Karen Liot Hill

Last updated

Andy Hill
​
​
(m. 2016;div. 2017)​
Karen Liot Hill
Karen Liot Hill Official Statehouse Photo.pdf
Member of the New Hampshire Executive Council from the 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2025
Children2
Education Dartmouth College (BA)

Karen Liot Hill is an American politician who has been a member of the Executive Council of New Hampshire since 2025. She is the highest ranking Democrat in the New Hampshire state government. [1] She previously served as mayor of Lebanon, New Hampshire, and was a Lebanon City Council member from 2005 [2] to March 2025. [3]

Contents

Biography

Liot Hill was born in France and raised on Long Island in New York by her father after her mother's early death from cervical cancer. [4] [5] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College, majoring in government and minoring in education. [6] She worked as a paralegal, piano teacher and an on-air personality at WWOD, an adult album alternative broadcasting radio station. [7] [8] Liot Hill and her former husband, Andy Hill, owned and operated the Lebanon Diner, which closed in 2020 due to challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. [9] Liot Hill has twice been arrested for driving while intoxicated. In 2010 she pleaded guilty and was convicted of grossly negligent operation. In 2018 she was charged with driving while intoxicated, a Class B misdemeanor. [10]

Political career

Lebanon City Council

Liot Hill has said that she was a Republican in her youth, and become involved in the Democratic Party during Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign. [11] In 2004, Liot Hill became a registered Democrat and successfully ran the campaigns for four Democratic state representative candidates in Lebanon. [12] [6] In 2005, she was elected to serve on the Lebanon City Council. [12] and was the mayor of Lebanon from 2008 to 2009. While she was on the city council, she prioritized sustainability, social justice, economic vitality, affordable housing, transparency, and inclusiveness. Karen served as Lebanon’s Mayor in 2008-09, during which time she signed onto the US Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement on behalf of the people of Lebanon. [13]

Grafton County Treasurer

Liot Hill was elected treasurer for Grafton County in 2016 and re-elected in 2018, 2020, and 2022. [12]

Executive Council of New Hampshire

Liot Hill was elected to the Executive Council of New Hampshire in November 2024 with 57% percent of the vote, beating perennial candidate Republican Kim Strathdee. [14] Liot Hill was endorsed by the Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund. [15] Liot Hill missed two deadlines for her campaign finance reports, October 30 and November 13, 2024, respectively, and eventually filed them with the New Hampshire Secretary of State's office on December 12, 2024. [16] Late filings are not uncommon in New Hampshire. [17]

On August 14, 2025, Joseph Sweeney, the third-highest ranking Republican in the New Hampshire House, launched an effort to impeach Liot Hill, claiming she improperly used her office to help a private law firm recruit clients. [18] Liot Hill has said she has been targeted because she is the sole Democrat on the Executive Council, and that referring a constituent to a third party is not unusual for councilors. [19]

Political views

In 2019, Liot Hill stated that she had gone without health insurance for almost 10 years because she finds it unaffordable. [11] Liot Hill is a supportive ally of the LGBTQ+ community and an advocate for abortion rights. [20] [21] As County Treasurer, she prioritized the responsible use of taxpayer dollars, and prudent oversight of county fiscal matters. [13]

As Executive Councilor, Karen has identified abortion rights, housing, childcare, public education, and climate change as her priority issues. [22] She credits the death of her mother due to cervical cancer, when Karen was six years old, as the reason for her support for women's health funding. [22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "As the top Democrat in Concord, Liot Hill is a rising voice — and a growing target". NHPR. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Karen Liot Hill". Lebanon, New Hampshire. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Lebanon City Council". Lebanon, New Hampshire. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  4. ↑ "City Council's Karen Liot Hill" (PDF). The Lebanon Times. No. Summer 2019.
  5. ↑ Konecky, Isabella (October 1, 2024). "Q&A with Executive Council candidate Karen Liot Hill '00". The Dartmouth. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Haber, Taylor (August 11, 2023). "Karen Liot Hill '00 to seek 2024 Democratic nomination for second Executive Council district". The Dartmouth. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  7. ↑ Camerato, Tim (February 27, 2021). "Lebanon voters to take on two City Council races, zoning amendments". The Valley News. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  8. ↑ Lippman, John (November 19, 2017). "'The River' Moves Down the Radio Dial to Battle 'The Point'". The Valley News. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Owners say Lebanon Diner is closing". Valley News. June 6, 2020. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  10. ↑ Pierce, Meghan (April 19, 2018). "Official charged with DUI grateful for community's 'compassion'". The Union Leader. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Doyle-Burr, Nora (September 21, 2019). "Health care a pressing issue in 2020 for many Upper Valley voters". The Valley News. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 "Lebanon's Liot Hill to run in Democratic primary for Executive Council". August 11, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "About Karen" . Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  14. ↑ Gopalakrishan, Sruthi (November 6, 2024). "Karen Liot Hill elected to New Hampshire's executive council, poised to be the only Democrat". The Concord Monitor.
  15. ↑ "Planned Parenthood NH Action Fund PAC Endorses Governor and Executive Council Candidates Who Will Protect and Expand Access to Reproductive Health Care". Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund. September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  16. ↑ Fisher, Damien (December 15, 2024). "Already Facing Ethics Questions, Dem Liot Hill Failed to Meet Filing Deadlines". NH Journal: an InsideSources publication. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  17. ↑ Morris, Allie (June 10, 2017). "Capital Beat: Lawmakers blow their self-imposed deadlines". Concord Monitor. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  18. ↑ Green, Rick (August 15, 2025). "Republican levels Impeachment threat against executive councilor". The Keene Sentinel. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  19. ↑ Shanahan, Clare (August 19, 2025). "Liot Hill accused of political activity via state email". Valley News. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  20. ↑ Sauchelli, Liz (July 25, 2020). "White River Junction sees pride parade roll through". The Valley News. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  21. ↑ Mize, France (June 24, 2022). "Roe v. Wade ruling reverberates in the Upper Valley". The Valley News. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  22. 1 2 "Karen Liot Hill" . Retrieved November 22, 2025.
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