara Hantz, Vice-Chair
 * Peter Angerhofer, Businessman, Durham
 * Jamie Burnett, Businessman, Concord
 * Tom Eaton, Former Senate President, Keene
 * Peter Josephson PhD, Professor: Saint Anselm College
 * John Kayser PhD, Professor: UNH, Durham
 * Bruce Keough, Businessman, Dublin
 * Gordon MacDonald, Attorney, Nixon Peabody, Manchester
 * Emily M. Mead, Co-Founder, Etna
 * Mike Murray, Financial Consultant, Portsmouth
 * James Shirley, Attorney, Goffstown
 * Sara Shirley, Shirley Farm, Goffstown
 * James Sununu, Businessman, North Hampton
 * Emeritus, Colin D. Campbell, Prof. Emeritus, Dartmouth College, Hanover
 * Emeritus, Gov. John H. Sununu, Former Governor, Hampton Falls

Executive Staff

 * Charles M. Arlinghaus, President
 * Joshua Elliott-Traficante, Policy Analyst and Transparency Director

Core Financials
 2011 
 * Total Revenue: $247,808
 * Total Expenses: $301,301
 * Net Assets: $$34,217

 2010  :
 * Total Revenue: $228,770
 * Total Expenses: $241,723
 * Net Assets: $87,642

 2009  :
 * Total Revenue: $315,887
 * Total Expenses: $323,502
 * Net Assets: $103,124

Contact Details
The Josiah Bartlett Center For Public Policy 7 South State Street, PO Box 897 Concord, NH 03301

Fax: (603) 224-4329 Phone: (603) 224-4450 Email: jbartlett at jbartlett.org