Rosemary Landry: We need to put Joe Kenney back on the Executive Council

To The Daily Sun,

Governor Sununu and five executive councilors are accountable to the citizens of N.H. The five councilors are responsible for advising the governor in the Executive Branch. One duty is voting on the Governor's nominations for major positions and boards in the government. Governor Sununu statement, "you always give someone a hearing, you always let them have a voice, and then you let them have a vote."

Governor Sununu nominated Eddy Edwards for the position of executive director of the State Office of Professional Licensure and Certification and he asked for a hearing to be schedule several times. Why did it take 105 days to schedule? Eddy Edwards became the second New Hampshire Black conservative to be opposed by the three council Democrats — the first being Ryan Terrell of Nashua, nominated to the state Board of Education.

Both men were well educated. Was this politically motivated?

Did Councilor Cryans conduct himself...in a Washington-style partisan way of politics? Did Cryans serve his constituents with integrity, honesty and without bias? How would Councilor Cryans like to wait 105 days for a vote?

Did he push for a hearing ? Councilor Cryans called the delay an unintended consequence of Covid 19 at first, then he blamed Mr. Edwards for not asking for a hearing, and finally the venue became the object of the gas lightening mechanism. Virtual zoom was taking the place at most meetings.

I will be voting for Joe Kenney for executive councilor. Joe is honest with the utmost integrity. A leader who uses critical thinking to make decisions.

Current Executive Councilor Mike Cryans does not represent the interests of the Lakes Region. Councilor Cryans is rarely seen and does not explain his votes.

He voted against the First African American to the State Board Education (Ryan Terrell)

He upheld and prevented the first African American to be confirmed as Executive Director for the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification ( Eddie Edwards).

He abstained his vote on the Pam Smart commutation hearing request because he felt uncomfortable voting either way (Associated Press).

He abstained on a request to create a position to oversee prosecutorial cases in a troubled Hillsborough County Attorney office (no explanation given}.

— He failed to give the Commissioner of Education a pay raise because of political retribution.

He avoided a question by a statewide reporter on whether or not he would commute Michael Addison's capital murder sentence.

He was the deciding vote against filling the chief justice of the N.H. Supreme Court. A critical position has remained open for over a year now.

We need to re-elect Joseph Kenney to the N.H. Executive Council, let's bring back N.H. to NH. We expect our councilor to take on the important issues and not run away from tough decisions. Every time our councilor abstains from a vote or project Washington-style partisan politics, N.H. loses.

Lets get district one executive council position back to the Kenney/Burton tradition of putting N.H. people above politics. Vote Joe Kenney!

Rosemary Landry,

Meredith