Democratic gubernatorial candidates commit to helping relocate 911 center

PLYMOUTH — Three Democratic Party contenders in the governor's race said they would uphold Gov. Chris Sununu's commitment to ensure Lakes Region towns and cities do not shoulder the lion's share of the expense for a new 911 center following the sale of the State School property. 

Following a candidate forum at The Common Man Inn & Spa, where candidates Cinde Warmington, Joyce Craig and Jon Kiper mingled with and addressed the concerns of supporters, each described their strategies for beating Kelly Ayotte — who they all consider a stronger Republican opponent than Chuck Morse — as well as potential changes to the local percentage share from the rooms and meals tax. 

Each candidate spent considerable time telling supporters how they would stand the best chance at beating Ayotte in the Nov. 5 General Election.

Warmington, Executive Councilor in District 2 and the council's only Democrat member, said polling returns indicate Ayotte is the likely opponent for whichever Democrat comes out on top in the Primary Election, a more formidable candidate than Morse, former state senate president.

“The polling shows that, you know, she is going to be the tougher candidate to beat. We’re focused on making sure we can beat the absolutely toughest candidate that they can put up,” Warmington, 66, said. “But we can beat her because I don't think there's any amount of money out there that is going to convince the women of our state that Kelly should be making their reproductive health care decisions.”

Kiper, 41, echoed that sentiment.

“There's a world in which Chuck Morris could win, if it was based on how many big signs I've seen, he would be the winner,” Kiper said. “But I think just based on polling, we're all kind of just assuming it's going to be based on that.”

“I think there's a real fear of Ayotte amongst Democrats, because just based on her previous, you know, tenure in the Senate, and some of the votes that she took there,” Kiper said. “She's pretty MAGA, I would say that's fair.”

Craig, 57, the first female Mayor of Manchester, said both polling and fundraising indicate Ayotte will be the likely New Hampshire GOP and she’s the Democrat in the best position to beat her.

“So public polls show she is leading the race, and she's raising the most money, and so that's why I assume that. And I think we need to focus [on] what's at stake this election: public education, reproductive freedom, quality, affordable housing, campaign, jobs and reproductive and all of that is at risk if Kelly is elected,” Craig said. “I feel like I am the best candidate to take her on, because every public poll shows I have a double-digit lead in the Primary.”

Kiper, who owns Jonny Boston’s restaurant in Newmarket, told supporters he lives above it because of the lack of affordable housing available in New Hampshire, and said his age gives him an advantage over other candidates when it comes to connecting with young voters.

“No. 1 is just that for Democrats to win, we need to win unaffiliated voters. And if you look at the data, those are generally young people, and generally non-college educated, working class people,” Kiper said. “I think I can win them with the simple fact that I am a youngish person.”

Kiper noted his outside-the-box thinking on policy questions and said he’d bring problem-solving back to the state government. He said that, while he won’t propose the introduction of an income tax, he would support one if it could lower property tax rates and if the population broadly supported it.

“I'm just saying that if we were to have broad consensus that an income tax would lower people's property taxes, and that is what people wanted, I would support that,” Kiper said. “You know, one idea that I'm working with is we could take some money from cannabis, right? It's probably $100 million — put it into a bank account and use it as loan guarantees, or even straight up as loans to developers.”

Each of the candidates said they’d look at a reworking of how rooms and meals tax revenues are distributed to municipalities, which retain only a small percentage. 

“As a restaurant owner, I 100% think that the towns and cities that have more restaurants should get more of that revenue,” Kiper said. 

Warmington said there’s room for discussion to meet the needs of the state government and communities through revenue garnered by the rooms and meals tax.

“We need to have that conversation. I mean, that happens a lot in the legislative and budget process, and that process needs to happen, and it needs to involve the cities and towns,” she said. “The cities and towns have often been sort of left out of that conversation. But yes, we need to have the conversation about what the right law would be.”

Craig said she would support municipalities retaining more revenue from the rooms and meals tax but stressed the importance of transparency. She said a project to construct the Southern New Hampshire University arena in Manchester exposed transparency issues.

“It's something that I would look at. The thing that, to me, is missing is the transparency,” Craig said. “So that's the No. 1 thing that I would look at, make sure that we are being transparent with the amount of money that's coming in and where it's going.

“When that project was started, before my time, it was said that 100% of the rooms and meals tax would go toward that project to pay off service. And so the City of Manchester has never realized any because it continues to just go to that project, but over the last couple of years, we did see an increase in rooms and meals tax come into the city, and we were able to use those funds for one-time economic development projects, which made sense for the use of those funds,” Craig said. 

And all three of the candidates said they’d support Gov. Chris Sununu’s guarantee the state would cover the bill to move the 911 center, currently located at the Laconia State School property, to a new location once a developer’s bid has been selected and the process to transform the parcel begins.

“I think, obviously, you know, we need 911 services in the Lakes Region. And, you know, I don't really think that should be something that's [borne] entirely by the taxpayers of Laconia,” Kiper said.

Warmington, who is directly involved in the process as an executive councilor, said she approves of plans as they currently exist.

“We're actually getting a lot of feedback from a bunch of different sources on that, and so I think you have to look at all of the information that we have out there to make a decision about where that should be located,” Warmington said. “But I have no problem with the plan for where it is to be located, it's proposed to be located right now.”

And Craig said public safety is important to her and she wouldn’t change plans related to funding for a new facility if elected governor. 

“Public safety is one of the most important things when it comes to our communities, we have to make sure our residents and families are safe,” Craig said. “And you know, I'm assuming that Gov. Sununu has put the funds aside to move that facility, and if that's the case, then yes, I would move forward with that. I am not looking to increase costs for local residents at all.”