Souhegan Students Take On The Candidates

Local candidates faced some tough questions from Souhegan students during a candidate forum at the high school Thursday night.

The 5th annual Community Council candidate forum features 14 candidates (not including county offices), with only one lone Republican making an appearance. Most of the political candidates who did not attend the forum sent statements.

Each candidate was given an opportunity to introduce themselves and answer two questions from Community Council representatives.

Here is what candidates on the Amherst ballot had to say:

Len Gerzon (D) is running for state representative for Hillsborough District 4. Gerzon told the audience that he is running to not only represent the voters, but also the students and youth in New Hampshire. He added that he sees much bias in the legislature, which he wants to change with his candidacy.

When asked about education and retirement funding, he answered that there was too much “downshifting” of costs to the town level, and pensions need to be adjusted. On the topic of gambling, he said that he is “not a fan” of gambling, but there is an economic reality with surrounding states opening casinos, and New Hampshire needs to be competitive.

Peter Hansen (R) was the only Republican to make it to the forum on Thursday, and told the audience that he has the business experience and record to deserve re-election as state representative in Hillsborough District 22.

On the right-to-work law, Hansen explained that states that have passed the law had less of an impact for unemployment, and that they have better opportunities to attract new businesses. He also added that “right-to-work” does not necessarily mean “anti-union.” When asked how he is different from Speaker Bill O’Brien, he said that he mostly voted alongside house leadership and that the speaker was the “right person for the right time” in a critical situation.

John Shonle (D) said that he wants to return “New Hampshire values” to the statehouse by supporting good schools, a woman’s right to choose and marriage equality, while opposing tax dollars for private schools. He added that he disagrees with having a rigid political ideology that can be seen amongst the current legislature.

On the topic of compromise across the aisle, Shonle said he has been discouraged by the political partisanship both locally and nationally, and that he would be more than happy to talk to Republicans to work on issues. When asked about raising revenues, he explained that the tobacco tax, which was recently cut by the legislature, needs to be restored. Meals and lodging taxes should also be increased to where they were before cuts.

Shannon Chandley (D) said that the greatest honor in her life was serving as a state representative, and that she would be happy to represent the people in Concord and solve the many problems we face.

She does not support changing the role of the three branches of government in New Hampshire and that their differences and autonomy should be respected. This was in response to a question about redefining power between the court system and the legislature. A question of women’s reproductive health revealed her belief in privacy and respecting a woman’s personal health decisions. 

“I can’t believe in 2012 that we are arguing about family planning,” she said.

Steve Morgan (D) said that he is most proud of his work on the solid waste task force, his efforts to use cooking to fundraise for the Peabody Mill Environmental Center and going to the White House to learn about the ins and outs of medicare and medicaid.

One students asked if the state should control medicare funds, which received a solid “no” from Morgan.

“That will kill the best run medical insurance program this country has today,” he said.

He agreed with Shonle that the cigarette tax needs to be restored to recover millions in lost revenue, and that children in need services need more funding.

Cynthia Dokmo from the Restore The Center Party said that she loves politics, but hates the partisanship. One side does not have all the answers, according to Dokmo, and all sides need to consider one another one the issues. She added that she is representing voters, not a political party.

She opposes the Voter ID law and said that the real reason a group of legislatures want it passed is to disenfranchise the poor and elderly, who may not have proper identification. While she is not for an income tax, Dokmo said she opposes amending the constitution to prevent the passing of one in the future.

“I don’t understand why you would need to cut off one source of revenue which may be needed in the future,” she said.

Bob Heaton, who is also a member of the Restore The Center party, listed his many years on multiple town board, including the selectmen, and organizations in Amherst. He agreed that the legislature is filled with destructive politics with individuals pushing their “extreme agendas” just because they can.

In response to a student’s question about the option for online drivers education courses, Heaton said that the legislature should always be looking for better ways to do things, and it is worth discussion. On the environment, he said that air quality is the most important issue to address.

Register of Probate candidate Graham Smith (D) said he would donate the $100 he would receive from the position towards a charity chosen by voters in order to do his small part after budget cuts to local organizations.

“Even though one hundred bucks is a drop in the bucket, it is a drop in the right bucket,” said Smith.

Other candidates at Thursday’s forum included Kary Jencks, David Woodbudy, Henry Mullaney and Lee Nyquist. They will appear on the Mont Vernon ballot in November.