Craig and Ayotte clash at the Chamber of Commerce debate

GOFFSTOWN, N.H. – Former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte met Thursday morning at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College for a gubernatorial debate hosted by the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. Here are some of the highlights, broken down by the key topics discussed.

Craig’s term as mayor

Host Scott Spradling asked whether Ayotte’s attack ads against Craig, which mentioned Manchester, had damaged Manchester’s reputation. Ayotte said the ads were about Craig’s failed leadership and that Manchester’s success was critical to the success of New Hampshire as a whole. Ayotte added that Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais is working hard to help the city and she has also met with several local business owners who said Craig’s tenure has hurt their businesses.

In contrast, Craig viewed her six-year term as mayor and the leadership experience that came with it as an advantage over Ayotte’s lack of elected leadership positions in her portfolio. Craig also noted a number of accomplishments during her tenure, including approximately 2,000 new housing units, the creation of Manchester Proud, the creation of the Beech Street Shelter and the $44 million Build Back Better Grant.

Housing

Spradling noted that current estimates suggest New Hampshire will need 60,000 more housing units statewide by the end of the decade, but getting smaller cities to contribute to that goal could be a difficult task for the state government.

Craig’s main point on the issue was providing government support to cities that may not have the infrastructure to support new residential development, while Ayotte sought to reduce regulation to streamline construction and explore whether to use government-owned land for housing could be used.

Craig also attacked Ayotte over her role on the board of Blackstone, the country’s largest landlord, saying Ayotte was profiting from the housing crisis. Ayotte responded that the attack showed Craig’s dislike of the business community, stating that Craig had attacked Ayotte because he was on the board of BAE and had accompanied her to a BAE ribbon cutting in Manchester shortly afterwards.

Both candidates spoke about creating partnerships with the federal government, local communities and other organizations on this and several other issues.

Child care

There was general agreement here that more needs to be done to attract more people to careers in childcare and to address the state’s childcare worker shortage, as workers with young children may not be able to keep their jobs if they do not have access to it find child care.

Additional training programs at the college and high school levels as well as a reduction in bureaucracy between potential child care workers and child care employers have been suggested.

Training

There was more agreement here about the need for greater funding for adult education centers and vocational schools. Craig noted that the signing of the ConVal lawsuit is evidence that the state is failing in its responsibility to provide adequate education. He attacked the Education Freedom Account program, calling it a “voucher system” that provided wealthy families with tax money they didn’t need.

Ayotte defended the Education Freedom Account, saying it helped five thousand students across the state find new schools that better met their educational needs that they might not have otherwise been able to attend.

Steer

Craig said she would not support an income tax or a sales tax, but called the elimination of the state interest and dividend tax a tax break for the rich. Ayotte fired back, saying that renewing this tax would essentially be a tax on retirees, while Craig said their focus was on the top one percent of earners.

Ayotte also attacked Craig over the revenue from marijuana legalization, saying that the state “cannot get to a balanced budget with smoking,” and attacked Craig over her support of Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, stating, This support shows that Craig is trying to model New Hampshire’s tax policies for those found in Massachusetts.

S-Bahn

Ayotte said the commuter rail isn’t financially viable and that while it would be nice, it would ultimately require more taxes at the state level and higher property taxes for Manchester residents.

Craig attacked the study mentioned by Ayotte on the grounds that it was unsustainable, saying that federal funding was available for commuter rail and that local businesses wanted it too. Craig also said the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport would be supported by the commuter rail. Both candidates emphasized the importance of the airport and said that local bus services to the airport should be expanded.

Energy/Environment

Craig wanted to join other New England states in supporting offshore wind energy and also increase the focus on solar energy by touting the new solar plant that came online during her term as mayor in Manchester.

Ayotte wanted to invest in new technologies such as hydrogen and small nuclear reactors.

From the campaigns

“Today, Kelly Ayotte once again shared her positive vision for keeping Manchester – and all of New Hampshire – safe, prosperous and free. As Governor, Kelly will be a partner with Mayor Ruais, city leaders and the business community to ensure Manchester’s best days lie ahead. The truth is that Joyce Craig failed Manchester when she tried to raise taxes six times as mayor and let the drug crisis and homelessness spiral out of control. Joyce was a disaster as mayor and she should not be governor – on November 5, voters will reject her failed leadership.”

-Ayotte spokesman John Corbett

“It’s past time for New Hampshire to have a governor who knows what it takes to support our local communities and who has a track record of delivering results. At this stage of the debate there has only been one such candidate, it is clear that Joyce Craig must be the next governor of the Granite State. This morning’s Manchester Chamber of Commerce debate showed once again that Joyce is the only candidate with a positive vision for our state’s future. Joyce has the leadership experience necessary to lead – and her empathy, tenacity and tact will serve her will in the corner office.”

-State Senator Lou D’Allesandro (D-Manchester)