I have been a practicing attorney in NH for over 50 years and am now retired. I practiced in all the state courts and during that time I tried cases in The Derry Circuit Court where John Coughlin presided as Judge for 16 years.
I observed a Judge who was intelligent, fair, calm, deliberative, and respectful for all who appeared before him, whether a defendant, attorney, witness, or the police.
During his judicial tenure, he took a leave of absence to serve as a Lt. Colonel in the US Army Judge Advocate Corps. He served 3 tours of duty in Iraq and was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service as well as other awards.
John Coughlin previously served as Hillsborough County Attorney before he became a Judge. He was elected in November 2020 to a full term and now seeks re-election.
Our County Attorney is responsible for all state felony prosecutions in the County. Needless to say, it involves all manner of serious crimes where the penalty often is incarceration in the State prison. He has 33 Assistant County Attorneys to assist him in his duties.
Much has been done in the County Attorney’s office since Coughlin took office in January 2021 to better communicate and work with the many police departments like what he has accomplished.
John Coughlin is a Republican. I am a Democrat. The Democratic party chose not to contest the office of County Attorney. A third party closely aligned with the Libertarian party took advantage of this opening and in the state primary wrote in the name of the former Chairman of the Libertarian party. That person served in that capacity from 2014-20, and in fact in 2018 ran for the office of Mayor of Phoenix, Az. He ran for Hillsborough County Attorney in 2020 in the Libertarian column and came in poor third with 5.6% of the vote. Let’s face it. The Democratic candidate is not a Democrat. He is a libertarian. He has never prosecuted a felony. Who knows what he would do as County Attorney.
Legal Experience and knowledge of the law count. Military service to our country counts. A fair man with a level head and with vast prosecutorial experience makes John Coughlin the right person for re-election as Hillsborough County Attorney.
Respectfully submitted,
Atty. Robert F. Bossie
Bedford, NH
Former State Senator