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Hampton Select Board Joins Chamber of Commerce Without Voter Approval—Citizen Files Right-to-Know Demand
- NH Muckraker
- Sep 17, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 23, 2025
Once again, the Hampton Select Board has decided it knows better than the people who actually pay the bills. At the May 12, 2025 meeting, the board quietly voted to make the Town of Hampton a member of the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce—without so much as a whisper of approval from the taxpayers they supposedly represent.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just a harmless “business networking” move. This is your government potentially writing checks and spending your money, The board took it upon themselves to cozy up with a private organization—without voter authorization.
Hampton voters never approved this expenditure, and yet the board took it upon themselves to drag taxpayers into bed with the Chamber.
This same chamber persuaded the majority of town officials to back out of the 2017 lawsuit against the state of New Hampshire.
The town of Hampton should be receiving $3,000,000 from state coffers, annually as reimbursement for police, fire, and public work's services provided on state property throughout the town, year-round.
REGINA BARNES ARGUES THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE SHOULD FORK OVER $20 MILLION TO THE TOWN IN RETROPAY
Well, one Granite Stater isn’t letting it slide. Former Selectwoman Regina Barnes (ME) has fired back with a Right-to-Know request under NH RSA 91-A, demanding every scrap of correspondence between town officials, department heads, and employees with the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce dating back to April 1, 2022. And she isn’t stopping there—she’s insisting those records keep coming “into the future.”
Why? Because sunlight is the best disinfectant. If our town leaders are cutting deals, sending emails, or making promises to a private chamber group, the people of Hampton deserve to know.
This is exactly why NH’s Right-to-Know Law exists: to stop backroom deals, expose cozy relationships, and hold government accountable to the people.
The question now is simple: What is Hampton’s Select Board hiding?
Why wasn’t this put before voters at Town Meeting?
How much taxpayer money is being funneled into the Chamber?
And most importantly—who benefits from this sweetheart arrangement?
Live Free or Die isn’t just a motto—it’s a warning. Granite Staters must keep their eyes open and demand answers when local boards start playing games with your money.
💥 Action Step: Keep watching Hampton. Demand transparency. Show up at meetings. Ask the tough questions. If they’re bold enough to sneak this through, what else are they hiding?
9.22.25 Response from the town.
"After consulting with the Finance Director and IT Systems Administrator, we have determined that we will need at least 30 days to comply with your request to gather all email communications to/from the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce. The Town Manager’s Administrative Assistant is also searching for hard copy documents.
Should we be able to produce the records sooner than that, we will let you know."
STAY TUNED.