Mo Baxley: Candidates' debate panelists speak to their values

To The Daily Sun,

Thank you to the Laconia Daily Sun, Laconia Middle School and Lakes Region Public Access for organizing the mayoral debate on Oct. 20. Both candidates should also be credited for their willingness to participate. What stands out is the striking contrast between the panelists selected by the candidates.

On the one hand, Mayor Andrew Hosmer has selected panelists who've made significant contributions to Laconia. Jennifer Anderson, a prominent educator and director of Laconia Motorcycle Week Association and board member of the Belknap Mill and Laconia Rotary Club, is someone with a wide range of experience in the city. Bree Neal is a successful local business owner who has a keen interest in local government. Ira Keltz is a prominent member of Temple B'nai Israel and brings a very important perspective to the debate.

On the other hand, Rep. Dawn Johnson selected panelists who are better known for questionable behavior while either running for office or serving. Josh Youseff's campaign for state senate was overshadowed by allegations of unpaid taxes (The Concord Monitor, Aug. 23, 2012), a cease and desist order from the New Hampshire Attorney General for violating NH's election laws (The Concord Monitor, Aug. 12, 2013) and a faked endorsement from Franklin Mayor Ken Merrifield. Robert Fisher resigned from the NH House after being outed as the founder and blog moderator of "The Red Pill," a misogynist online community. (Associated Press, May 9, 2017) In 2008, Fisher reportedly questioned the notion that "rape is bad," writing "I'm going to say it — Rape isn't an absolute bad, because the rapist I think probably likes it a lot. I think he'd say it's quite good, really." The third panelist, Rep. Richard Littlefield, has steadfastly stood by Johnson after she posted an anti-semitic meme taken from a neo Nazi website.

The selection of panelists affords voters an opportunity to see the difference in the candidates' leadership styles and judgement. Rep. Johnson's selections are confounding at best. Hosmer's selections display a willingness to hear different perspectives and a leadership style that will continue to benefit the city of Laconia.

Mo Baxley

Laconia