Of the six candidates running for Executive Council in this region, Andru Volinsky has a slightly different take on the job.
“Whether you think the state spends too much or too little, the state spends a lot of money,” Volinsky said. And that money, he said, should be spent with a set of values – progressive ones even.
The body, formed in 1679 as a way to express a general distrust of executive power, is thought of as a nonpartisan, board of directors-like entity for the state.
Or so they say.
“Whoever is telling you it’s non-partisan is kidding themselves,” Volinsky said.
Though the Concord attorney and District 2 Democratic candidate said state interests should always come over party affiliation, his campaign suggests what could be termed as progressive-leaning policy for Executive Council proceedings.
Whenever possible, Volinsky said he’d like to see contracts favor in-state vendors that pay a livable wage and benefits to their employees. In addition to wanting to check whether a vendor has a good track record, he also wants “vendors that acknowledge the reality of climate change and in the context of their business are doing something about it.”
Volinsky’s background representing low-income people as a lawyer motivates him, he said, to make sure state spending provides opportunities for the most needy in New Hampshire.
“I am who I am,” he said. “Hopefully the state gets the benefit of that.”
The other candidates aren’t convinced Volinsky’s view is the right one.
District 1 incumbent GOP Councilor Joe Kenney said that while he, like Volinsky, wants to see more state vendors prioritized in contracts, most of the decisions have requirements already baked in from the state or federal government – there doesn’t appear to be a lot of room for new contract policy.
“I find it very hard to believe that a councilor is going to make some kind of inroads to change that system,” Kenney said.
Regardless if they’ll be successful or not, Volinsky openly admits his ideologies. Others running for the council, though, say its proceedings should be less political.
Volinsky’s Republican opponent, Sen. Sam Cataldo of Farmington, said he said he would back away from politics in the position and view it as a more straightford “stop-gap” role with the Governor.
District 4 incumbent Democrat Chris Pappas said the five-member council is not a legislative body, and should be almost completely free of partisan values.
“It’s not our job to inject politics into the process or prove that we’re right on a certain issue,” Pappas said. “It should be about getting it right for the people we serve.”
He condemned the two votes, for instance, where councilors were split on whether or not to fund a Planned Parenthood contract in the wake of a controversial video. The issue made national news as the council voted 3-2 against in 2015, and then 3-2 for in 2016.
The vote came down to councilor and current GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Sununu both times.
“I think our role is to really look at the contracts,” Pappas said, “and to never lose sight of the impact our decisions can have on people we serve.”
The council’s role – and the impact on the people it serves – will be significant regardless of who’s elected, given the numerous issues at stake.
District 1 Democrat and Grafton County Commissioner Mike Cryans said he wants to focus on addressing the opioid crisis and the lack of jobs in the North Country that has created an “exodus of young people.”
Cryans added that he was interested in the council’s oversight of the 10-year state transportation plan and sees improved infrastructure as vital to his district.
Cryans’ opponent, Kenney, is focused on similar infrastructure and capital improvement projects, plus potential technology and cybersecurity updates within state government.
“The list is long,” he said.
As part of the transportation plan, both Pappas and his District 2 GOP opponent, Joe Kelly Levasseur, said they support a rail project, but on different scales. Levasseur has a bigger vision than the current Manchester-to-Boston proposal, however.
“I feel if train service is going to be done, it should go as far up north as possible,” he said in an email. “A well thought out plan would bring people from Mass. to our great North Country – tourism would boom all year round and possibly open up this state to more industry and good paying jobs.”
All of the candidates said the upcoming judicial and commissioner appointments will be a high priority, making sure those put in place have the right experience.
Volinsky made the unique suggestion of allowing union-affiliated candidates for leadership positions within the state.
“I’m looking for competence,” he said, adding that he didn’t want to exclude people with perhaps some of the best expertise.
As he began his campaign, Volinsky said his unique candidacy received pushback, specifically because he was a newcomer looking for a spot in what’s typically political retirement grounds.
He got some grief, he said, from senior legislators “who thought it was their turn to be the councilor.”
“A couple people for maybe six months didn’t return my phone calls,” Volinsky said. But, he added, “I think that the nature of the council has changed over time.”
This year’s most obvious example are the two gubernatorial candidates sourcing from the Executive Council. Volinsky said he wasn’t necessarily planning to make his own run for governor in the future, though didn’t rule it out, either.
“I would say I’m not going there to eat the grass,” he said. “I’ve never held public office… let’s see what happens when I get there.”
In this region’s districts, Volinsky is the only candidate to leave the door open to going higher position, and also the only one without prior public service.
District 1 candidates Cryans and Kenney, Levasseur and Pappas of District 4, and District 2’s Cataldo all said they didn’t want to run for higher offices in government.
They all are in some way emulating the late Ray Burton, who served on the council for 34 years before passing away in office.
“I was getting tired,” said Cataldo, who is 79 and served 12 years as a legislator. Two days of meetings a month instead of five days a week, he said, sounded perfect for taking “a break physically.”
(Elodie Reed can be reached at 369-3306, ereed@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @elodie_reed.)