IF THEY’RE PUNCHING THIS HARD NOW…

Native corn is starting to become available – blackberries are almost ripe – we’ve had a break in the humidity, so I’m happy to report that life is good! The following are a few random midsummer observations and thoughts relative to politics and community in the Connecticut River Valley, the State and Nation. Presidential Politics: I have an old friend who lives in northern New Hampshire named Jack and although we don’t see each other much, we do keep in touch via emails, Facebook and the occasional lunch in Concord. Among Jack’s many talents is the ability to zero in on a concept and say in a few words something that grows and hours later you find that simple phrase still bouncing in your head. So last week, as I was checking-in on Facebook, I saw that Jack had posted something about the presidential election. His comment was “If they're punching this hard now, it's going to be an ugly September...” Short and to the point! I know we’re a battleground state but I’ve never seen so many political ads in July, as this year. The level of intensity and attack is like two heavyweights standing their ground and slamming punches. Neither candidate is willing to give an inch of ground – and Jack’s right – IT’S ONLY JULY! I first met Jack back during the John Durkin for Senate campaign, in the late 70’s, and while he’s now a free lance writer and has traveled the world and written several books, he continues to be politically on top of things and his observations are always on the mark, saying in a couple of words something profound and always thought provoking. The Dust Bowl at the Hop! Last week I had the pleasure of going up river to the Hopkins Center to view the upcoming PBS documentary by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan on the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s. Dayton is an old acquaintance who I first met when I was an aide on the Gallen for Governor Campaign in 1980 and he was the Chief of Staff to the governor. He loyally remained with Governor Gallen for all three terms. However after the Governor’s death – Dayton seemed to move away from active day to day politics, although, like Jack, he’s always stayed involved, if only as an active observer. Dayton now lives down river in Walpole and served as the producer and principal writer for the Dust Bowl documentary and did a splendid job. His ability to listen and identify with the sentiments expressed by common everyday men and women was touching and worth seeing. Not only is this a story of long ago, but the magic is his ability to tell a story that we’re able to relate to today. The biggest thing I took away was how the Dust Bowl was a man-made environmental disaster and had government programs not been introduced – more people would have died and the area would not have recovered. Maybe it should be mandatory viewing for all proponents of the Tea Party. Prosperity & the Connecticut River Valley: Hopefully, if you read the papers and have looked at the political ads – you know that I am supporting Representative David Pierce from Etna to be the new state senator for District 5 that goes from Charlestown in the South, up the Connecticut River, to Hanover in the North. I have worked with David in the NH House for the past 6 years and have always been impressed by his ability to be level headed, stay focused and ability to find common ground. I’m sure he’s the right person for the job and will be able to dedicate the time to what’s become a full time job. Last week, while visiting area businesses with David Pierce, I heard him expound on an idea of how the region could grow and develop economically. Now the idea of locating certain operational functions from Hanover & Lebanon to Claremont where rental space is less expensive isn’t anything new – but having someone run for office with a foot in each part of the Valley is refreshing. Furthermore, both Dartmouth & DHMC bring an amazing amount of intellectual capital to the table. Their scientists and engineers are constantly inventing new technologies that could grow and develop into full fledged companies. While this isn’t a quick process and requires several hurdles and stages before being ready for prime time – the potential for Claremont with its infrastructure and available industrial land and properties could fit nicely into the larger scheme of things. You might think this is farfetched – but isn’t that’s how Hypertherm started, and look at them today! Now, I’m sure that many smart people have thought of this before, and it probably isn’t anything new, but maybe having us all in the same senate district might help to foster and grow this concept into a reality - just a thought. So as I stated in the beginning native corn is becoming available – blackberries are ripening – there’s a break in the humidity, and life is good!

Doors Close & Doors Open

It certainly is not extremely profound to state that people are different – and we each have our own way of processing information and making decisions. For example, my wife is one of those people where things are black & white, right or wrong. She has the ability to stay focused on a goal and block out distractions in order to keep moving forward. I on the other hand tend to see things from a broader perspective and can easily get distracted into what seems to be something totally unconnected to the decision at hand. So keeping that in mind, it shouldn’t seem odd that I’ve spent a great deal of time lately thinking about politics as a way to explain what and why certain things and decisions are made. Basically, I tend to think that opinions cause us to often fall within a political spectrum of beliefs. Again, nothing terribly earth shattering! Wikipedia defines political spectrum “as a way of modeling different political positions by placing them upon one or more geometric axes symbolizing independent political dimensions.” We are all familiar with terms like right (conservative), center (moderate), and left (progressive), however I’m of the opinion that most of us fall into being in the center and thus hopefully able to see parts of both sides of an issue. But there’s more to a spectrum than just these three categories – and I believe that the political spectrum is an oval versus a straight line, where the extremes (right & left) meet and discover they have more in common with the opposing extreme then they had thought. It is like coming full circle where an ultra-extreme libertarian meets up with an ultra-radical anarchist and they find that they are in sync and on the same page. Scary – I know – maybe my wife is right and I do have too much free time on my hands! *** For the most part – I am convinced that NH candidates run for political office with the best of intentions and while they all fit into a political spectrum; their motives are honorable and it’s certainly not for the money. Also, historically those in the center (moderates) reflect the views of most voters and are normally the most successful. Needless to say there are exceptions to this rule, as demonstrated by the present outgoing legislature, however traditionally those elected want to do what they envision as the peoples’ business, which is where it gets tricky. Voters interestingly have the responsibility to identify which candidate best reflect their views (where they fit on the spectrum) and who’ll be the most effective for their community. Unfortunately, in this day of less media focus on statehouse issues, this isn’t as easy as it sounds and can be difficult. FYI – for those candidates who are incumbents or have previously served in the legislature there is a record that is accessible on-line at http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/default.htm - the NH Legislature web site. Also there is a new bi-partisan entity called the Live Free Or Die Alliance (www.LiveFreOrDieAlliance.org ) that provides important information about NH issues and promises to provide everything you want to know about NH elected officials and political candidates. This is a non-partisan group of individuals so if you don’t find your candidate has responded, perhaps you should ask why and what don’t they want us to know? Candidates also receive many position questionnaires and, if they are serious they will complete them so as to keep the public informed. The only exceptions are those questionnaires that are un-biased and slanted. However, there are numerous legitimate interest groups that will solicit a candidate’s viewpoint, although some may be narrow and specific in their scope. Hopefully, local and statewide media and community groups will be another tool to better inform us as to where each candidate stands on the issues facing the State. *** So as the door opens relative to the process of picking a new legislature – an old door will be closing. On Wednesday the legislature will meet for the last time, assuming no emergencies or natural disasters arise, to deal with vetoes by the Governor. He has vetoed a total of thirteen bills – eight generated by the Senate and five from the House. The vetoed bills range from HB 149 that would prohibit the federal government from using or maintaining information from NH motor vehicle records, to HB 1607 that would use NH tax dollars to fund private schools and defray the costs of home schooling. Governor Lynch also vetoed SB 289 which requires a person to have a photo ID in order to vote, and SB 372 that establishes an education credit against the Business Profits Tax, which he believes will only down shift more education costs to cities and towns. Also among the vetoed bills to be decided will be SB 409 that legalizes medical marijuana. In total there are 13 bills that were vetoed, which should cause for another full day. But as my very common sense French-Canadian mémère always used to say - when one door closes another opens.

