Gov. Chris Sununu is no moderate. Three areas proving this are energy effects on climate change, support of public schools and reproductive rights of women.
When the United States joined much of the rest of the world in Glasgow to commit to serious reduction of carbon emissions, we all learned the necessity of actions starting at home. Many states have been developing and executing plans with real targets to prevent the fast rise in temperatures. Not New Hampshire.
The PUC recently rejected the blueprint supported by a diverse group of stakeholders to effectively reverse progress on energy efficiency in the state. The plan would have saved families and businesses millions while moving forward to reduce climate impacts. Where was our governor? He appointed many of the people now serving on the PUC. This failure is on him since this decision was made by the people he appointed.
No governor who cares about education would undermine his own state’s public schools. These schools should be part of what makes us strong along with options of private and faith-based schools. Sununu made a savvy, tactical move to sideline a political adversary, Frank Edelblut, after a near upset election in 2016 by appointing him as Commissioner of Education. Edulblut doesn’t support public education and chose to home school his own children.
Yet our governor reappointed Edelblut this year, making it clear that he supports the man and his positions. An example of Mr. Edelblut’s disdain for teachers is the action he has taken in enabling students and parents to report “gotcha” moments regarding teaching racial issues. He posted a form on the department website to report teachers for possible errant race-based comments and the governor left that target on teachers’ backs. Chris Sununu has not expressed his disapproval or told the commissioner to take it down. The result is many teachers have pulled books from their shelves and are censoring their comments for fear of a student or parent reporting them.
Gov. Sununu claims he is pro-choice. Yet he has allowed the passage of a law putting the police between a pregnant woman and her doctor. Can you imagine the woman you love as a wife, sister or friend discovering that the fetus she is carrying at 25 or more weeks is no longer alive? The grief and trauma she will be experiencing, only to learn it is illegal to remove that dead fetus. Can you imagine any legal action crueler? Yet our governor has said nothing about these circumstances women and their families could face. He is ignoring the personal devastation she is experiencing and treating her health as secondary to a nonviable fetus.
These are not the positions a moderate governor in New Hampshire would take.
(Elizabeth Corell lives in Concord.)