Jim MacKay is a moderate Republican-turned-Democrat, an experienced legislator and an advocate for mental health issues. Lynne Ferrari Blankenbeker is a nurse, attorney and military officer, a fiscally conservative Republican with some libertarian support.
On Tuesday, Concord voters will choose one of them to take over the empty seat in the New Hampshire House vacated by Employment Security Commissioner Tara Reardon. Voters in Merrimack County District 11, which includes Concord's wards 4, 8, 9 and 10 are eligible to vote in the special election.
Lynne Ferrari Blankenbeker
Blankenbeker, 45, has served in the military for more than 20 years, working as a nurse in the Navy. She now commands two Navy medical units in Massachusetts.
Blankenbeker, who moved to New Hampshire in 1993, is a former nurse at Concord Hospital, where she also did risk management. She earned a law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center in 2007 and opened a practice that focuses on military and health care law and risk management consulting. She first ran for state representative in 2008 but lost in a Democratic sweep when Democrats won all of the district's five House seats.
Blankenbeker says her major focus in the Legislature would be government spending. She criticized the current budget for adding or increasing several fees and taxes.
"We can't begin to think about how we're going to tax people more when we can't control our spending," she said. "No rational person would manage a household that way. It's like buying a house out of your means, then buying a lottery ticket and hoping you win."
Blankenbeker calls herself a friend to small businesses. She advocates becoming a right-to-work state, a state that prohibits agreements between unions and employers that make union membership a condition of employment.
She said her diverse roles as a mother, property owner, health care worker and former caregiver for an aging parent help her understand the issues facing the state, including education and Medicaid policy. She is also particularly concerned with taking care of veterans.
"I think (MacKay) is the candidate of the past. I'm certainly the candidate of the future," Blankenbeker said. "I'm coming in without any political preconceived notions, without an agenda, as a fresh face with new ideas. . . . I'm Republican and not afraid to say I'm a Republican."
She has received support from a number of prominent Republicans, including House Republican Leader Sherm Packard and House Republican Policy Leader Gene Chandler.
Filings with the Secretary of State show Blankenbeker spent about $1,200 of her own money in the primary campaign, with the biggest cost being a mailing. She raised an additional $2,100 for the general election, of which she spent only $80, as of Wednesday.
Her contributors include state Rep. Fran Wendelboe, a New Hampton Republican and leader in the conservative Reagan Network; state Rep. John Reagan, a Deerfield Republican and assistant House Republican leader; state Rep. Al Baldasaro, a Londonderry Republican; Franklin Mayor Ken Merrifield; and former state Supreme Court justice Chuck Douglas.
Blankenbeker received $250 from former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's Free and Strong America PAC. She also received $100 from the New Hampshire Republican Liberty PAC, a group founded to fund "liberty-oriented Republican candidates," according to its website. Jim Forsythe, chairman of the Republican Liberty PAC, gave $50.
Forsythe said the PAC chose to endorse Blankenbeker because "we believe she's a strong advocate for limited government, local control and fiscal restraint."
Blankenbeker agreed with the characterization that she is "liberty-oriented."
"I believe in giving as many freedoms as we can to the people of New Hampshire, and I think the Constitution supports that," she said. (next page »)
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Comments
Dino RINO vs. Hot-lips Blankenbeker
By C. dog e. doGy - 11/02/2009 - 7:14 pmYou decide who TKO's whom in this Mish-MASH election for Concord's sandbox superintendent.
- C. dog
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A vote for Jim MacKay is a vote for Concord
By Concordgranite33 - 11/02/2009 - 4:11 pmPlease vote for Jim MacKay. Jim is a former Mayor of Concord and true public servant who understands our issues and would represent us well. Jim is the true moderate in the race, a fiscal conservative who understands the issues. His opponent is not a normal mainstream Republican but a radical right wing extremist, who is anti-choice etc. and not supported by her Party so much as an extreme contingent who post frequently on this site while the rest of us are working. Jim if anything has the truly more genuine libertarian streak. He is experienced, knows all the players and can make real change on our behalf. Unlike his opponent, who came her for law school. Jim is a long time resident and civil servant who has made positive change with people from both sides of the aisle.
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Hmmmmm..... Concordgranite33
By millennia - 11/03/2009 - 10:07 pmYour post makes you seem likje a "radical left wing lunatic".
Please define a "radical right wing extremist"?
But at this hour, it looks like MacKay will be seeking new employment. Keep up with the name calling...it is so beneficial!
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That sounds so scary! Boo!
By C. dog e. doGy - 11/02/2009 - 7:31 pmI hope those nasty, frightening radicals, and right-winged hawks go away and leave us alone now that Hallow'edweenie is over. We all need choice going forward 'cause parents should always have had choice in where to send their kids for some good schoolin', instead of those crappy government "schools". I'm with ya Concordgranite33, we need more choice! So choose now, Concord!
