LACONIA — Councilman Joe Kenney (R), who has served the 1st District for five terms, is being replaced by business owner Emmett Soldati (D), who is seeking to unseat Kenney in the Nov. 5 general election. I met him on a panel in front of voters at the Capitol. Belknap Mill Thursday night.
The two answered questions from the audience at a bipartisan candidate forum moderated by Sue Nastasi of the League of Women Voters. The event, primarily organized by the Unitarian Universalist Association of Laconia, drew approximately 80 voters and community members and featured a frank discussion between Mr. Kenney and Mr. Soldati.
“One of the things I really love about New Hampshire is the quality of life. It’s why we live here and it’s why people are drawn to New Hampshire,” Kenney said. Ta. “During my time on City Council, I have strived to represent the values that are important to New Hampshire.”
The Governor’s Executive Council serves three primary roles within the executive branch of state government. Approve all big-ticket state contracts. They approve political and judicial appointments and nominations. And they vote on every board and committee.
“Fourteen years ago, I did three things: I got sober, moved back to my hometown of Somersworth, and started a small business. Since then, I’ve seen how New Hampshire has changed. ,” Soldati said. “Many people, especially my generation, are facing new challenges. Whether it’s related to the housing crisis, a growing substance abuse crisis that seems to be outpacing efforts on the ground, a very Whether it has to do with the education crisis, where many homeowners are being hit with property taxes they can no longer afford, and even access to reproductive health care, or even health care in general. .”
During their lengthy discussion, Mr. Kenney and Mr. Soldati touched on education, health and finance issues, among others, but generally disagreed on solutions and root causes.
Soldati noted that Education Department Secretary Frank Edelblut’s term is due to end in March, after which the executive councilors will vote on who will be appointed. Two Supreme Court justices are scheduled to retire in the next term, and councilors will be asked to approve their replacements.
“I am concerned about the type of justices being nominated to our highest court, and I will scrutinize our highest court for similar partisan and extreme bodily autonomy views. I intend to,” Soldati said. Said.
Kenney said Soldati’s claims that he voted against the family planning contract are not entirely accurate.
“For the record, while I have been a member of the Executive Committee, I have supported every single family planning contract except for the three that my opponent mentioned earlier. Because under HB 2 from a year ago, our state law prohibits us from funding family services medical clinics that provide abortions. Because that’s what the law says.” said. “That means my opponent is breaking the law by voting in favor of these contracts. All we need to do is provide more funding to federally qualified health planning centers around New Hampshire. I believe it’s about investing.”
Soldati said there is an important difference between school choice supporters and Educational Freedom Account vouchers after Kenney expressed support for the EFA program.
“We keep hearing ideas about improving school choice for working families,” Soldati said. “The vast majority of voucher recipients were already sending their children to private or religious schools, so their options did not improve.Second, we wanted to make sure that eventually everyone was eligible. Efforts are already underway to raise the income limit.Currently, many schools that receive vouchers require parents to apply before they can receive tuition or scholarship assistance. That means that private educational institutions are subsidized by people’s taxes.
Kenney said the state budget’s $200 million deficit can be adjusted through fiscally responsible measures.
“As we go into the next cycle, the governor has provided equal funding to all agencies, and we know we’re going to see some very frugal budgeting here for the next several years. I know,” Kenney said. “The good news is our bond rating has doubled. I think we’re spending 4% of our total income on debt. Look at what’s going on in Washington, people. Gross product, that’s basically what pays all the debt interest. So New Hampshire is financially sound, has low debt, and has a good credit rating.
“We believe we are well-positioned to meet our financial obligations and run the nation as it should be run in the next cycle.”
And Soldati said New Hampshire should increase per-pupil education funding.
“The $21,000 number you just heard and heard at the last forum is the total amount each student will receive. It’s not the amount provided by the state, it’s the average amount,” Soldati said. “Across the state, poorer communities face a higher burden to meet that $21,000, but the state provides only $4,100, making it the lowest in the nation. It’s funded by taxpayers, and up to 70% of local taxes go to schools.If you’ve ever looked at your tax bill, you know this, but what concerns me is why and what we do. Are we sending millions of dollars to private schools and religious schools?”
The forum will be broadcast live by Lakes Region Public Access and video of the event will be available at: lrpa.org.
