Before he made it to Kelly Ayotte’s inauguration Thursday morning, Randall Clark had already received three phone calls from tenants in distress.

Those calls are common for Clark, who through his law practice in Hollis helps solve landlord and tenant disagreements. He’s acutely tuned in to the housing crisis, he said, and over the past four years has watched it get worse.

“The situation has grown increasingly dire,” Clark said.

That’s partly why he supports Ayotte, though it’s certainly not the only reason. He volunteered as a door-knocker for her U.S. Senate and gubernatorial campaigns.

“She is the voice in the Republican Party that I would like to see amplified,” Clark said.

Clark, along with members of the New Hampshire Legislature, supporters, advocates and political observers assembled on Thursday to watch Ayotte’s inauguration. Serving as New Hampshire’s 83rd governor, she succeeds fellow Republican Chris Sununu.

Ayotte made housing a centerpiece of her inaugural address. She pledged to streamline state approvals on development to less than 60 days, re-purpose state property for housing and involve municipalities and private businesses in a quest to find more housing solutions.

“Our state has so much opportunity to offer, but our lack of housing supply and sky-high costs are making it increasingly difficult for individuals to tap into it,” Ayotte said. “It affects everyone, from a young family looking to buy the first home to the business that’s trying to hire more workers to the retiree who wants to stay in their home.”

Clark wasn’t the only audience member who hoped Ayotte will get to work on the housing crisis. Ophelia Burnett, an advocate for the American Friends Service Committee, said New Hampshire needs to make housing more affordable and to address its mental health and drug crises. After moving to downtown Manchester, she said, she’s witnessed the real-life impacts of those struggles.

She hopes Ayotte will “put a dent” in those issues, but Burnett said she’s still making her mind up about the new governor. People make promises on the campaign trail, she said, but she came to the inauguration in part to see if Ayotte will follow through.

Others are hoping Ayotte fails to keep at least one promise. Louise Spencer, a co-founder of the Kent Street Coalition, a progressive advocacy organization, said she’s concerned about the state of education funding and the growth of Education Freedom Accounts.

“I’m hoping she will change course,” Spencer said.

Ayotte instead doubled down on Republican education priorities, like expanding school choice vouchers.

“Every child learns differently, and we should give each child the opportunity to be in the education setting that allows them to reach their full potential as an individual,” she said, drawing another standing ovation from GOP lawmakers.

Jane Johnson, a former state representative from Swanzey and a longtime Ayotte supporter, said she looks forward to the governor’s economic policies and her live-free-or-die attitude. Ayotte ran on a platform to keep the “New Hampshire advantage” of low taxes and making the state attractive to businesses. In her speech, she invited Massachusetts residents and businesses to come to New Hampshire.

“We’d love to have you bring your talents to the Granite State. We are happy to show you why it’s better here,” Ayotte said. “I will work tirelessly to recruit businesses to our state, from near and far. I would doggedly pursue opportunities for economic expansion, and I will bring businesses to the table to ensure that economic opportunity is available to everyone.”

She also announced she’s creating a Commission on Government Efficiency, which she said will review ways to save taxpayer dollars. It’ll include former Republican governor Craig Benson and NH Lottery Commissioner Andy Crews.

Outside her policies, Johnson also praised Ayotte’s personal qualities.

“She’s a woman of character, and she stands by that,” Johnson said. “I trust her intimately.”

While laying out her policy agenda, some issues struck a chord with people from both parties, like her promise to improve mental health care in the state by recruiting more providers.

“Seeking help for your mental health is just as important as when we see a doctor when you’re feeling sick or have a physical injury,” Ayotte said. “We all need to work together and take care of each other. Together, we can elevate the importance of mental health awareness and suicide prevention efforts throughout this state.”

She pledged to work across the aisle and be a governor for all New Hampshire residents, regardless of party.

“Our state is so much bigger than a party or an ideology,” Ayotte said. “Good government knows no party, so let’s show the folks that when partisanship is at a fever pitch, we can set a different example.”

 

Charlotte Matherly is the statehouse reporter for the Concord Monitor and Monadnock Ledger-Transcript in partnership with Report for America. Follow her on X at @charmatherly, subscribe to her Capital Beat newsletter and send her an email at cmatherly@cmonitor.com.