Entrances & Exits

I remember a crusty old political operative telling me years ago how people don’t care about substance. His comment was something like the only thing people remember are entrances & exits, everything in the middle is forgotten. Certainly, harsh talk and a rather negative put down about attention spans and people’s ability to remember. Sadly, I’ve met politicos from both parties who have subscribed to that belief and are much more comfortable with a big flashy opening and finish with nothing in the middle. Sort of like an air sandwich – two slices of bread with air in the center – not a lot of substance! The alternative is, of course, rolling up your sleeves and getting into the weeds to craft solutions - it isn’t flashy and entails real work. *** Speaking of flashy endings and air sandwiches – the NH 2011-12 Legislative Session is finally over. At last Wednesday’s session, the General Court dealt with a total of 13 separate vetoes by Governor Lynch. While the majority of the governor’s vetoes were over ridden (e.g. the partial birth abortion bill), several others were sustained such as the medical marijuana bill. In past years, the last day of the session has taken on the feeling similar to the last day of school where old friends say goodbye for the summer, and while that did occur on an individual basis – the custom of long-term retiring representatives going to the podium in Reps Hall to make a farewell address to the full body was for the most part absent. While somewhat stuffy and “old school”, I always found the ritual enjoyable and among the best traditions of the New Hampshire Legislature – it was always nice to hear the perspective of people who weren’t running again. As to why it didn’t occur this year, perhaps the session was too contentious and for those not returning they couldn’t leave fast enough – who knows! Normally the turnover of house members choosing to not run again has been about 25%, and while I don’t have any hard figures I am told that this year the numbers are significantly higher at about 30%. In the NH Senate, which has become a full time job, the numbers are more startling as 10 of the 24 senators are choosing to not run again. This will translate into a definite loss of institutional knowledge in the next Legislature. For those interested - elections for the New Hampshire General Court (Senate & House) will be held in on November 6, 2012. All 24 Senate seats and 400 House seats will be up for election. *** In addition to the last day of the legislature, I had the opportunity last week to re-connect with the community and see what’s going on in Claremont and the region. Actually, I find that going to meetings are an excellent escape from ‘honey-do’s’ and other normal tasks of summer like mowing the lawn and going to the transfer station. One event that did catch my attention was the public hearing about renewing the permit to operate the trash incinerator in Claremont. For the past twenty-five years, this has been one of the most controversial issues in the area and has spawned more discussion and arguably generated as much heat as the actual temperature of the incinerator itself. On one side is the solid waste industry that provides jobs and pays substantial taxes to the City, and on the other are a group of local individuals/activists who have vocally opposed the project at every level. This waste to energy project has been an extremely touchy subject and caused the political ruin of many! Caught in between are the state & federal authorities whose job it is to regulate the incinerator, hence oversee the public hearing on renewing the permit. Among my observations was how the opponents ranged from knowledgeable people who voiced substantive concerns about the permits renewal, to others whose 25 year frustration level at combating the incinerator has noticeably taken its toll. A factor that did shock me was the anecdotal testimony regarding the health impact on people who live south and east of the incinerator. According to the testimony, since the prevailing winds are from the north, the health impact from the incinerator to nearby residents has been devastating. Overall, I thought the individuals conducting the public hearing did so in an extremely professional and patient manner. Residents should also know the public comment period has been extended to July 13. *** Additional community events I had the opportunity to participate in last week were the Farmers Market and the annual meeting of the Claremont Chamber of Commerce. The Market is held every Thursday afternoon, during the summer and fall, at Claremont’s Broad Street Park, and I wish them clear skies and a sunny season! The other community event was the annual meeting of the Greater Claremont Chamber of Commerce who for 95 years have tirelessly worked and remained focused on contributing to Claremont and the region. The energy and hard work of these two groups are excellent examples of substance over hype.