Troopers Endorse Hassan; Havenstein Takes Pledge 2.0

The tit for tat and spit for spat of the 2014 gubernatorial race was happening hot and heavy this morning as the two candidates for governor took time out of their campaign schedules to focus on supporting two of their prime constituents.

In the case of Gov. Maggie Hassan, D-Exeter, that was picking up the endorsement of another collection of state employees, the New Hampshire Troopers Association, at the group’s headquarters on North State Street in Concord.

At the Legislative Office Building about 30 minutes later, Walt Havenstein, R-Alton, focused on signing his own anti-tax pledge, specifically, “Pledge 2.0” – an opposition to broad-based taxes and something new, opposition to any policy that would commit taxpayers to unfunded obligations.

Troopers for Hassan

Seth Cooper, the president of the troopers association, said they didn’t know much about Hassan when they endorsed her in 2012. But during the last 18 months, they have gotten to know her and they think she’s done a great job for the state, so far.

“We’re very proud to stand here,” he said, “and endorse Gov. Maggie Hassan in her re-election.”

Cooper said the governor had helped with their collective bargaining agreement and passed a budget that added back 10 troopers to the state’s staff bringing troopers on the road to about 300, although they were still down about 30 from about a decade ago. The new staffing, he said, had improved road safety and rural response times, although it was “far below where we need to be.” Cooper also commended Hassan for helping the family of a recent fallen police officer and standing by them in their time of need.

Hassan thanked the organization for its endorsement and all the state’s troopers for putting their lives on the line to ensure the safety of Granite State residents, which had made the state one of the safest in the country.

“You are all leaders of the most professional, well trained, and dedicated state police force in the country,” she said.

Hassan said the latest bipartisan budget had added a number public safety enhancements while not implementing a broad-based income or sales tax.

Hassan also attacked Havenstein for “signing his name to the Koch brother’s pledge” that would promote “an anti-middle-class agenda” that would “take New Hampshire back to the devastating Bill O’Brien era.” She also added that he supported budget cuts that she purported would take “approximately 80 percent of state troopers off the roads,” because he wasn’t in favor of last year’s gas tax increase or gas tax money being used to fund the Department of Public Safety, according to previous comments.

Pledge 2.0

At his event, Havenstein said he was supporting the signing of Pledge 2.0 because it wasn’t just important for a candidate to say that they didn’t support broad-based taxes but they also needed to limit expenses and unfunded obligations beyond a candidate’s term. Hassan, he stated, supported policies that overcommitted the state’s resources and failed the intent of taking a pledge against broad-based taxes.

“It can’t be simply a political commitment,” he said. “It has to be more than that.”

Havenstein also pointed to “anemic economic growth” of 0.9 percent that was hampering the state’s recovery. He said, instead, if elected, he wouldn’t put anything in policy that would “obligate the state’s taxpayers for future spending obligations.”

When asked about problems with Hassan’s budget, he pointed to the tens of millions of dollars she offered for a casino bill that never was approved and purported that her solution to Medicaid expansion would have added $135 million in shortfalls to future budgets. He added that Hassan wasn’t offering transparency in any of her budget spending.

Senate President Chuck Morse then stepped in and stated that Senate budget leaders had not been briefed on current expenditures and that when Gov. John Lynch was leading the state, his budget director had monthly meetings with legislators, with state Sen. Jeanne Forrester, R-Meredith, noting later that Lynch was truly a bipartisan governor.

When asked, in the case of increased crime, as an example, if he would allow not hire new state troopers if they came with unfunded pension liabilities, Havenstein said, No, that wasn’t what he was saying, and added that there would need to be shifts in the budget to prepare for those future responsibilities. He also called for a 2.5 percent aggregate cut in state spending as well as shifting priorities within the current budget without raising new taxes to fund programs that needed to be funded.

Reaction to the press conferences

Raymond Buckley, the chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, stated that Havenstein wasn’t prepared to lead the state and the fact that Morse had to step in to explain an issue proved it. He added that Havensten didn’t seem to have a basic grasp of the process either.

“You can’t run a government they way you do a business,” he said. “He hasn’t learned that, so far, on the campaign trail.”

Hassan Campaign Press Secretary Aaron Jacobs stated, “Walt Havenstein reinforced today that he has no idea how New Hampshire’s state government and budget process work. Havenstein clearly doesn’t understand that New Hampshire’s budget is balanced every two years, and that Governor Hassan brought together leaders of both parties to make the tough decisions necessary to pass a fiscally responsible, balanced budget, without a sales or income tax. Not to mention that Havenstien has no credibility on fiscal responsibility given that his so-called ‘plan’ would blow a $90 million hole in the state’s budget to give more tax breaks to big businesses, taking New Hampshire back to the devastating cuts of the Bill O’Brien era that undermined public safety, higher education, and critical economic priorities.”

State Sen. Sylvia Larsen, D-Concord, called the press conference a stunt.

“The facts are clear: Governor Hassan delivered a balanced budget with no sales tax and no income tax, period,” she said. “At the same time, we managed to support investment in education, innovation and jobs to grow our economy. Governor Hassan has been a strong, tough, and responsible leader on the budget, working with both parties to achieve something that is almost unprecedented: unanimous budget support from Republicans and Democrats in the Senate. Because of her leadership in making both sides work together and her willingness to make the tough decisions, our state is in stronger fiscal condition than it was when Governor Hassan took office, our economy is growing, our unemployment is one of the lowest in the country, and poverty saw the second-largest decline in the nation. That is a solid, strong economic record.”

Former Governor Steve Merrill stated, “Walt correctly understands that The Pledge is not to protect politicians – but to protect taxpayers. Those who claim to endorse it and then support higher state spending are trying to fool the taxpayers. Walt isn’t going to let that happen.”

Son of former Gov. Mel Thomson, Tom Thomson, an “ax the tax” supporter, said: “Walt is absolutely right to update the pledge. Unfortunately, it has become used as a shield by Democrats who take it and then spend money we don’t have. The pledge was always as much about cutting spending as it was about cutting taxes, so Pledge 2.0 embodies the original intent which my father had to protect our New Hampshire values.”

Greg Moore of Americans for Prosperity New Hampshire said his group’s pledge had nothing to do with the Koch brothers, despite Hassan’s claim, adding that it was just him and Thomson.

“It’s fairly obvious that Governor Hassan has no clue what she’s talking about,” he said. “Not only does she not know the right name of the pledge she pretends to represent, but she has no idea what’s in that same pledge. Similar to her term in office, she has failed to do her homework and has opened her mouth without knowing the facts. In order to assist the governor and to help her overcome her ignorance, we will mail another copy of AFP-NH’s Taxpayer and Prosperity Protection 2014 candidate pledge to her. It’s rather obvious she did not read the first one we sent, but maybe she will be able to read through it this time.”

He emailed a PDF link to the pledge Havenstein signed, which is attached here.