From Pot To Domestic Violence To Chinese Investment In Nashua, Ayotte Answers The Media

By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH

NEWBURY, NH — From reclassifying cannabis, to Chinese investment in a Nashua industrial park to the YDC settlement fund, to gaps in the New Hampshire system which allow domestic violence victims to fall through the cracks, Gov. Kelly Ayotte addressed reporters questions and said much of it requires more scrutiny Wednesday.

Meeting with reporters after an Executive Council meeting at Mount Sunapee Resort, staff from NH Public Radio, the NH Union Leader, WMUR-TV, the New Hampshire Bulletin, and InDepthNH.org asked her questions for stories they have been working on.

Ayotte said there needs to be more known about the "above market" sale this past winter of a vacant building near Pennichuck water supply by the owner of Nongfu Spring and it begs the question of why they want to be here.

While the subsidiary of the Chinese company Nongfu Spring, NF North America, which bottles water and other drinks and is owned by that nation's wealthiest billionaire, Ayotte said national security is an important consideration and that the matter should be scrutinized before local approvals are given.

"The Chinese are always trying to gather information about our country," she said, and she questioned why a 23-acre property assessed at $15 million sold for $67 million in a private sale.

"The right questions are being asked," she said.

There is no information that the ownership is connected with the Chinese government but Ayotte said we need to protect our land and our facilities especially those related to national security or local issues. "Water is important. So I am going to be focused on that. I think this should be scrutinized not just this transaction but any transaction like this going forward," she said.

"There are a lot of local approvals that have to happen," she said going forward.

YDC SETTLEMENT FUND SHOULD BE ADMINISTERED RESPONSIBLY AND FAIRLY

Ayotte said she appreciates former state Supreme Court Chief Justice John Broderick's service as administrator of the Youth Development Center victims fund but the state will now go in a different way, which will have her appoint a replacement rather than the Judicial Branch.

"From my perspective, those who were harmed by what happened at YDC, of course, they should be receiving fair compensation for that. But there also needs to be a fair process in place. We are making sure victims are being addressed and their issues and the state as a whole...these issues are in litigation. The attorney general certainly can answer those specifics about the litigation but my goals have always been the same. I spent my life protecting victims and whether it was my time as attorney general or my time in the Senate, even this most recent budget. So that is important to me. And I want the fund to be administered responsibly and fairly," she said.

The state could face $1 billion in payouts to the 1,500 victims and tens of millions of dollars have already been paid out under Broderick's administration of the fund.

There is money in the budget to help pay for those settlements and the legislature has put up proceeds of the future sale of the current Sununu Youth Services center in Manchester, expected to fetch about $80 million or more in the next few years.

She noted that every victim also has the right to go to court and seek compensation rather than going through the fund.

ON CONCERNS RELATED TO THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SYSTEM 'I'M GOING TO BE ALL OVER IT'

Three weeks ago, when the Executive Council met in Pittsburg, Counselor Janet Stevens, R-Rye, outlined gaps in the between law enforcement and the courts which could help protect victims. Her concerns were outlined here in a story https://indepthnh.org/2025/08/11/after-berlin-murder-suicide-councilor-janet-stevens-raises-issues-judicial-branch-responds/

An important ally, Stevens now has in her quest to improve the system the state's new Republican governor.

She said she heard Stevens' concerns loud and clear in the wake of the July 6 death of Berlin's Sandra Marisol Fuentes Huaracha, 25, at the hands of her husband who was out on bail and then killed himself.

Ayotte said she was disappointed to learn that the Judiciary did not fulfill a $150,000 federal grant through ARPA to look at data gaps as they relate to domestic violence cases and said she will be moving forward to support law enforcement and the courts in ways that can improve the current system.

Attorney General John Formella said during the meeting he is awaiting word from the federal government on a request to release those funds that could be used.

Judiciary officials said the funding came at a time when they were short-staffed and they could not go through with the contract.

