State House Dome: Sununu stands by 'they'll be fired' prediction

Nov. 6—GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU said he is sticking to his prediction of a year ago that New Hampshire voters on Tuesday will "fire" most of the state's all-Democratic congressional delegation.

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., whose term is up in 2026, isn't on the ballot.

"Public service is about accountability. It is not about running for the next election. They are only worried about their own campaign, raising money," Sununu said.

"When is the last time Senator Hassan held a press conference? When does she actually meet with you guys and answer questions? That right there proves you don't deserve the job."

Throughout this campaign, Hassan has answered questions on specific issues from reporters following her by-invitation events. She has not had freewheeling news conferences on the campaign trail or hosted any in-person town hall forums to field questions from the public.

"I think New Hampshire is really good about having a high set of demands, a high standard of accountability," Sununu said.

Hassan told reporters Friday she's been "meeting voters where they are," and many of her legislative accomplishments over the past six years were based on input from constituents, such as her bipartisan legislation to ban surprise medical bills.

Sununu dismissed the impact of Senate Republican nominee Don Bolduc's late, unproven claim that New Hampshire students were permitted to act out as cats and schools have provided kitty litter for them.

"I think it's a very minor issue that isn't going to affect how I vote and how most people in New Hampshire vote on Tuesday," Sununu said.

"Voters want someone to go down to Washington who isn't part of Washington, who is going to shake things up down there."

Ex-candidates stump for Democrats

The two insurgent Democratic presidential candidates from New Hampshire's 2020 primary return here Sunday to stump for Hassan and the Democratic ticket.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, both exceeded expectations when they finished a close second and third to two-time primary winner Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont.

The two will campaign together for Hassan and Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., in Nashua. Earlier the same day, Klobuchar will be with Hassan in Exeter, and Buttigieg will be in Manchester for an event with Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H.

On Friday, first-term U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., appeared at a meet-and-greet in Londonderry with Bolduc.

Some might have thought Bolduc would have attracted more big guns in the runup to this close election.

For his part, Bolduc no doubt knows that being surrounded at this late stage by recognizable Washington politicians doesn't reinforce his brand as an outsider.

National Dems worried

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee late last week signaled its concern over how big the Republican wave could be Tuesday.

It purchased $1 million of late TV advertising in the 2nd Congressional District, where Rep. Kuster has remained a heavy favorite to win a sixth term over little-known and even less financially supported GOP nominee Bob Burns of Pembroke.

The GOP's national committee long ago wrote off this race, refusing to give Burns a nickel of support while spending millions to help Karoline Leavitt beat Pappas in the 1st District.

Meanwhile, Burns has been a thorn in Sununu's side for several election cycles. He won the primary even though the governor endorsed not one, but two, Republicans (first beermaker Jeff Cozzens of Lyme, then Keene Mayor George Hansel) over him.

If Burns has the numbers to win, that means many Democrats down ballot could be at risk of losing their New Hampshire House seats.

Ironically, at this point, Kuster doesn't need more Washington cash as much as she needs deeper support in the western half of the state.

DCYF: Delay would help Sununu Center

Division of Children, Youth and Families Director Joe Ribsam has a simple remedy for the violence that's occurred at the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester:

Dear Legislature, act quickly in January to extend the closure date of this corrections/treatment facility for troubled juveniles.

The workforce shortage at SYSC caused many of the incidents that required local police response in the past two months.

Ideally, the center should have 45 full-time counselors. When the unrest began, it was down to 20.

The Executive Council on Wednesday voted to make sure two males and one female staffer at SYSC injured on the job on Sept. 10, Sept. 22 and Oct. 4 do not lose sick or regular leave for the time they were out of service.

Ribsam said things really calmed down three weeks ago after he mandated the transfers of some probation and parole officers to the facility.

What will make the remaining staff more likely to stay is passage of a bill that moves the closure of the SYSC out beyond next March.

"It is out there and needs to be addressed," Ribsam said. "They fear they aren't going to have a job in a few months."

The DCYF director commended legislative leaders for committing to address this problem early in 2023.

Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette said SYSC's head count would go down after work is completed next year on a psychiatric residential treatment facility at the state-owned Hampstead Hospital.

This will allow the retrofitted campus in Hampstead to take juveniles who may need care for "several months, instead of days," she said.

DOT pick an obvious choice

Sununu wasted no time in nominating a replacement for Transportation Commissioner Victoria Sheehan, who will leave late this month to head an influential policy and research think tank in Washington.

