4 candidates for 2 House seasts representing Sanbornton & Tilton answer voters' questions

SANBORNTON — Incumbent Rep. Dennis Fields of Sanbonton and the three challengers for the two seats in Belknap County District 4 — Republican Tim Lang and Democrats Jane Alden and Ian Raymond - squared off Friday night in a town-hall style debate in the Old Town Hall.

The first salvo was fired by Tilton Selectman Chair Pat Consentino who challenged Fields's commitment to Tilton by telling him she was "saddened" that he introduced himself as a representative from Sanbornton. District 4 includes both townships.

"You also represent Tilton," she said, adding Fields didn't respond to overtures by the Tilton selectmen to come to town and discuss some of the issues Tilton faces.

"I have been there many times," said Fields who said the town hadn't contacted him in the year since redistricting. "I go there and I have not been contacted."

Seemingly, at the heart of the matter is Fields's vote to support the redistricting plan that kept Tilton and Sanbornton as one district. Tilton voters felt the town should have had it's own representative and should have been separated from Sanbornton.

"Don't say I don't help you. I do." Fields said, adding he's is always stopping by Tilton Town Hall and talking to the Town Clerk or the Town Administrator.

Responding to former Representative Gail Morrison, Fields said he didn't support carrying guns in the Statehouse and on state college campuses and he voted no.

Fields said he would always support defending one's home if the threat was inside the house but said told the audience he thought he voted "no" on expanding the use of deadly force when outside one's home. According to the 2011 House record, Fields voted "yes" on HB-210 on March 15, 2011.

Of the four candidates for the two seats, Fields is the only one with a legislative history. Incumbent Republican Bill Tobin, also of Sanbornton, chose not to seek reelection.

Democrat Jane Alden is the only candidate from Tilton this time around. A Kentucky native, she told the audience she grew up on a tobacco farm and knows that when Legislature rolled back the tobacco tax, none of it went to the tobacco farmers.

"It went to the big companies," she said.

She said she thinks there is too much debate in the Legislature and people ought to start working together.

Alden said the only way she felt someone north of Concord could serve was to take care of small businesses. She also said she opposed expanded gaming.

In response to LRGH Senior Vice President of Provider Relations and Contracting Andy Patterson's question about whether health care is the responsibility of the individual or the government, she said both bear some responsibility.

When he asked how she would reduce the Department of Health and Human Services Budget, Alden said she would have to look at it and see what was being spent where.

In response to another question about food stamp eligibility and abuse, she also said she did some research into drug testing for those who accept state aid and learned it would be very costly and not very effective.

For Republican candidate and Winnisquam Regional School Board member Tim Lang, he thinks the Electronic Benefits Transfer (welfare) program for New Hampshire need to be re-evaluated.

He complimented the Legislature for expanding EBT use to farmer's markets but said he sees abuse by people who buy soda and other of life's non-essentials with their benefits. He said he would support drug testing for those who get state assistance.

As to President Barack Obama's health care law, Lang said as a small businessman it would be cheaper for him to pay the fine and not provide his employees with health insurance.

Lang, a former police officer in Northfield, said he doesn't think he would support expanded gaming but said he would research it more before he came to a final decision.

Lang also said he supports school voucher program that would send a portion of a student's state aid to private and religious schools.

"Vouchers take away from school," said Sanbornton Democrat Ian Raymond, adding voucher programs "slimed" their way around the constitutional prohibitions against the separation of church and state, adding once the money got into the private schools there would be no transparency surrounding its use.

Raymond is best known for his project that brought biomass energy to the Winnisquam Regional School District. He said the construction created 39 jobs, three of which are permanent, and overall, the project has saved the schools $321,000 over the past two years.

With New Hampshire about 90 percent dependent on fossil fuels, Raymond said biomass has multiplier effect of five times — meaning for every one dollar spent on renewable energy there is five dollars of benefit into the state's economy through jobs and spending.

If elected, Raymond said he would try and reverse the state's recent withdrawal from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a non-profit regional organization that develops a maintains a system of monitoring carbon emissions and provided development help to states to lower the use of fossil fuels.

"We pay for it regardless but we've lost the benefit," he said.

Raymond also said cap and trade, a program that actually creates a market for carbon emissions, is now being examined in China — a county 90 percent dependent on fossil fuels.