But I don't know if we can trust this guy with a libertarian streak. Doesn't that kind of make him like a skunk? And isn't there already enough stink in the state house? Too bad there isn't any candidate who's an un-streaky, non-radical, two-winged dove for office; they'd get my precious vote.
- Scared, very scared, in Concord
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Just Like Obama .................
By We The People - 11/02/2009 - 6:58 pm"He is experienced, knows all the players and can make real change on our behalf"
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FIS-cal con-SERV-a-tive, n.
By Michael57 - 11/02/2009 - 11:26 amHere's the definition from my imaginary dictionary: "Someone who is running for office, who will quickly abandon that perspective if elected."
Seriously, all politics aside, how many effective fiscal conservatives are actually in office, either at the local or national level? You could probably count them on one hand. But so many people campaign that way--what happens to them once they are elected?
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Tit for tat; this for that
By C. dog e. doGy - 11/02/2009 - 7:00 pmThey have to pay back all the contributions to their campaign with other people's money. Or, they altruistically shovel said same money to their favorite friends just for the pleasure it brings.
You nailed this one, even if you had to resort to your imaginary, magical political dictionary where definitions change on a whim.
- C. dog
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The effect of money in politics
By Michael57 - 11/03/2009 - 11:40 amThe damage to the founders' dream is incalculable. I fear that people on the left and the right will never get beyond their petty food fights of the moment long enough to see how they are being fleeced by Dems and Reps alike, every day, and by the corporations they represent instead of representing us... You see it in the health care debate. You see it in the defense appropriation--600 billion dollars signed off with nary a whimper from anybody. It was a Republican, Ike, who first warned of the military-industrial complex, and now we see that the entire government is organized on that model, with lobbyists and so-called statesmen virtually indistinguishable from each other.
The idea that Obama, who like Clinton and Bush before him chose to surround himself with people from Goldman Sachs, is a socialist or a Communist, should be laughed out of court, but people entertain those little fantasies instead of facing up to the real danger to our system--corporate control of our government, whether directly or by proxy.
The possibility that anyone running under the aegis of either party is a true fiscal conservative is very, very remote. For all their rhetoric, the parties do not allow fiscal conservatism.
Get money out of politics! Bring down the entire corrupt system.
This message has been brought to you by Barricades-R-Us.
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Money - the glue that binds political handshakes
By C. dog e. doGy - 11/03/2009 - 2:48 pmNow this is the Mikey I know and love. It's about time you started seeing the fascists for what they are: a melding of big business with big government - but don't forget, even the little mergers stink.
- C. dog welcomes Mikey 57 to the fold of black sheep looking in from the outside
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that's exactly what it is, yes
By Michael57 - 11/03/2009 - 5:57 pmIn this scenario, of course, the problem is not that Obama is a radical--the problem is that he is not.
Where you part ways with your cohort here at cmonitor.com (I hope) is that you don't identify "big gummint" with "those awful Democrats." Obviously both parties are 100% captive to this. I prefer the Dems because I think they are better on key issues anyway, and you probably feel the same way about Republicans, but the core problem remains--how to remove the pernicious influence of money on our system of government. It will take radical measures to do it, I just don't know what they are.
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What happened to...
By LIAMD2 - 11/04/2009 - 10:25 am...HOPE and CHANGE? By the way, Obama is a far left radical and socialist. He's like all of the other socialists that rose to power. He doesn't want equality for everyone...just everyone outside of his inner circle. His inner circle is to have complete control and complete power. Take a look through the history books cupcake.
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zzzzz.....
By Michael57 - 11/04/2009 - 4:36 pmZzzzzzzzzz......
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I agree... money and
By RealNHGOPer - 11/09/2009 - 12:41 pmI agree... money and politics... it is very simple really.
Have the US Congress NOT spend money on the things that they are not supposed to.
Once they do that there won't be such a lobby to spend money on pet projects... and eventually the Fed Government will not need to keep taxes high.
But everyone loves their pet projects.
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Comment blocked by moderator
The post violates the Discussion Guidelines.
Term limits will fix this problem
By We The People - 11/02/2009 - 12:06 pm"Seriously, all politics aside, how many effective fiscal conservatives are actually in office, either at the local or national level? You could probably count them on one hand. But so many people campaign that way--what happens to them once they are elected?"
One Term and Adios, Amigo
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Yes, but that would create new problems
By Michael57 - 11/02/2009 - 1:20 pmYou would have a legislature full of rookies who would be unable to make decisions without the input of unelected staff people, who could (and would) manipulate them. You would also guarantee that people who went into politics had no time to develop expertise on most subjects. There would be no party discipline, so political parties would lose effectiveness (which, granted, might be a good thing, but you have to have a system to take its place).
Like fiscal conservatism, term limits are supported by everyone running for office, and almost no one who gets elected. That's another entry for the imaginary dictionary.
It seems to me that a strong term limits approach would necessarily limit the size and scope of government severely, which could also be construed as a good thing, until you think back to civil rights, the EPA, food safety, child labor, space exploration, national defense, and all the other things that even conservatives agree the government has a legitimate role in.
