Maura Sullivan's experience is in PR, not policy making

To The Daily Sun,

Granting NH1 candidate Maura Sullivan's commendable Marine Corps service, I’d like to correct some misinformation about her work record (available online).

Ms. Sullivan implies, and many assume, she went directly into public service after active duty. She didn't. She went to grad school and then worked for PepsiCo for the next five years. While working for Pepsi, she was appointed to the American Battle Monuments Commission, which was part-time, unpaid, and involved no policymaking. She's counting that as four of her six years of experience. In Oct. 2014, she took a position at the VA overseeing communications and media relations — not policymaking. After nine months, she moved to the Defense Dept., where their press release announced her “as the assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, Press Operation,” described as the principal advisor for communication, news media relations, etc. After only four months, she went to the Navy and worked on the Great Green Fleet Initiative, an effort to operationalize energy efficiency and alternative-fuel use. None of this involved lawmaking. Executive branch officials execute legislation, they don't draft it; that's what Congress does.

As accomplished as Ms. Sullivan is, her experience is in press, not in policy or lawmaking. On the other hand, candidate Naomi Andrews, (https://www.naomiandrews.com), Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter's former chief of staff, worked on policy in Congress for many years. She knows N.H., Congress, legislative processes, national and local issues, and veterans issues inside out. Which is no doubt why Shea-Porter has endorsed Naomi.

Juliette Paquin

Tilton