Chief among the questions for state labor commissioner nominee Ken Merrifield Wednesday was when he could – and should – step down from his position as Franklin mayor.
Sitting at the foot of the Executive Council table, Merrifield said that while the Franklin city council could technically appoint a new mayor mid-term, he hoped to bridge the gap between his current constituency and his potential new one.
“My plan this morning would be to remain in that capacity as mayor through the budget process, which we are expecting to be very, very difficult in Franklin this year,” he said. “I think the most seamless transition would be to allow the people of Franklin to choose the next mayor.”
In the meantime, he said he would put his professional role at the Department of Labor first, and would recuse himself from any potential conflicts of interest, as well as step back from political activity with the Republican Party.
Franklin’s next election is in October, and the budget process is expected to go into July. Given the expected $1 million hole Franklin officials will be scrambling to overcome for a second year in a row in the city’s education budget, some executive councilors expressed doubt at Merrifield filling both roles.
“(Last year), you cobbled together a number of one-time fixes, heroically, to protect jobs,” Democratic Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky said. “You’re looking at another $1 million shortfall. I followed how much time it took you to pull together all the constituencies. That’s a huge time commitment in addition to taking on a different job you’ve never done before.”
He added, “I’m concerned about the ability of anyone, frankly, to do both.”
Democratic councilor Chris Pappas said he didn’t like the precedent that it would set.
Republican councilor Joseph Kenney said he felt it was only right for Merrifield, as in the case of state banking commissioner Jerry Little last year, to finish his current duties before taking on this new one.
Little, a former state senator who was approved by the Executive Council in April 2016, didn’t begin as banking commissioner until June, after the legislative session concluded.
Similarly in Merrifield’s case, Kenney said, “I think that’s something that really has to be determined and resolved by the council.”
Besides the timing issue, councilors also wondered whether Merrifield was really qualified to oversee the state Department of Labor.
In addition to his five terms as mayor, Merrifield has a master’s degree in business and has worked for both the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services in business administrator roles.
He once managed a retail store, too, he said, and he was formerly the vice chairman of the state Republican Party.
But Volinsky wondered how much Merrifield knew about labor policy issues: minimum wage, equal pay, whistleblower protection.
“I’m not going to pretend I’m an expert on all these matters,” Merrifield said, adding that he believes minimum wage should be raised, though not as to shock business owners, and that equal pay protection measures were already sufficiently in place.
Merrifield said he has been studying ever since Gov. Chris Sununu announced his pick for labor commissioner, and plans to do more.
“You do need to study up,” Volinsky said. “(There is) no real intersection with labor in your adult work history. … I’m just curious about the process that brings you here today. Have you always had a secret abiding interest in becoming the labor commissioner?”
Sununu has yet to comment on why he specifically chose to nominate Merrifield as labor commissioner. But Merrifield told Volinksy has hoped to become a state commissioner ever since graduate school.
“Labor has been in the back of my mind as a friend of (former commissioner) George Copadis – I think it’s an important position in the state,” he said.
Despite some doubts about his relevant experience, Merrifield had a robust showing of people recommending his fitness for the leadership position.
They included Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeffrey Meyers, former state senator Andrew Hosmer, Rep. Greg Hill, Merrimack County Sheriff Scott Hilliard, and numerous Franklin officials and employees.
Franklin public works Director Brian Sullivan captured what most comments highlighted: Merrifield’s ability to collaborate, solve problems, learn and provide absolute dedication.
“I have never in my career experienced such a wonderful form of city government,” Sullivan said, “that is so proactive about seeing a community grow.”
And it’s because of his experiences in Franklin, Merrifield said, that he ultimately wants to be the labor commissioner. The place he comes from, he added, is a “community of workers.”
“Why do I want to lead this department of state government? All these statutes are designed to protect people,” he said. “It would be my primary mission as commissioner to counter primary threats to my friends and neighbors.”
Merrifield’s nomination will be voted on by the Executive Council next week.
(Elodie Reed can be reached at 369-3306, ereed@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @elodie_reed.)