TV Ad Highlights Need for Smart Infrastructure Investment

NASHUA, NH – Building America’s Future of New Hampshire (BAF-NH), a statewide and bipartisan coalition dedicated to smart infrastructure investment and reform, today announced a television ad to run through December 21 on local network and cable.

“This is a substantial television ad buy intended to educate New Hampshire policymakers and voters on the need for smart infrastructure investment and reform,” said State Senate President Peter Bragdon (R-11), co-chair of BAF-NH. “According to an annual TRIP report, our state’s rural roads rank ninth-worst and deficient rural bridges rank 11th-worst in the nation. The shoddy condition of New Hampshire’s roads and bridges needlessly puts our neighbors in harm’s way, hurts our businesses, makes us less competitive and costs the state jobs. We support a long-term plan, reforms and increased accountability through audits, performance measures and bans on earmarks. Unless we make significant changes in our course and direction, our infrastructure will continue to deteriorate and a real opportunity to restore New Hampshire’s economy will be lost.”

VIEW ONLINE: http://www.Youtube.com/InvestNewHampshire  

SCRIPT:

• WIFE: You are so stubborn… I mean, come on, admit it.
• HUSBAND: No, we don’t need to spend more money [THEY HIT A BUMP/POTHOLE] on roads and bridges.
• WIFE: [BUMP] Really? 
• HUSBAND: Really. [BUMP]
• WIFE:  What if we do it right – [BUMP] build it to last, base it on a real plan, not earmarks, and stop sticking taxpayers with cost overruns.
• HUSBAND: If someone did that, I’m for spending more. [BUMP]
• WIFE: Great. So now admit we’re lost and ask for directions.
• ANNOUNCER: Done right, we can build America’s future.
• Visual: Reform. Renew. Rebuild.

SCREEN SHOT:  Click here. For a high-res version, please email Laura Braden (lbraden@mercuryllc.com). 

BAF-NH is a grassroots/media campaign (“Invest in America”) of Building America’s Future Educational Fund (BAFEF). Coalition members can be found at http://www.bafuture.org/sites/default/files/BAF_Member_Bios.pdf. 

BAFEF conducted focus groups and polling on the issue of transportation and infrastructure investment among 2012 Republican primary election likely voters (including Tea Party supporters) in South Carolina and New Hampshire in September and October.  Among the most encouraging of these findings is that Republicans and conservatives are willing to support infrastructure spending when reform, accountability and transparency are included as part of the proposal. The importance of having a long-term strategic plan that focused on need and not politics was also a key take away. 

Founded by former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, BAFEF is a bipartisan coalition of state-based elected officials and community leaders dedicated to promoting U.S. investment in infrastructure.  

BAFEF’s latest study, “Falling Apart and Falling Behind” (www.bafuture.org/report), details reform measures and a robust long-term infrastructure package that generates economic growth. 

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NOTE: According to the New Hampshire Journal, "Many political analysts and pundits expected outside special interest groups to have a large impact on the 2012 presidential primary but there has been very little activity to date. Building America’s Future is the only group with a local organization in New Hampshire and they are now advertising more heavily than 7 of the 9 major presidential candidates."