Nashua Telegraph - Kenney Eyes Return to Conservative for NH

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Nashua Telegraph - Kenney Eyes Return to Conservative for NH

Kevin Landrigan

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the seventh in an occasional series of stories based on interviews with candidates for federal and state office by The Telegraph editorial board.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Joseph Kenney, of Wakefield, claimed Tuesday that Gov. John Lynch is captive to liberal special interests that threaten to turn New Hampshire into another left-leaning New England state.

"New Hampshire's position, politically and socially, is not the state I grew up in," Kenney, a 14-year state legislator, said during an interview with The Telegraph editorial board.

Once Democrats took over the Legislature and Executive Council in 2006, Lynch had to repay political favors to environmentalists, union bosses and other special interests, Kenney claimed.

"Governor Lynch is a nice guy," Kenney added. "The issue is, he's a nice guy who can't say no to special interests."

A native of Melrose, Mass., Kenney has lived in Wakefield since age 6, when his parents moved to the Lakes Region town to start restaurant and auctioneering businesses.

"I started out as a pot washer," said Kenney, 48, who went on to chair his town's board of selectmen, win seven legislative terms and become a decorated Marine Corps lieutenant colonel serving during 1990-91 and 2005-06 in U.S. war operations in Iraq.

The tall, muscular Kenney admits clinging to a love for the self-reliant cohesion of a small town; as a teenager, he hitchhiked back home after basketball practice - a 45-mile round trip - while attending Spaulding High School.

"When I was chairman of the board, I'd speak to newcomers who just moved in and tell them, 'Look, your road is not going to be paved, there will be no street lights, no fire hydrant, no trash pickup and no sewer,' " Kenney recalled.

"Welcome to Wakefield, where we all look out for each other."

Kenney would compel state agency heads to cut spending "5 to 10 percent across the board" to fulfill his pledge to cap spending at the inflation rate.

"We are living in uncertain times, and we let spending get out of control," he said.

Lynch should have vetoed the two-year state budget that increased state spending 17.5 percent and should not have proposed $140 million in bonding transportation and school district construction expenses to make ends meet.

"When we bond and borrow, we are already starting out in the red, which is not the New Hampshire way," Kenney claimed.

During the 75-minute interview, Kenney offered no specific cuts but proposed privatizing Cannon Mountain, commercial advertising on state turnpikes and letting a private firm chase after uncollected criminal fines to raise more revenue.

Lynch, the two-term Democratic governor, is competent in dealing with a crisis like floods and tornadoes but is not a competent, hands-on manager, Kenney said.

"I don't think Governor Lynch is going to the privates to find out what is going on," Kenney claimed. "The governor is out of touch with the state agencies in New Hampshire."

Kenney also faulted Lynch for failing to get legislative support to amend the state constitution and target more, existing state aid to property-poor school districts.

"You have the haves and the have-nots," Kenney said. "I absolutely support the redistribution of wealth in this instance."

Kenney favors an amendment that would strip the Supreme Court of any authority over education aid laws and said Lynch should have brow-beaten Democratic legislative leaders to pass his amendment or call a constitutional convention to force the issue on the Nov. 4 ballot.

"I would have locked the doors in the Legislature," Kenney said.

"He didn't deliver either with Republicans or Democrats in charge."

Kenney, a fiscal and social conservative, claimed a track record of bipartisanship in championing laws to allow N.H. nurses to get co-licensure in any state, to give midwives comparable insurance coverage to OB/GYNs and to streamline an organ donor registry.

"In all instances, I was working with the other side of the aisle to get results," Kenney said.

The three-term state senator said he'd ask lawmakers meeting in special session today to repeal the timber tax for clearing and selling wood fallen from a natural disaster. Kenney said an Ossipee businesswoman who was charged a $900 timber tax following June's tornado moved him to pursue this change.

Cities and towns get a portion of the timber tax paid to the state and their leaders opposed such a rebate when Lynch pursued it in private talks following the June tornado, said Colin Manning, Lynch's press secretary.

Lynch seeks to increase weatherization grants by $1.2 million, taking money raised from a 10-state auction of credits that industrial polluters must purchase to meet greenhouse gas emission targets.

Kenney opposes the proposal and would repeal the so-called RGGI initiative that Lynch signed to make N.H. the last state from the Northeast to join the cooperative.

"Why would you want to put on what I consider the third tax on an electric bill right now in this economy?" Kenney asked rhetorically.

Lynch has raised 15 times more money than Kenney, who remains nonetheless convinced that he can compete Nov. 4.

"We are going to do extremely well in this election," he said.

"We are going to surprise a lot of people."

KENNEY ON THE ISSUES

Here are views of Republican gubernatorial candidate Joseph Kenney on key issues.

TAXES: He would veto a sales or income tax and criticizes Gov. John Lynch for raising more than two dozen fees during his four years in office and also opposed the "trigger'' to raise the state's cigarette tax next month.

STATE BUDGET: Signed the pledge of the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition to keep spending growth within the rate of inflation that last year was under 3 percent.

EDUCATION FUNDING: Opposed the state law for 2010 and 2011 that raises state aid to public schools by nearly $100 million annually without an accompanying revenue stream. He would aggressively pursue an amendment to the state Constitution to remove the Supreme Court from control over education aid lawsuits. Favors targeted aid to property poorest towns.

ENERGY: Opposes regional initiative to reduce greenhouse gases, calling it "a third tax'' on the monthly electric bills for consumers that will stifle business growth. Would work with senior centers and non-profits to create one-stop locations for consumers looking for help affording energy to heat their homes.

ENVIRONMENT: He would suspend for another building season new restrictions under the Shoreland Protection Act whose aims at curbing waterfront development are good, he says, but implementation is complex and expensive for developers. He was one of only three Senate Republicans to support setting a speed limit on Lake Winnipesauke.

HEALTH CARE:Supports Healthy Kids program and would continue letting families above federal poverty guidelines to qualify their children for coverage. Would create a "bare bones'' catastrophic health care option for owners of small businesses. He supports expanding health-care savings accounts and purchasing alliances for companies and trade groups to pool their coverage.

ABORTION: Opposes legal abortions except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.

COMMUTER RAIL: Supports restoring commuter rail service from Boston through Nashua to Manchester.

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