Candidates for governor aren’t talking much on the campaign trail about a key issue that will affect New Hampshire for decades to come – political appointments.
The governor is in charge of nominating state department heads and judges. With terms ranging from four years as a commissioner to possibly decades on the bench, the appointees often outlast the governor who nominated them.
Commissioners’ hands in policy decisions can be long-lasting, from determining who delivers liquor in the state to deciding whether to pursue the death penalty or approve major energy projects.
Four major government positions will come up for nomination in the first six months of the next governor’s term: education commissioner, attorney general, liquor commissioner and one of the three public utilities commissioners.
The next governor will also get a major say in the makeup of the state Supreme Court. Two of the five justices, including Chief Justice Linda Dalianis, will reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 during the next governor’s term.
None of the seven candidates running for governor have offered much insight into their thoughts on potential appointments. But some of their policy positions offer telling clues.
All four Republicans running for the corner office oppose Common Core and support school choice. Democrats generally favor increased funding for full-day kindergarten. Those stances would likely influence whom they choose to lead the Department of Education.
Some candidates have called for harsher treatment of drug dealers amid the state’s ongoing opioid crisis. Attorney General Joe Foster has already had a say on that front – his office has begun seeking harsher penalties for drug dealers whose product causes an overdose death.
Department heads, while not normally in the news, play a major role in state government.
The three-member Public Utilities Commission approves utility rate requests. All of the commissioners serve on the state’s Site Evaluation Committee, which is in charge of approving large scale energy projects including Northern Pass, natural gas pipelines and wind farms. PUC Commissioner Bob Scott’s term ends next July.
Agency leaders’ decisions can have a financial impact on the state.
Joseph Mollica leads the Liquor Commission, which has faced several lawsuits recently over a controversial warehousing contract. One resulted in a settlement that cost the state $2.5 million and another was dismissed. His current term expires on July 1, 2017.
Commissioners can guide policy.
Foster’s interpretation of a recent state law, he said, calls for New Hampshire to begin submitting mental health records to the federal gun background check system. (The Judicial Branch has refused to comply.)
While a governor puts forward nominees, they must be confirmed by the state’s five-member Executive Council.
The council is currently controlled by Republicans, but that could change following the November election.
Despite an ideological rift over the last two years between the GOP council majority and Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, most of her appointments have been approved. The council confirmed Hassan’s choice for Health and Human Services commissioner, Jeffrey Meyers, and approved Jerry Little as banking commissioner.
The next governor will have to work with both men. Meyers’s appointment – leading the state’s largest department, which oversees expanded Medicaid and public health – doesn’t expire until 2020. Little’s term is up in 2019.
The next governor could play a role in setting the tone of the state’s highest court, by choosing its chief justice. Dalianis’s mandatory retirement comes in October of 2018.
Back on board
Melissa Crews may be off the Hope for New Hampshire Recovery board of directors, but she has been newly named to a state commission that controls a pot of money for treatment and recovery services.
Senate President Chuck Morse named Crews to the state’s Governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Prevention, Treatment and Recovery. Crews would replace Dr. Rebecca Ewing, one of two public members on the commission whose term expires in October, according to Chairman Tym Rourke.
A retired obstetrician, Ewing co-chaired the commission’s Prenatal Substance Abuse Task Force.
Crews recently resigned from Hope’s board of directors, which she had chaired last year. Crews had faced pushback for appearing in a political attack ad in August, accusing Hassan of “mismanaging” the state’s opioid crisis and contributing to the rising death toll.
Morse is in charge of appointing two members to the commission, a professional and a nonprofessional public member. He chose Crews for the latter, saying she has “so much ambition in this area.”
He said her decision to resign from Hope’s board was “very honorable,” but agreed with her characterization of Hassan’s handling of the crisis.
“What she said about the governor is the truth, I am not sure I would have resigned over that,” said Morse, a Salem Republican. Hassan has called the 30-second ad “disgusting.” Crews, of Bedford, didn’t return a call for comment.
Morse said he is talking to others for the second “professional member” appointment, and may consider Ewing.
The commission is in charge of doling out state dollars for addiction prevention, treatment and recovery services. Other members include state officials, treatment professionals and members of the medical community. The Senate president was given appointments to the commission in a bill that passed this year.
Angering atheists
Atheists are not happy with John Kasich. The Ohio governor made disparaging comments about Daniel Radcliffe’s atheism in an Exeter bookstore recently. After being printed in Capital Beat, Kasich’s remarks went viral. Last week, they prompted a letter from American Atheists President David Silverman, who urged Kasich to “sit down” with a group of his atheist constituents.
“Atheists are members of your community,” he wrote. “We are your firefighters, your police officers, your teachers, your doctors, and your coworkers. I have no doubt that atheists serve on your staff and volunteered for your presidential campaign. If you think you’ve never met an atheist, you’re wrong.”
Kasich walked into the store a few weeks ago with Republican Chris Sununu, whose gubernatorial campaign he endorsed. Seeing a Harry Potter book, Kasich began talking about Radcliffe, who played the wizard in the movie adaptation.
“You know that Daniel Radcliffe has declared himself an atheist?” Kasich said. “I’m serious. What a weird thing. Why would a guy who has had all that success just, I mean, what the hell is wrong with him?”
Radcliffe told Esquire in 2009: “I’m an atheist, but I’m very relaxed about it.”
The British actor has yet to comment on the remarks, according to news reports.
Familiar face
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is coming back to town. He is headlining the state Republican Party unity breakfast Wednesday, the day after the primary. Despite endorsements from high-ranking state Republicans, including House Speaker Shawn Jasper and Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, Christie had a poor performance in the New Hampshire primary. He came in sixth place with seven percent of the vote, failing to win any delegates. He dropped out soon after and endorsed Donald Trump, who later became the GOP presidential nominee. It’s Christie’s first public trip back since then.
(Allie Morris can be reached at 369-3307 or amorris@cmonitor.com)