• by Ray Schultz , August 25, 2022

A New Hampshire newspaper publisher has been arrested for allegedly running political advertisements that did not conform with state election laws.

Debra A. Paul, publisher of the Londonderry Times, ran political ads in the newspaper without labeling them as such, according to the office of state Attorney General John M. Formella. 

Paul was arrested on Wednesday and charged with six misdemeanor counts related to Penalties For Political Advertising. She faces a maximum penalty of up to one year at the country house of correction and a fine of up to $2,000. 

Formella’s office alleges that Paul was investigated and warned against such actions on two occasions in 2019 and 2021. The publisher was given a ‘final warning’ letter last September. 

New Hampshire’s RSA 664:16 requires that political ads be identified as such with appropriate language either at the beginning or end of the advertisement. 

The local political context was not clear at deadline. Formella is a Republican. 

According to Yahoo News, the ads were for school board candidates or budget proposals. The ads, run in two issues in February and March of this year, did not include the required “Paid For” label. 

Paul countered that Formella’s office has “more important matters to deal with than to send press releases out on misdemeanors such as this,” Yahoo News continues. “With multiple unsolved homicides over the past year, this seems a bit absurd.”

The Londenderry Times is published by Nutfield Publishing, described on its website as a family owned business.