Lebanon, NH -- City Councilor Karen Liot Hill, 28, will seek re-election on the March ballot. “I have learned a lot and made some significant accomplishments over the past two years, such as chairing the City's first-ever strategic planning process," she says, "and I would like to continue serving Ward 3 residents as their representative to our City Council in order to further the work I've become involved with." Her top priorities for a second term on the Council include engaging residents more effectively in decisions affecting the city, developing a transportation and open space plan to incorporate into the Zoning Update planned for the March 2008 ballot, pursuing opportunities to save energy and invest in new energy alternatives through the creation of an Energy Advisory Committee, and improving our long-term fiscal health by investing in our infrastructure.

Karen is the City Council representative to the Pedestrian & Bicyclist Advisory Committee, which seeks to make Lebanon more walkable and bike-able. She is part of the renewed momentum behind the project at the Westboro Yard, as a member of that City Council subcommittee. She has additionally served on the Dana House Committee, dedicated to preserving this historic asset to Lebanon, and the ADA Committee, charged with overseeing the incremental implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act within our City. She is currently a member of the Council Subcommittee on Zoning which will facilitate the process of reviewing and revising the Zoning Update. "I have enjoyed bringing an action-oriented approach to our city government," says Karen, “My goal has been to conduct city business with a thoughtful, honest approach that respects our past and embraces our future, and I believe I have done so.”

An active member of the community, Karen plays piano and sings at her church, First Baptist of Lebanon, each Sunday morning, serves on the Board of WISE, an Upper Valley non-profit that supports victims of domestic and sexual violence, volunteers for the Lebanon Outing Club at Storrs Hill, and co-leads Upper Valley MeetUp, a local citizens action group. “I believe public service is an honorable goal,” says Karen, “Our democracy is stronger when many voices are heard and represented.”

Karen moved to New Hampshire to attend Dartmouth College and has happily made the Granite State her home ever since. Following the birth of her daughter during her undergraduate years, Karen completed her degree in American Government, writing an honors thesis about public education in New Hampshire and Vermont. Karen is married to Andrew Hill, a Lebanon High School graduate, and they live in his family home in downtown Lebanon together with, Marina, 7, Zoe, 7 months, and their dog Dylan. Baby Zoe was a regular City Council meeting attendee until she became too talkative around 6 months. When not working on renovating their 19th Century home, the Liot Hill family loves to ski, play board games, and sing karaoke.

Inspired by the public service of people like her grandfather, a true Rockefeller Republican, Karen aspires to set an example for her daughters – and others – that participating in local politics is an important civic duty that strengthens the community. According to Karen, “My desire to continue serving Lebanon residents on the City Council is a natural extension of the values I hold dear: faith, community, and progress.”