JANET STEVENS – AN EXPERIENCED LEADER DELIVERING RESULTS FOR DISTRICT 3 AND ALL GRANITE STATE RESIDENTS
Executive Councilor Janet Stevens of Rye made history in 2020 when she was elected to the New Hampshire Executive Council, becoming only the second Republican woman and fifth woman overall elected to the body since its establishment in 1913. Representing the 266,000 residents of District Three’s 32 towns and cities, Councilor Stevens was re-elected in both 2022 and 2024 and is now in full swing preparing for 2026.
Known for her relentless advocacy on behalf of New Hampshire taxpayers and her dedication to constituent casework, Councilor Stevens has built a reputation for bringing accountability to state contracts and agencies, enhancing competition, demanding transparency in government, and fighting for the best interests of her constituents. Throughout her tenure, she has reviewed and analyzed thousands of state and federal contracts totaling billions of dollars, while consistently advocating for investments that directly benefit local communities, infrastructure, public safety, healthcare access, and economic development.
As a member of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Intramodal Transportation, Councilor Stevens has been a leading voice in securing critical infrastructure investments throughout District Three and across New Hampshire. The current Ten-Year Transportation Improvement Plan for District Three now includes approximately $900 million dollars in fully funded projects impacting the district, including roads, bridges, active transportation, and airport improvements. She has led the charge on major highway safety initiatives that are already saving lives, including demanding improvements at the dangerous Route 125 corridor in Brentwood, safety upgrades along Route 111 in Salem, and the installation of median barriers on Interstate 95.
She has also prioritized funding for structurally deficient “red list” bridges throughout District Three, most notably supporting the $107.6 million dollar Hampton–Seabrook Bridge project. In addition, she continues to advocate aggressively for $25 million dollars in federal grant funding to protect and rehabilitate Route 1A/Ocean Boulevard in Hampton, a critical economic and coastal resiliency corridor for New Hampshire’s Seacoast.
Councilor Stevens has consistently challenged government spending and demanded accountability when taxpayer dollars are at risk. She opposed awarding a second $39 million dollar contract tied to the new men’s state prison project after the vendor failed to provide deliverables under an initial $10 million dollar contract. She continues to raise concerns about the overall project costs potentially escalating toward $1 billion dollars and has pushed for stronger oversight and transparency throughout the process.
Her oversight efforts also uncovered significant deficiencies involving audits, reporting, and governance within New Hampshire’s $500 million dollar Deferred Compensation Commission. After bringing these concerns directly to then-Governor Chris Sununu, corrective action was initiated within 24 hours to address the deficiencies and strengthen accountability measures.
Councilor Stevens has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to protecting crime victims and strengthening public safety systems. When more than $1 million dollars in restitution payments owed to victims were withheld because of software and staffing failures within the New Hampshire Department of Corrections Offender Management System, she demanded immediate corrective action and accountability. Likewise, when failures emerged within the Victim Information Notification Everyday (VINE) system — the notification system that alerts victims to changes in offender status — she pressed state agencies for answers and ensured corrective measures were implemented.
Her advocacy has also extended to combating domestic violence and improving protections for vulnerable residents. After discovering that the New Hampshire Judiciary’s Internal Domestic Violence Committee had only met once during 2023 and 2024 and had failed to utilize more than $200,000 dollars in available federal grant funding intended to identify gaps in reporting and response systems, Councilor Stevens demanded action and delivered results. She also strongly advocated for the statewide implementation and use of Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) surveys by all law enforcement agencies to better identify and protect individuals at high risk of domestic violence homicide.
In healthcare, Councilor Stevens has become widely recognized as the sole elected official willing to publicly challenge major healthcare organizations when access to care for New Hampshire residents was threatened. She has consistently fought against healthcare mergers and consolidations that dismantle local services and reduce patient access across the state. Following HCA Healthcare’s acquisition of Catholic Medical Center, when behavioral healthcare services for approximately 800 residents were abruptly terminated, Councilor Stevens demanded answers, accountability, and solutions for affected patients and families.
Executive Councilor Janet Stevens has demanded accountability regarding the merger between Exeter Hospital and Beth Israel Lahey Health following the abrupt termination of healthcare services across seven categories, while continuing to challenge the merger’s compliance with legally binding conditions approved by the court in 2023.
