It's been eight years since there's been a changing of the guard in the corner office in Concord. Gov. John H. Lynch has served the longest in the post since the 1800s, and now Gov. Maggie Hassan, sworn in as the 81st governor on Jan. 3, takes the helm after a particularly contentious legislative session. A former NH Senate Majority Leader, Hassan is joined by a Democrat-led House and nearly divided Senate. She will need to bring all her experience and support to bear as she tries to carry out big campaign promises to lead NH to a full economic recovery and to stimulate growth, while still keeping the budget under control.
When Gov. Maggie Hassan's son was three, a specially equipped bus pulled up to her house to take Ben, who has severe physical disabilities, to Exeter public preschool. That pivotal moment taught Hassan to both appreciate and fight for inclusion for everyone, whatever their situation or position.
That's what we do in a democracy, we bring people in from the margins into the heart and soul of the community and that is how we get stronger, she said during a campaign stop at Southern NH University last October. I'm running for governor because I want everyone in New Hampshire to have the opportunity to succeed.
Hassan's pitch resonated with NH residents, who sent a message of their own by electing another Democrat to the corner office and replacing many members of the GOP-led NH House and Senate with a Democrat-led House and nearly divided Senate. Citizens appear to want a more centrist government and leaders who will listen to everyone. What I think the voters of New Hampshire said in this election is they really want to return to problem solving. We have moved away from the center and now we are returning, says Hassan, who moved into the corner office this month.
For Hassan that means focusing on education and job creation, and developing a balanced budget for the biennium that begins July 1. The focal point of Hassan's first term will be her Innovate NH jobs plan, which includes restoring funding to the University System of NH and Community College System (it was cut from $200 million to $100 million during the last budget cycle), freezing tuition, opening more spots at NH colleges and universities to NH students, and doubling the research and development tax credit to $2 million.
Hassan says she will do these things by building on the skills she honed as majority leader in the NH Senate. While there, she led a lengthy party caucus meeting to determine priorities and listened closely to legislators on both sides of the aisle. It continues to be very important that we talk with each other and listen to each other's concerns, Hassan says. What I hope is to be as accessible as I can be. The people of New Hampshire want their state government to work for them.
That leadership ability earned her a spot on Business NH Magazine's Most Powerful list in 2010 when she was majority leader. At the time, Tom Rath, a top Republican lobbyist and founder of Rath, Young and Pignatelli in Concord, praised her for her willingness to listen and her ability to bring people together, adding she was being watched as the next gubernatorial nominee. He still holds her in high esteem. She's a smart, thoughtful person who is extremely respectful of other people. She seeks information and takes her time to consider things, Rath says of why she makes a good leader.
Drawing from a family steeped in education-Hassan's mother was a high school teacher and her husband runs Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter-Hassan was schooled early in the importance of listening, studying hard and standing up for what you believe in. She says she is ready to bring those attributes to bear as she takes on the governor's mantle.
The Hassan Plan
Hassan says her Innovate NH plan reflects her many discussions with business leaders. They told her they need a skilled and educated workforce. To fully fund education and balance the budget, she wants to restore the cigarette tax to previous levels and add back state auditor positions that were left empty by the previous Legislature. Hassan points to comments made by Administrative Services Commissioner Linda Hodgdon that those unfilled auditing positions resulted in a tax loss of $20 million from businesses. To make audits fully transparent, she wants to post audits online so anyone can see them.
Hassan also has ideas for new revenue sources. One possibility is casinos, which Hassan-unlike her predecessor of the last eight years-supports. There is a market for high-end, well-regulated casinos. It is an increasing piece of the recreation and hospitality industry nationally and in New England. We will be competing with Massachusetts here and I don't want the revenue and the job creation that comes with an appropriately regulated casino to go down to Massachusetts, she says.
The last time Hassan served in Concord, Democrats controlled both the Senate and House. Democrats now control the House, but Republicans still hold a slim lead in the Senate. Senate President Peter Bragdon, R-Milford, says Hassan has a number of big campaign promises to keep in a tough economic environment, chief among them the $100 million a year for public higher education. Her to-do list will be relatively short, but the 800-pound elephant will be the state budget and trying to find a way to balance all interests, says Bragdon. She certainly put out some good first steps by telling agency heads to pare back their requests. We'll be on watch for some of the tricks that got us into trouble before, like unrealistic revenue estimates and borrowing to pay current expenses.
Health care is another big issue that Hassan says her administration will concentrate on. While in the Senate, she wrote a bill to bring transparency to health care costs and supported legislation to allow children to stay on their parents insurance until they are 26. Hassan says there is still a potential for a partnership with the state and the federal government to form a health exchange under the Affordable Care Act, but NH needs to notify the feds by mid-February. She also recognizes that a lot of our state budget is related to Medicaid and state health insurance.
She has long been a strong advocate on social issues-a passion that predates her legislative career and is grounded in her work as an attorney and as a mother of two. Hassan says many perceived social issues are actually economic issues. Take marriage equality. During the campaign Hassan recalled sitting in a plane next to a recruiter who told her that law was the best recruiting tool I have because the next generation sees that as a sign nobody will be excluded. When it comes to Planned Parenthood, Hassan says funding is a social issue because giving women access to screenings and affordable birth control affects family budgets in many ways.
It all feeds back into her top priority as she settles into the corner office-putting together a budget. Hassan has been meeting with commissioners and attending budget hearings. New Hampshire is an all-hands-on-deck state. Where I get my inspiration is talking to people, she says.
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