Voters hear from candidates about cannabis, county budget in Gilford

GILFORD — There are some thorny issues facing the state and its residents, and the candidates who are proposing to represent Gilford, Gilmanton and Laconia's Ward 2 in Concord would have to deal with those problems if elected. Voters got a chance to test several candidates on those issues during a forum on Tuesday night.

The nonpartisan forum, sponsored by the Belknap County Democrats, was held at Gilford Community Church. Hosts invited candidates for state Senate District 2 and representatives in Belknap District 6.

State Senate

Challenging Republican incumbent Tim Lang is Carlos Cardona, who has been active in Democratic politics for many years but has yet to be elected to office.

The two candidates have decidedly different philosophies, with Cardona a progressive and Lang a conservative with libertarian leanings. However, their responses to questions from audience members showed broad overlap.

On the question of cannabis legalization, both said they wanted to see the substance made available for retail purchase. Lang described himself as an “architect” of one legalization model, which passed the Senate but failed in the House, which would have given state liquor stores the ability to sell marijuana.

“I think people have the right to do it, they should have that liberty,” Lang said of recreational cannabis use. “If you want to use in your own home, I don’t have a problem with it.” He said he fashioned the legislation with sensitivity to concerns about children gaining access to the substance, so he favored a “heavily regulated model,” and because he opposed smoking marijuana in public, “I was in favor of heavy penalties for public consumption.”

Cardona said New Hampshire was missing out on a “gold rush” opportunity with legal cannabis. “Unlike my opponent, I believe in a live free or die model of cannabis legalization,” and would like laws to allow local farmers to produce cannabis, and privately-owned stores to sell it. Cardona said he also favored expunging the criminal records of people who had been previously convicted for cannabis-related offenses.

“Cannabis saved my mom’s life when she was going through cancer, it’s a great product for our communities. As far as children, I think it should be treated just like alcohol gets treated,” Cardona said.

Responding to a question about the availability of medical services, Lang noted the problem is a “national crisis” and pointed to incentives designed to entice doctors to work in rural areas. “It’s not a silver bullet but we hope those incentives will yield some benefits in the future.” He also referenced rule changes to allow nurse practitioners greater latitude in providing services without a doctor’s supervision.

Cardona said the dwindling number of medical professionals was part of a larger lack of professional workers in general. Fixing the local housing crunch would make it easier for doctors and nurses to move here, he noted, adding it doesn’t help that the state has made the funding of Planned Parenthood, which contracts with the state to provide health care services in many underserved areas, a political issue.

“Unfortunately our Statehouse is more about defunding those programs we’ve been talking about,” Cardona said. “We have leaders with a lack of vision. When you have leaders who are young and professional, you start getting solutions.”

House of Representatives, Belknap District 6

Belknap 6 in the Statehouse covers Gilford, Gilmanton and Laconia’s Ward 2. The four seats in the district are currently held by Republicans Harry Bean, Richard Beaudoin, Russell Dumais and David Nagel. All survived the primary but Beaudoin, unseated by Glen Aldrich.

Of the Republican candidates, only Nagel attended the forum. He was joined by Democratic hopefuls Lena Nirk, Jonathan Arsenault, Bob McLean and Kurt Webber.

All candidates spoke in favor of cannabis legalization, and all agreed drug misuse and overdoses were societal challenges that warranted public investment. One question that allowed candidates to distinguish themselves was about parts of the county budget they would prioritize.

“One of my favorite agencies is the office of restorative justice,” said Nagel, a medical doctor who said he first ran for office to make health care more efficient and accessible. The restorative justice program, he said, helps “young people who have screwed up and it helps them fix their lives before it gets too late. I think that’s one of my favorite agencies we have and I will always support them.”

Arsenault said he wants to increase pay for staff at the county’s nursing home and, noting he has lost classmates to overdose, added, “Any kind of funding that we can put toward fighting drug abuse, anything that we can do is worth investing in.” He said he also supports investing in Gunstock Mountain Resort. “It’s important that we are investing in things that make our community what it is and attract people here.”

Webber, a West Point graduate and founder of the Patriot Resilience Leadership Institute, an organization that helps combat veterans, said the budget is where hard choices are made. “You have limited resources and you’ve got a lot of needs.” He described himself as a “moderate Democrat” who will compromise and vote absent ideology. “We had members of the delegation who were following their own ideological agenda, and I won’t do that. [I would] use our limited resources to meet as many needs as we can.”

McLean said he would like to see Gunstock continue to develop, noting it currently takes in more than enough money to pay its own way, and he opposes privatization of county services. “The other thing I wouldn't try to do is privatize the nursing home or bring a private company in to run the jail,” McLean said. “It wouldn’t be safe, it would be more about making money than taking care of the people we need to take care of.”

Nirk, who worked at Navigating Recovery before retiring, said she shared Nagel’s view of the restorative justice program and also supported programs to help people incarcerated in the county’s House of Corrections.

“While in the jail for drug-related offenses, they can start their recovery there. You can reduce recidivism, start people and support them in their recovery journey,” Nirk said. “And of course I support the nursing home.”

At the conclusion of the forum, moderator Sandra McGonagle praised the candidates for their courtesy and honesty, and then turned to the roughly 40 in attendance.

“Remember, vote on Nov. 5,” McGonagle said.