All signs point to the Executive Council embracing his pick from within the ranks — Assistant Commissioner Bill Cass of Laconia.

Cass has done nearly everything but drive a snowplow truck since starting with the Department of Transportation as a civil engineer in 1986.

The University of New Hampshire graduate has 26 years of management experience in the agency. For years he has also been the person most responsible for birddogging projects in the state's 10-year highway program.

His calm, competent manner has proven effective in the Legislature, which has to approve the timing of all these road and bridge contracts.

If confirmed, he'll make $142,000 a year and fill Sheehan's unexpired term, set to end Dec. 3, 2023.

Ex-speaker gets another hitch in government

When legislative leaders leave politics for full-time state employment in New Hampshire, they quickly learn that the role requires a different set of skills.

For some, the transition has had its fits and starts.

But Sununu's pick in 2017 of outgoing House Speaker Shawn Jasper, R-Hudson, to become commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, Markets and Foods seems to have worked.

After Donald Trump's election, the opening at Agriculture came up. Jasper, who had owned a poultry farm on his Hudson property, approached Sununu about it.

Former House Speaker Gene Chandler, R-Bartlett, came back to take the gavel from Jasper and run the House with little drama through the 2018 election.

What councilors have liked about Jasper's leadership is he works to reach consensus among the varied interests in that agency, is open to new ways of doing things, and doesn't act as if he's got all the answers.

Last week, Sununu nominated him for another five-year term at nearly $121,000 annually.

Good reviews for WMUR candidate debates

Pulling off four televised debates is no small feat, and campaigns in both political parties gave WMUR high marks for letting their candidates get a fair shot in the spotlight.

Moderator Adam Sexton and anchors Jean Mackin and Steve Botari fired some well thought-out questions that covered the landscape of top issues voters care about.

Trust me, viewers noticed on more than one occasion that a Democratic or Republican candidate in the crosshairs retreated to their clichés and didn't answer the question, even when given a second chance.

With a couple of these races too close to call, it was important that these debates not become their own story, with one candidate claiming they received worse treatment than another when the klieg lights came on.

Rental assistance bid

Sununu has not given up on appealing to the Biden administration to extend federal rental assistance subsidies expected to end at the end of this year.

Taylor Caswell, director of the Governor's Office of Emergency Relief and Recovery, said the state put in its application in the past week for $40 million more.

"We have no sense on when we are going to hear on that," Caswell said.

There's enough money in the pipeline to pay all those who applied for help before the close of applications a week ago, Caswell said.

He also stressed that the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority and Community Action Programs have existing federal programs that can offer assistance to renters but not outright cash to apartment dwellers.

Sex ed still on shelf

As expected, the final pre-election effort to revive an after-school sex education program in Manchester and Claremont failed before the Executive Council last week.

In an interesting wrinkle, Councilor Janet Stevens, R-Rye, didn't agree to take the item off the table for a vote as she had a few weeks ago.

Clearly, GOP councilors decided not to give the program's supporters another headline before next Tuesday.

Sununu told reporters he remains optimistic that he can get a majority of the five-person council to endorse this program, which they all voted for in the past.

Claremont operators closed their program for the year while those running it in Manchester have put it on the shelf for now.

Mount Major parking deal

The state's sale of a 22-acre parcel off Route 11 to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests should improve the recreational experience for those who hike Mount Major in Alton.

Since 2015, the society has had control over the parcel, but this outright sale for $180,000 will allow it to "collect reasonable fees" for educational and recreational programs on the property.

The site's popularity often translates to a lack of available parking.

This deal permits the society to expand its parking footprint as long as it secures the necessary state and local approvals.

Councilor Joe Kenney, R-Wakefield said he is glad the deed gives the society the flexibility to pursue hospitality options for hikers, such as selling food and beverages at the base of the mountain.

The agreement covers many other details, such as requiring the Federal Aviation Administration to give its OK for any construction more than than 200 feet above sea level and restrictions to maintain at least a 25-foot buffer from a "historic cemetery" near to the parcel.

"We're pleased the negotiations went so well to have gotten to this point," said Society Executive Director Jack Savage.

A salute to service

The council officially accepted the resignation of Nelson Thibault of Nottingham as chairman of the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission.

Thibault is leaving after 25 years on the panel because of "recent health issues, including Parkinson's disease.

Kevin Landrigan is State House Bureau Chief for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. Reach him at klandrigan@unionleader.com.