If the point is to keep people from being "captured" by the system, the solution to my mind, at the national level, is not term limits but the elimination of money from the equation. Too many politicians on both sides of the aisle are beholden to special interests and large corporations. Ban most kinds of contributions and have a short lead time for elections. Get the money out of the picture and then you might have a chance at responsible lawmaking.
At the local level, I think a modified term limits approach might have merit. Serve two terms on the school board, for instance, and then you have to sit out a term before running again. This would ensure that people did not build little fiefdoms, but would still give the group institutional memory that would be useful.
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OH this is too funny.....
By millennia - 11/03/2009 - 10:15 pmMichael,
You wrote:
"You would have a legislature full of rookies who would be unable to make decisions without the input of unelected staff people, who could (and would) manipulate them"
Insert a "rookie president" and it would be accurate in applying your example and making it valid.
You wrote:
"You would also guarantee that people who went into politics had no time to develop expertise on most subjects"
So, you are saying that the long they stay in power, the more knowledgeable they become. But shouldn't they be knowledgeable in the first place and should the voters not be smart enough to vote for those who are intelligent?
Michael, I doubt that the founding fathers wanted people in Washington making a career out of governing. Kennedy was there for over 30 years. Should others have not had an opportunity?
Term limits are the only answer to the issue.
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don't agree with you there
By Michael57 - 11/03/2009 - 11:53 pmLook, though Obama is short on experience, so was the young Mozart. I've been around for a long time and I have never seen anyone with Obama's political gifts. It was a choice between him and McCain, who though experienced is not smart and is also kind of a phony. That was an easy choice for me, especially given the unusual challenges facing whoever won in 2008.
Yes, I am also saying that people generally become better at any job the longer they are in it. That's common sense. It's unlikely that this obvious truth would apply to every job except for politics. Kennedy was one of the best and it was obvious that he grew in the job over the years. Regardless of the rhetoric thrown around after his death, he was pretty much universally respected by Dems and Reps alike, in DC.
Regarding the Founders, I seem to remember a few of them sticking around for a long time, like the original Adams family.
"Should the voters not be smart?" Ah, there you sound the opening notes of a tragedy worthy of Verdi.
Term limits would guarantee the rise of an unelected bureaucracy in Washington. Nature abhors a vacuum--that's where the power would go, not to an eternal freshman class. That's why term limits are a bad idea on the national level. Locally, as I mentioned before, a modified version that preserved institutional memory might be a good idea.
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Obama's political gifts?
By LIAMD2 - 11/07/2009 - 8:32 amThe gifted one is lost - completely lost. He has no idea what he is doing domestically or internationally. His handlers are equally inept and our country is suffering for it. The only political gifts that I can see is his intended gift to GE...in the health care bill and cap and trade. "Change we can believe in" or "Gifts owed to GE and the SEIU"?
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Vote Blankenbeker
By 4Liberty - 11/02/2009 - 11:01 amLynne Blankenbeker is a remarkably bright and energetic candidate for the House of Representatives. She is fiscally conservative, knowing how to prioritize and set a budget. She is a compassionate nurse having served a number of tours of duty most recently in Operation Iraqi Freedom. She understands the law and will work to bring financial strength to NH once again. I hope she has your vote on November 3.
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McKay's Waffle Shack
By We The People - 11/02/2009 - 9:41 amNever elect someone who has a political identity crisis.
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The choice is clear
By John in Concord - 11/01/2009 - 8:11 amWe have a choice to elect someone with significant experience(McKay) or we can vote for someone who has little to no experience in Concord politics. Do we really want to vote for someone who will have to "recreate the wheel" or vote for someone who knows how to get things done in Concord? McKay has a proven track record. He is dedicated and always available. Where was his opponent twenty years age?? Was she even a resident of New Hampshire??
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The Choice is Loud and Clear!!
By Dick Pender - 11/01/2009 - 6:57 pmLoud and Clear---Lynne Ferrari Blankenbeker! We can ill afford to send another Tax and Spender to fleece the people of NH. The Democrats have ruined most of what NH was. Now we need to elect people who will undo the mess thse Lunatics did.
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45 vs 79
By sailmaker - 11/01/2009 - 7:27 amhe is 79 been in Politics for years and switched parties to stay in power....she is 45 a fresh face and in the service on the side........all you Obamaites have your chance to vote for change again
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Lynne Ferrari Blankenbeker
By Dick Pender - 11/01/2009 - 6:58 pmLynne Ferrari Blankenbeker -YES!
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Same
By armyvet - 11/01/2009 - 2:01 pmSame old, same old, that's McKay. It sure is time for real Hope and Change in our town and state and country.He betraded his political party just to stay in office.
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This is really a contest
By nh yankee - 11/01/2009 - 6:57 amThis is really a contest about someone with energy and ideas versus someone who is history.
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Lynne Ferrari Blankenbeker -Yes
By Dick Pender - 11/01/2009 - 7:00 pmLets start the long, hard, road back to the NH that was..
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