About Charlene Lovett

As a former Mayor of Claremont, school board member, State Representative, and a military retiree, Charlene Lovett has served at all levels of government and is uniquely prepared to be a leader in the New Hampshire State Senate. Charlene will champion the success stories of Senate District 8 – including the revitalization of the City of Claremont – and use her experience to solve longstanding problems at the state level to promote the health, education, and prosperity of Granite Staters.

 Lovett retired as an Army Chief Warrant Officer in 2003 after serving for 22 years in Military Intelligence and subsequently provided intelligence training to military and federal employees. Her military service and work in the federal sector honed her leadership skills and her dedication to helping veterans and honoring their service to the nation. She is currently the Historian at American Legion Post 29 and has organized numerous events to honor local heroes.

 While mayor, Lovett was a member of Cities Thrive and Climate Mayors, national coalitions of mayors advocating for resources at the local level to address mental health and environmental issues. When she became aware of the devastating effects of lead poisoning on children’s health and ability to learn, she advocated for landmark legislation to prevent childhood lead poisoning and supported efforts to bring nearly two million federal dollars into Sullivan County to remediate lead and other health hazards in homes. Her leadership in this area earned her awards from both the EPA and the Conservation Law Foundation. She has served as chair of the Board of Trustees for Valley Regional Hospital and continues to be a member of Claremont’s Clean Lead Action Team.

 Lovett knows firsthand the importance of educational opportunities to the prosperity of NH and its people, and she knows that the lack of adequate funding creates inequities for both families and communities. Her advocacy for better funding brought millions of dollars to Claremont, enabling the school district to complete many capital improvement projects that had been deferred for decades.

Having served as Chair of the Advisory Committee for River Valley Community College, she understands the importance of developing pathways from secondary education to higher learning and creating a robust portfolio for career options.

 Lovett has been instrumental in the revitalization of Claremont, a community that suffered economic and population loss when the mills closed and is now a city on the rise. During her leadership, the City Council adopted investment tools and updated ordinances that attracted millions of dollars of outside investment to transform vacant buildings into housing, new businesses and the Claremont MakerSpace. As a Commissioner on the Claremont Housing Authority, she works to address the housing crisis facing our families, businesses, and communities. She believes that people are an organization’s greatest asset – whether in a hospital, a military mission, or an entire community – and believes that investing in people is equally important to investing in infrastructure as a strategy for community prosperity.

 In 2021, Lovett was one of 13 mayors to receive the Municipal Advocate Leader of the Year Award from the NH Municipal Association for the mayors’ success in advocating collectively for housing and better funding to municipalities. Lovett believes the purpose of government is to create an environment of safety and security while building a framework of equitable opportunity, providing each person the chance to live up to their full potential. She will be a champion for the people and communities of Senate District 8 and ensure that their voices are heard in Concord.