French, Strathdee compete in GOP primary for Exec Council

Sep. 1—Three-term state Sen. Harold French says he is running for the N.H. Executive Council this year because he wants a "change of pace."

His opponent in the Sept. 13 Republican primary, Kim Strathdee of Lincoln, who has failed twice before in getting her party's nomination for this state panel, is hoping her third try will be the charm.

French and Strathdee are competing to advance to the fall general election and a contest against the winner of the Democratic primary between former Executive Councilor Michael Cryans and one-term incumbent Cinde Warmington in District 2, which covers Keene and much of the Monadnock Region. Warmington is the lone Democrat on the five-person council.

The council shares executive authority with the governor. It approves receipt and expenditure of state and federal funds, confirms the appointment of judges and commissioners and hears pardon requests. Each councilor represents one-fifth of the state's population or approximately 263,000 citizens.

French, 64, of Canterbury, is an auctioneer, a real estate broker, runs an apple orchard in Hopkinton and is an antiques dealer. He said he considers his six years in the Senate as "a long time."

"I didn't want to get out of politics, but I didn't want to be in the Senate for another term," he said Wednesday. "I wanted to stay in government, have my voice heard and represent constituents."

French was one of the co-sponsors of House Bill 1636, signed into law by Gov. Chris Sununu this year, which allows loaded handguns on snowmobiles and off-highway recreational vehicles.

He was the prime sponsor of a bill, also signed by Sununu this year, which increased the hours bingo and other games of chance can be held.

French was also the prime sponsor of a measure this past legislative session that would have prohibited planning and zoning ordinances that forbid short-term rentals. It was sidetracked for a study to be done between legislative sessions.

Warmington has consistently been the only councilor to vote in favor of state contracts for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, which has an office in Keene, and two other providers.

The other four councilors rejected these contracts over stated concerns that this money could be used for abortion services, even though the providers said, and a state audit confirmed, that such funding is kept separate and not used for the procedure, but is used for cancer screenings, contraception and other care important for low-income residents.

French said that, if elected, he would oppose funding for these providers.

Last year, Sununu signed Republican-supported legislation prohibiting most abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

While many abortion-rights activists opposed the bill as an infringement on women's reproductive rights and as an interference in the doctor-patient relationship, French sees it differently and has criticism for Planned Parenthood.

"The Republicans voted to protect the rights of women to have abortions up to 24 weeks," he said. "We got no Democrat votes. Immediately afterward, Planned Parenthood took out advertisements decrying that we did this.

"This leads me to believe that Planned Parenthood feels abortions should be allowed right up to and after the time of birth."

A statement on the Planned Parenthood Action Fund website says the ability to control one's own personal medical decisions, including whether to end a pregnancy, is a fundamental human right and that restricting abortion access is dangerous and inhumane.

A 2019 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that 92.7 percent of abortions were performed at 13 weeks or less of pregnancy, 6.2 percent were performed at 14 to 20 weeks, and less than 1 percent were done after that.

For her part, Strathdee, 62, said she's not sure how she would vote on funding for the three reproductive care providers if she were on the Executive Council.

"I would have to pray in the morning and figure out the best thing to do," she said. "It would be difficult to give you a firm answer on how I would vote."

She did say that, in general, abortion is a "personal-choice issue" and that it's "none of my business."

Strathdee described herself as a "multi-talented individual" with experience as a cook, an antiques seller, a farmer and someone who has done carpentry and mechanical work.

She said her emphasis, if elected, would be on constituent services.

Part of the job description of executive councilors is to be an advocate for the people, she noted.

"The governor cannot answer every single citizen in this state, so each one of us is charged with answering to 20 percent of the citizens," Strathdee said. "These are your people. They need an answer and cutting through the red tape in Concord is your job.

"That's how I'll differentiate myself from the others."

Rick Green can be reached at RGreen@KeeneSentinel.com or 603-355-8567