Stevens also said about half the police departments are using a voluntary questionnaire which would help police and the courts identify the level of threat to a victim, known as the Lethality Assessment Survey, which is taught to all at state Police Standards and Training.

"I was very disappointed to hear that the judiciary wasn't taking full advantage of that piece of it (the grant.) So the attorney general is really making sure that people are participating and that information is being used in that assessment," Ayotte said.

"But I have to tell you...it goes much beyond that. First of all, the bail law has to be implemented and it has to be done....the implementation date is September and I wish it had been done much sooner...and we have to do it well. So the training piece for not only the county attorneys but the local prosecutors and local police. I am going to be all over that. And I am going to be pushing for that. In addition to that, I am so glad that I asked and the legislature did put resources in for example groups that work with the Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, making sure that they know they have our full support to reach out to victims in these circumstances.

"If we need to change any laws, you know, I just signed ...almost 10 laws related to crime victims and one of them of course was the Domestic Violence Fatality Committee and the number one case they are going to take up is of course this horrific, what happened in Berlin to Marisol Fuentes. So this is an issue that I come at with such passion having been attorney general. So absolutely, that Lethality Assessment but we are not going to stop there because there are other pieces to this that I think you heard the attorney general say today are critical if we are going to protect the state and protect individual victims," Ayotte said.

The governor and executive council approved funding for training professionals who deal with such victims at the annual Partnering for a Future Without Violence conference to be held Sept. 2 and 4 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Manchester.

There will be seminars on matters including child abuse, child neglect, domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking and elder abuse and many of those who work in the field will be looking to the Berlin case as the state also begins a new committee that will look at what went wrong in domestic violence deaths such as hers.

Attorney General Formella, who sought the funds to help cover the costs of the two-day conference which goes over the amount charged for the professionals by about $15,000 (total cost is $100,000) lamented that "many victims don't seek services," in some cases out of fear for further harm.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE RANKING AND HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING

Ayotte started off the press conference by highlighting that the New Hampshire Community College System was ranked best in New England and in the top 10 in the nation, according to a new report from Wallethub.

In a statement earlier this week she said, “This ranking is a testament to the incredible work being done every day by our students, faculty, and staff, and to New Hampshire’s commitment to building a stronger future for our people and our economy...we’ve worked hard to ensure our community colleges are affordable, innovative, and connected to the needs of our employers. New Hampshire is showing the nation what’s possible when you put students first and focus on results.”

But she was questioned about the budget the state now has and its impacts on higher education.

Ayotte said her budget request, which did not pass, was to keep the University System in a much stronger position.

She said she is concerned and it will be a priority to funnel more money into the University System if there are better revenues.

Ayotte said what is important is to underline the connection between the community college system and the university system with transferable credits. That will allow students to save money and they are getting the skills they need for the jobs of today.

CANADA TRADE

Ayotte said the state welcomes Canadians and should understand we are open, "and it is a hot summer" so with the state's lakes and seacoast "we have open arms for them."

In September she said she will be talking about business relations when she heads to Nova Scotia and Quebec.

SNAP

The governor said she disagrees with federal cuts to the SNAP program for nutrition needs for families of low income.

"I think SNAP is a really important program. So we are evaluating, how can we make sure we can serve as many people as possible," Ayotte said.

CANNABIS

Ayotte was asked how she would deal with federal action if President Trump follows through with his "big announcement" he said could come related to cannabis and said Monday he is looking at reclassifying it as a less dangerous drug.

"Listen, if federal law changes, I have to comply with federal law. But my position has been and continues to be that we should not legalize marijuana in New Hampshire. And I can tell you as a mother, and someone who worked as a prosecutor in this area, my concerns are quality of life, the impact of mental health, particularly on youth, and also we still can't measure when it comes to road safety. So we have had all these incidents on the roads and, we see states who have legalized having an increase in the number of traffic injuries, fatalities and so I want to see that issue addressed. So if the federal law changes I also hope they address that core safety issue because it is important to me," Ayotte said.

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.