The merger between Exeter Hospital and Beth Israel Lahey Health, approved in July 2023 through an Affiliation Agreement and Final Judgment, was authorized subject to clear, enforceable, and material conditions intended to protect the public interest. These conditions were not aspirational; they were binding commitments designed to preserve access to care, maintain critical healthcare services, support vulnerable patient populations, and ensure substantial reinvestment into the region’s healthcare infrastructure, including a mandatory $375 million capital investment obligation.
On September 10, 2024, BILH/EHR announced the termination of the Advanced Life Support (ALS) program with only ten days’ notice. Councilor Stevens immediately contacted the Office of the Attorney General, citing the Attorney General’s legal standing to enforce the merger agreement and the serious public safety implications of the decision. The termination of ALS services — followed by notices eliminating Neurology, Podiatry, Allergy, Pediatric Dental, Occupational Health, and additional healthcare services with as little as thirty days’ notice — created significant disruption for patients, providers, municipalities, and first responders throughout the region.
Councilor Stevens has continued to publicly challenge the merger and raise concerns regarding compliance with the agreement’s investment obligations, recently highlighting the lack of meaningful progress toward the required $165 million bed recapitalization commitment. To date, only approximately $156,000 has reportedly been invested toward that obligation, raising serious concerns regarding compliance, accountability, and the long-term future of healthcare access in the region.
She has also consistently supported Governor Kelly Ayotte’s $800 million dollar Rural Health Transformation Grant Program to strengthen healthcare access and delivery across New Hampshire’s rural communities. She continues to advocate for transparency and enforcement surrounding healthcare mergers that impact communities throughout New Hampshire.
Prior to the State of New Hampshire entering into a $69 million dollar contract with Anthem for the State Employee Medicare Advantage Program, Councilor Stevens publicly challenged the New Hampshire Attorney General regarding the efficacy and legal concerns surrounding the proposal, particularly while Anthem subsidiaries across the nation were facing federal lawsuits alleging fraudulent Medicare reimbursement practices. When the program’s mail-order prescription system later failed to deliver critical medications to approximately 11,000 members, she immediately stepped in, demanded answers, and worked to ensure affected retirees and state employees received assistance and restored access to their medications.
Councilor Stevens has also been a strong supporter of New Hampshire’s business community and economic development efforts. She has worked closely with businesses across the state to help navigate financing opportunities through the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority, assisted employers in obtaining critical state permits needed for expansion projects, and partnered with the Department of Business and Economic Affairs to support companies relocating to New Hampshire. Understanding that workforce shortages threaten New Hampshire’s economic competitiveness, she proudly supported $100 million dollars in investments for workforce housing and $160 million dollars for the state’s vulnerable childcare industry — both considered essential to sustaining New Hampshire’s economic engine.
Her commitment to clean water and environmental infrastructure has resulted in tens of millions of dollars in grants and low-interest loans for municipal water systems, wastewater infrastructure projects, pollution control initiatives, and coastal resiliency planning throughout District Three. She has also remained a strong advocate for school safety initiatives, housing stability programs, and transportation modernization efforts that directly improve quality of life for residents.
Councilor Stevens’ advocacy on behalf of vulnerable populations has earned statewide recognition. She was the recipient of the Community Advocate Award from Lamprey Health Care, a federally qualified health center, in recognition of her leadership and commitment to expanding access to healthcare services. She also received the Joseph T. Freeman Humanitarian Award from the Kimi Nichols Center for Advocacy for her successful efforts in securing $5 million dollars in funding to sustain housing services for developmentally disabled adults through New Hampshire’s Area Agency system.
For more than three decades, Councilor Stevens has served New Hampshire residents as a gubernatorial appointee, nonprofit leader, municipal official, and small business owner. Since 1992, she has served on numerous nonprofit boards focused on health, education, preservation, and the arts, including AIDS Response Seacoast, Strawbery Banke Museum, Prescott Park Arts Festival, and The Music Hall. As a gubernatorial appointee, she served on the Board of Mental Health Practice and participated in the Investigation of the Seacoast Cancer Cluster.
Janet and her husband, Dr. Bob Stevens, have lived on the Seacoast for more than 30 years. They are the proud parents of two children — a son who is an Infantry Officer with the United States Marine Corps and a daughter who graduated from Bowdoin College and is in the midst of applying to medical school. A former elite-level distance runner and back country skier, Councilor Stevens enjoys kayaking, biking, hiking, and skiing New Hampshire’s trails with her family whenever time allows.
