Community First Economics
By Jon Kiper
You work hard, play by the rules, and still can't afford a home in the town you grew up in. This book is about why that happened and what we actually do about it.
WHAT’S INSIDE
The system isn't broken. It was built this way.
How zoning laws were originally designed to keep certain people out of certain neighborhoods, and still do
Why your rent or mortgage keeps climbing while your paycheck doesn't
The exact legal moment corporations stopped being required to serve their communities
Why New Hampshire has some of the highest property taxes in the country while ranking last in state education funding
What other places figured out about housing that we haven't
How money corrupted our politics, and what a governor's race run on $60,000 taught me about it
"If they paid me more,
I'd eat here more."
That's it. That's the whole book. A customer said that to me at my restaurant one night and I've never forgotten it.
How to Know if you should read this book
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This book is for you.
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This book is for them. Buy them a copy.
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This book is for you.
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This book is not for you. But buy it anyway and leave it somewhere your kids can find it.
about the author
For ten years I ran a small restaurant in Newmarket called Jonny Boston's International. Twenty seats, six employees, one grill. From that spot I watched the economy work at the ground level. When my regulars had money, they came in. When they didn't, they couldn't. When the engineering firm down the road got sold, we sold three fewer burritos a day.
In 2024 I ran for governor of New Hampshire on $60,000, most of which went to paying my campaign manager a real wage. I got nearly 10% of the vote. I lost, but I learned a lot. In 2025 I decided to run again, and this time I wanted to write down everything I'd been saying at that bar for a decade.
This is that book.
Put this book in the right hands.
Know someone on your town council? Buy them a copy. Your local library would probably love one too. If you want to get a few copies at once, reach out through the contact page and we'll sort it out.
