Fernald was elected as a New Hampshire state senator in 1998, winning 55 percent of the vote in a district that had not elected a democrat to its state senate seat since before the Civil War.
According to Terry McMahon, Fernald's deputy press secretary, one of Fernald's most important accomplishments as a state senator was passing the Hager-Below-Fernald bill.
The bill was an early version of Fernald's recent plan to implement tax relief in the form of decreased property taxes and to supplement the lost state revenue with an income tax. The bill passed in both houses but was eventually vetoed by the New Hampshire governor Jeanne Shaheen.
Fernald's concern with high property taxes in New Hampshire prompted him to center his campaign for governor around the issues of education funding and income and property taxes, according to McMahon.
Fernald feels that when the state created a new state property tax to increase education funding-the result of a New Hampshire state supreme court ruling that funding education was the role of the state, not individual towns-the tax burden on citizens became unacceptably large, McMahon added.
"Property taxes were bad enough already, but the statewide property tax made it even worse," said McMahon.
Fernald thinks that property taxes are not an efficient or fair way to tax people because property values often rise more quickly than income, according to McMahon. His plan would implement a four percent education income tax and would exempt all
primary residents from the state-
wide property tax up to a value of $250,000.
The plan would increase state aid to schools by nearly 50 percent, would amend the constitution so all income from the income tax and the statewide property tax would be dedicated to education funding, and would cap the property tax at 10 percent of income.
"Most states use sales and income taxes, but New Hampshire relies on property taxes," said McMahon. "In some towns property values rise at 15 percent a year … this is a huge problem for a lot of people, especially those on fixed income."
According to Fernald's website, his plan would save a family of four living in Nashua, N.H. and making $60,000 annually $358. If the family made $35,000 of that income working out of state in Massachusetts, they would save $1,078. As a New Hampshire state senator, Fernald has also served on the banks, judiciary, and enrolled bills committees.
Fernald was a history major, a member of the Glee Club and a member of the Zumbyes during his time at the College, according to McMahon. Fernald continues to sing and has appeared in several productions of the Raylynmor Opera Company in New Hampshire.
After graduating from the College, Fernald went on to Boston College Law School and then worked in the real estate division of law firm Goodwin, Procter & Hoar. Fernald has worked as a lawyer in his hometown of Peterborough, N.H. for the last 13 years.