New Hampshire child advocate exiting role July 24

Cassandra Sanchez, who has served as New Hampshire’s child advocate since 2022, said she will exit the role on July 24.

Sanchez has been on holdover status since January, when Gov. Kelly Ayotte decided she wouldn’t reappoint her for a second term. The Office of the Child Advocate was established in 2018 as an independent office to serve as a watchdog over youth-focused state systems like foster care and juvenile justice facilities and advocate for the best interest of New Hampshire children. Ayotte nominated Diana Fenton, a former assistant attorney general and lawyer with the Education Department, to replace Sanchez in January. However, Fenton withdrew from consideration for the role in March after facing public criticisms that she had a conflict of interest as a foster parent. Since then, Ayotte has not nominated a new candidate, and Sanchez has continued in the role on holdover status.

However, Sanchez said she was recently told by the state’s human resources department and the Office of the Child Advocate’s client counselor at the Attorney General’s Office that state law prohibits her from serving in holdover status for longer than six months. That means, she said, she is legally required to leave on July 24. She said her original interpretation of state law — based on the statute that established the Office of the Child Advocate, RSA 21V — led her to believe she could stay in holdover status indefinitely. But she said she later learned that a different state statute — RSA 21:33A — forbids an appointed official from remaining in holdover status longer than six months.

“I’ve just been told to prepare for my final day to be July 24,” Sanchez said in an interview with the Bulletin. “And so that is how I’m proceeding, as that is my last day in the office.”

Sanchez believes that Assistant Child Advocate Jason Taylor, her no. 2, will be offered the interim role. However, Sanchez said that confusion in the office over what the state statute actually says has made that murky. Sanchez said that because Taylor was not a political appointee but rather an office hire, the six-month deadline doesn’t apply to him. Human resources told Taylor to prepare to take on the role in the interim until a new child advocate is nominated and confirmed, he said.

Asked if he’d accept the role, Taylor said: “I don’t think that I have any choice. I think that’s my responsibility to the office.” He said he came to that decision after getting clarification that he could return to his current role when a new child advocate is appointed.

Taylor has worked for the state for about 20 years, including over a decade with the Division for Children, Youth and Families and at the Sununu Youth Services Center before joining the Office of the Child Advocate.

Ayotte did not respond to the Bulletin’s emailed questions about the situation, including: when she will nominate a new child advocate; if there are any circumstances that make finding a new nominee difficult; and if she supports Taylor taking over in the interim.

Sanchez and Taylor said their team has not had any communication with the governor since Sanchez got a letter informing her she would not be reappointed. However, Sanchez told members of the Executive Council and the Legislature she is leaving.

More from this section

Coldest Julys in New Hampshire since 1895

Cities with the most UFO sightings in New Hampshire

Sanchez said she’s spent the past few weeks (except for a period of time when Taylor was on a pre-planned vacation) trying to get Taylor up to speed to help him make a decision on whether he will accept the role and what he will need to know to be successful.

Still, Sanchez knows the challenging position Taylor will be in. She noted that he doesn’t know how long he would be asked to serve in an interim capacity because the governor has given no indication on when she’ll nominate a new candidate. She also said he’d be asked to do both the interim child advocate role and manage the caseload he has currently as associate child advocate. Additionally, budget cuts and layoffs implemented last year mean that the child advocate position and each staff member have more responsibilities than they did in 2024 or early 2025.

“There hasn’t been a lot of time to prepare for me assuming any additional responsibilities or what to do with the work that I do now,” Taylor said. “I certainly can’t give it to my colleagues who are all doing two jobs themselves at this point.”

Taylor said Senate President Sharon Carson has indicated she will attempt to restore some funding and staff to the office in the next budget, but that won’t take effect until July 2027.

Taylor hopes for “just some type of clarity” from the governor’s office.

“How long would I be asked to do two jobs?” he said. “Is there a strong push to get somebody nominated? I’m all about the work. I’m very passionate about what we do. I’m a believer in the mission, and so whoever the governor appoints would have my full attention. I would be their right-hand man in some ways, and I would be happy to do that.”

Regardless, his preference is for the governor to take her time to make sure she finds the right candidate.

Meanwhile, Sanchez said she’d be willing to set aside any differences she has with Ayotte to help her select her replacement. But she said, at the moment, she has no communication with the governor. Taylor also said he’s reached out to Ayotte and asked if she was interested in his suggestions for candidates.