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KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) Television star, entrepreneur and civic engagement advocate Andrew Shue joined former New Hampshire Senate president Kevin Smith on Wednesday morning’s Good Morning With Dan Mitchell on WKBK Radio to discuss the launch of the New Hampshire Forum, a new citizen-driven initiative aimed at helping Granite Staters shape the state’s policy agenda.
Shue, best known for his role as Billy Campbell on the hit 1990s television series Melrose Place, has remained active in business and civic engagement since his acting career. He also co-founded the social networking site CafeMom and is the brother of Academy Award-winning actress Elisabeth Shue, whose film credits include The Karate Kid, Adventures in Babysitting and Leaving Las Vegas.
During the interview, Shue and Smith outlined the goals of the New Hampshire Forum, a cross-partisan effort designed to bring residents together to identify the issues they believe deserve the most attention from elected officials and develop solutions through a structured, consensus-based process.
Organizers said the initiative began by gathering public input through text messaging and online surveys. Responses from participants helped narrow a wide range of concerns to six key topics: the high cost of living, property taxes, education funding, energy costs, government responsiveness and political polarization.
The project’s next phase will feature community conversations held both online and in person, giving residents an opportunity to discuss those issues and explore potential solutions. Organizers hope those discussions will eventually lead to a citizen assembly tasked with crafting recommendations capable of earning at least 70 percent agreement among participants before being presented to lawmakers.
Shue and Smith emphasized that participation is open to residents of all political viewpoints and that the process is intended to be transparent, inclusive and focused on the priorities of everyday citizens rather than partisan interests.
Another major goal of the effort is the creation of a citizen advocacy network made up of forum participants. Organizers envision that group helping educate residents about the legislative process, supporting proposals developed through the forum and working directly with legislators to advance consensus-backed ideas.
The next major event in the process is an in-person community conversation scheduled for June 17 at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage in Concord. Residents interested in participating can register through the New Hampshire Forum website.
Smith noted that bipartisan legislative leaders have already agreed to help champion proposals that emerge from the process, with organizers hoping the initiative can produce meaningful legislation during its first year.
While acknowledging public skepticism toward political initiatives, both guests stressed the importance of transparency, trust and broad participation in creating solutions that reflect the views of New Hampshire residents.
Organizers ultimately hope the New Hampshire Forum can become a model for civic engagement beyond New Hampshire, but said their immediate focus is on demonstrating that citizens can work together to find common ground on some of the state’s most pressing challenges.
Listen to the full interview: