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Questions for the candidates
By Jeff Mucciarone jmucciarone@hippopress.com

Republicans have been stymied in their last three bids for the corner office by Gov. John Lynch. Some believe he may finally be vulnerable this time around. Four Republicans, Frank Emiro, Jack Kimball, John Stephen and Karen Testerman, are looking to garner the GOP nomination to take on Lynch, who is after a record fourth term. For this series, we are interviewing candidates who have raised, through donations and candidate loans, at least $10,000, according to the most recently available fundraising reports. The Hippo spoke with all four candidates last week, before campaign finance reports were filed with the state.

Jack Kimball
A successful businessman for 40 years in this state, Jack Kimball was the first Republican candidate to announce his candidacy for governor. Kimball was active in the tea party movement and he is a Pease Greeter. He also served in the Navy. Kimball built Great Bay Facility Maintenance Service into a million-dollar company, after having worked at BASF. Kimball lives in Dover with his wife and family. Visit new.jackforgov.com.

Q:As you’ve been out campaigning, interacting with voters, what are you hearing?
… The biggest issues that you hear from all voters are their fear right now … a lot of folks are laid off but there are a whole lot of folks who are very afraid that they’re going to lose their jobs. …They’re really, really upset with the level of property taxes. … And I’m upset because of the taxation levels on business. It’s the worst I’ve ever seen it. … People … are very upset, particularly those on fixed incomes … with property tax levels that have continued to rise in the last six to eight years at an incredibly steep level. And I think a lot of that is because we’ve seen … the state is now reducing their distributions to the cities and towns, and the only way they can make up that revenue is to increase property taxes. …The state may claim they’re cutting some … of the budget, they’re really shifting it. …I think the largest single issue, aside from the fiscal things … is the loss of liberty and freedom. They’re seeing that nationally. They really and truly realize the country is going through a fundamental shift that they don’t like. … They’re very frustrated. But they’re standing up. They’re coming out. …

How is the campaign going?
I can’t be any happier to be in the spot we’re in now. I’m not the establishment candidate. That would be John Stephen. But I am the … only businessman in this race … I’m an executive and I’ve been that all my life. The governorship is an executive position. It’s a really nice fit for me. … I know firsthand how to create the environment in which small businesses can flourish and I can assure you that this isn’t it. …

Why is now the right time for you to run?
This isn’t anything I thought would be on my radar screen. … I knew after checking the background of Barack Obama that we had ourselves a problem if he was elected. It’s far worse than we thought. That led to my taking a stand, I have a sign on Route 1 South Bypass right outside my business and I started putting things up on that sign in liberal Portsmouth. …After he was elected, the bailouts started. I put an item up on the sign that basically said, tongue in cheek I might add, “Let’s all just stop paying our mortgages.” That particular phrase got picked up by a Portsmouth Herald reporter. … Next thing I know, got picked up on the wire by Fox and Friends. … At 6 a.m. I started getting phone calls from neighbors … I went on live the next morning in the Boston studio… But I talked about personal responsibility … I mean you can complain all you want about predatory lending … but at the end of the day … we go in and apply for a mortgage, nobody’s twisting our arms … and … you either get the mortgage or you don’t. If you do … whose fault is it at the end of the day if you can’t make those payments? Well, it’s yours …. So I’m sick and tired … with what I’m seeing going on in the country, continuous bailouts, rewarding bad behavior…. Same thing with Obamacare. … It’s about control. It’s got nothing to do with health care…. It has everything to do with gaining more and more control over us…. We’re facing an $800 million structural deficit. We have a $7 billion unfunded pension liability to the state workers. We’ve got 90 to 95 new fees and taxes over the last three budgetary periods. And a 25-percent increase in spending over the last two budgetary periods. All of this, during the worst recession since the Great Depression. …

If ultimately elected, what would be your top priorities?
The first thing that we have to do is to instruct the attorney general to file suit against Obamacare. Thirty-five states have done so, sadly we’re not one, but we need to join in. … Secondly, though … we’re going to have to see a seat change in the control structure in the state. We now have three Democrats in the Executive Council, two Republicans. We’re going to have to switch that out. We’re going to have to switch out the [House] and the Senate. … I think a good governor has to be able to work with everybody, but he also has to be persuasive. … You’ve got to be able to … state your case, let them know what your agenda is and why you’re doing what you’re doing. … And also the tax cuts that I feel are so essential, the deep tax cuts for small businesses so we can get that engine going again…. If you can do that successfully, and I firmly believe I can, then you can start getting the legislation put through … to get this ball rolling. If you try to cram things down people’s throats even in your own party … it’s not going to happen. You’ve got to be fair and reasonable. Does that mean reaching across the aisle? … Not the way … people perceive it. What that means to me is … we’ve got to reduce the size and scope of state government — explain how you’re going to do it, let them know how you want to elicit additional tax cuts and get revenue generation from broadening the tax base, not increasing taxes. …Even if you’re Democrats, if you’re with me on this … if you’re fiscally conservative, the door is open, come on over … I believe in standing on principles. …

As you look at the primary field, how are you different?
… I’m … more comfortable differentiating myself from John [Stephen], only because I consider the two of us to be the front runners. …I didn’t know John before this. … Gotten to know him. John’s a good guy. He’s a conservative. But there are huge differences between us personally and the way we have decided to live our lives. … I have spent my entire life in the private sector. … People don’t realize if your business fails, you can lose everything…you can lose your house, you can lose everything because you put that up for collateral. … John’s worked for the state his entire life, except for one year and even then as a consultant, it was with state government. His entire life has really been in a bureaucratic environment, rather than in the private sector environment. … I want businesspeople. I want people who understand economics completely and understand what it takes to create a job and keep people employed… … The other thing is, I served my country. I think that’s very important. … John opted not to. I’ve never run for election before so I’ve never lost. [laughing] John’s been out there a couple times. … Lastly, as director of [Health and Human Services], you’ve got a staff and you’re running a…pretty hefty department, but still you get your paycheck every week regardless of what you do and how you perform. … Completely different ball game when you’re a CEO. … You’re dealing with budgeting…employee issues…management…clients and customers…putting together proposals…putting together A to Z. And you’re also dealing with the possibility of failure… …

What would you say to a voter on the fence?
I’d basically say … this is a new day in our country. … People are electing business folks and people who have never been involved with politics. They want fresh blood. … Do you want a warrior? Somebody like Chris Christie or Jan Brewer or Bobby Jindal? These are the people that I see leading the way. … State rights and state sovereignty is where it’s going to be at. … It’s the governors that are going to carry the sway. …

What do you consider your areas of expertise?
Well, I think first of all, I’ve always been a leader. We need to have leadership in the corner office. … And you need to have integrity … and leadership …. Having been an employer for so many years, it really grounds you. You really and truly learn to make do … and that is the way state government should work. …

John Stephen
John Stephen once worked for Gov. John Lynch as commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services. Now Stephen wants Lynch’s job. Stephen served under Gov. Judd Gregg as assistant attorney general and then moved on to become assistant commissioner of the Department of Safety. Stephen was commissioner of DHHS for four years beginning in 2003. He was also an advisor to the staff of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn regarding the recent health care reform bill. Stephen and his wife, Jenny, live in Manchester with their two daughters. Visit www.johnstephen.com.

Q:What are you hearing?
I’m encouraged by what I’m hearing out there in terms of individuals, employers all caring about the great New Hampshire values that I’m fighting for. …What I hear throughout the state is a concern about the direction that Gov. Lynch is taking this state… …That concern is that individuals, businesses, employers, families, the concern is for these New Hampshire values…so that we can retain and preserve those values of fiscal restraint, low taxes and limited government. …They see this election as critical to preserving those values. We’ve just witnessed four years under Gov. Lynch, 84 taxes and fees and a 24-percent increase in spending in the last two budgets. Those are not representative of the New Hampshire values and those values are not Republican values. They are New Hampshire values and that’s why I’m running. I believe we need to cut spending and balance the budget with honest tactics … no accounting gimmicks like Gov. Lynch has done …. No more extensive borrowing and bonding so … we just kick the can down for future generations. …Under Gov. Lynch’s tenure … we’ve seen the LLC income tax on 50,000 small business owners during the deepest recession of our time. What I’m hearing is we need to restore fiscal responsibility, we need to limit the size of government. We need to restore to the people … the values that have been bedrock principles and core values that the state … was founded on. … As commissioner [DHHS], I returned $143 million to the taxpayers in four years overseeing the largest department in the state. In the last couple years in the private sector, I’ve helped governors in other states save millions of dollars in their budgets. … Everywhere around this country, almost every governor, almost every state has been cutting spending, preparing for tough times. … According to the tax foundation, we have the highest business tax rate in the nation. We need to do everything we can to cut spending and create jobs. …

Why is now the right time for you to run?
I live in Manchester… I’ve been a resident my whole life. My mom and dad grew up in Manchester. I worked in the restaurant business. I have two young girls in Manchester schools. I want my daughters to enjoy and learn and continue to respect and feel those great New Hampshire values… Also, the tax foundation, one in six people are leaving the state to work elsewhere …. We’re only ahead of Maryland. I feel strongly about this, that New Hampshire does not just become like any other state. I grew up here and I believe strongly in the core values that made it great.

Why are you the right man for the job?
I believe I have the experience in state government. I am the only candidate that has cut spending in this race. I’ve helped other governors cut spending, I know all about how to make government more efficient. … If you can cut spending, then you can deliver tax cuts to businesses that can then hire the working men and women of this state. We have over-regulation and we have a climate that is not conducive to job creation. If we can turn that around, we’re going to see our economy thrive here….

What would you say to a voter on the fence?
I respect their opinions. I believe strongly that I have the experience to lead. This election is about getting the job done and delivering the tax cuts, delivering the spending cuts to balance our budget. We’re going to have a $500 to $800 million deficit for the next biennium because of the borrowing. And we had a 24-percent increase in spending …. I know how to cut spending. I know where to look and how to bring efficiency. … What family has seen their budget grow by 24 percent in the last four years? … We need to bring jobs and grow the economy and do the right things. We need a leader. We have not seen leadership. I have the leadership to get the job done…

What would you say are your top priorities?
Not to take the eye off the ball of spending. To make sure we balance the budget, immediately. … So we can be ready to face the deficit. … In order to balance the budget, we need true accounting, not gimmicks. Second, once we’re able to balance the budget, once we’re able to bring the fiscal discipline that we need … we need to cut business taxes…. Many are small starting out trying to make a living. Third is the issue of leadership. Simply to be able to say one thing and live up to your promises and act decisively if need be. … Not to say one thing and do something else. Not sit back and wait for things to percolate and then it’s too late and then increase spending by 24 percent…. The close to 50,000 unemployed people in the state want government to get out of the way and allow the private sector to create jobs and unleash that entrepreneurial spirit that’s so representative of New Hampshire. …

[Stephen has a 10-point plant he’d look to implement if he were ultimately elected.]
… We should have a tax holiday and the governor could be the salesman in chief. Residents could go out to dinner, enjoy a nice meal, enjoy a nice night out and not have to pay the rooms and meals tax. Everywhere I go … people, the restaurant association, say the tax holiday would … far outweigh their losses from the rooms and meals tax. … [Stephen said he’d like to implement a line-item veto authority for the governor and would like to implement a three-fifths supermajority for raising taxes.] That would fundamentally change the nature of this excessive spending binge that we have seen. …

Looking at the primary field, how are you differentiating yourself?
Experience. …I’m the only candidate to actually cut state spending. I’m the only candidate to help other governors cut state spending. I believe the experience I have working with three state departments, assistant attorney general, Department of Safety and head of the state’s largest agency, gives me the experience to lead from day one.

Karen Testerman
Longtime family values and rights advocate Karen Testerman is vying for the governor’s office. The Franklin resident and her family moved to New Hampshire in 1993. Testerman founded Cornerstone Policy Research, which is a family policy organization, and served as its executive director. Testerman was part of a group of activists who successfully fought the introduction of Goals 2000, a list of national education goals some feared would have translated to a federal education takeover. Testerman was also the host of a weekly radio show, New Hampshire Policy and People. Visit www.karentesterman.net.

Q:How is the campaign going?
It’s going very well. I’m meeting lots and lots of people.They’re very candid about their concerns. I’m finding people are very interested in who you are, what you stand for and what experience you have. They’re not looking for empty promises. …

Why are you running now?
Well, I’ve been working in the state of New Hampshire for the past 17 years. It’s not the same state that I moved to when we came to New Hampshire. Because of the live free or die spirit … the low tax atmosphere, quality education, it was a good situation. Not only that, but the environment as well. We’re … seeing more and more government takeovers. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense. When the government is spending more and more of our dollars and taking away more of our freedoms … bringing into our households more and more debt…. There’s got to be common sense added to this. That’s why I’m in the race.

Republicans have had trouble fielding a truly competitive candidate to run against John Lynch. Why is this year different?
I think because we have seen the extent to which this particular party has been taking the state away from the live free or die spirit…. The situation is one where there has been no leadership in the corner office. To turn around and have the legislature passing more and more spending bills — the veto pen has not been used. It just doesn’t make any sense. We’re watching this state, which has always been known for its frugalness and its common sense policy, we’re watching it become a spendthrift state. It’s going along the same lines as many other states. It’s interesting, this overreaching in spending. But yet, this particular year, when many other states are cutting back, this governor has continued to expand expenditures. So I think this is the year where people say enough is enough. They’re tired of being the government’s ATM. We want to take it back.

Looking at the other candidates, how are you different?
I’ve got experience working with grassroots, working with various elements of the political scene. I worked with the group in the beginning who addresses the overreaching of the federal government…. Goals 2000… I’ve worked with the Coalition of New Hampshire Taxpayers … I also founded and ran a non-profit organization, which gives me some business experience. But also looking at public policy, analyzing the bills that go through Concord, encouraging people to be involved. I understand the workings of government, but not from within but from the [outside], along with the grassroots….

What are your top priorities if elected?
My first priority would be to establish a budget we can work with. We have to go back to the last balanced budget … you probably have to go back to 2004. … I’d be working with the legislature to make sure we repeal and roll back many of the taxes and regulations that have been imposed on small businesses in this state. Right now, we are decimating our business-friendly climate. … The third thing is submitting a zero-based budget to the legislature for consideration, looking at primarily every agency and department in the state to see if it’s constitutional, if it’s being efficiently and effectively run and if it’s providing value to the lives of the people of New Hampshire.

[Testerman touched on expanded gambling in the state.]
I get questions frequently about gambling and my position on gambling. It’s not a silver bullet to address our spending problem. We need to get our spending under control. When you look to a silver bullet … they always bring unintended consequences. Many of those unintended consequences cost more in the long run. If you’re talking about casinos, video slots, what happens is you also have to have another layer of government to address the oversight of the gambling establishment. That’s the complete opposite of what you’re trying to do. You reduce spending by reducing the size of government. …

What would you say to a voter on the fence?
It would depend on what their concerns are. I find voters are either very upset because of the jobs situation. Basically, we have to get off the backs of the businesses, get the regulatory stuff out of there. The other one they’re very, very upset about it, they’re concerned because our current governor took a stand on various issues, whether social or economic, and did not follow through on his word. They’re looking for someone with integrity, that a governor says what they’re going to do and then does it. It’s a matter of … looking at my record over the years. I have followed through on my word when I said I was going to do something.

What do you see as your strengths as a candidate?
I’m 100 percent Republican. I look at the party platform as being fundamental to the spirit that made New Hampshire an economic, social and just a great place to live. And I also look at the whole picture. I’m bringing a comprehensive plan to addressing the problems, not just putting band-aids on problems. Also looking at the core problems themselves, the expansion of government, the makeup of the family and the strength of the family, because that’s part of the Republican platform. I look at the family as a fundamental institution that needs to be strengthened and that it is the building block of society. It’s not only the economy, but also the social end of it.

What’s the message you’re hearing from voters?
They’re concerned about the fact that the business climate is so unfriendly. We’re seeing businesses close. We’re seeing them going into survival mode. We’re hearing more and more, people are going out of state if they’re starting up. … In essence a dual residency — they’re staying in New Hampshire but they’re going to another state to open their business. They’re filing their paperwork there. I’m also hearing, the concern is not so much about education funding, but the education content. People aren’t happy, whether you’re a businessman or family, they’re not happy with what the children are taught in schools. The businessman is spending some of his revenue remediating potential workers … because they’re not able to function completely … because they’re testing people and they’re not literate. The families are concerned because they’re getting values education, but … reading, writing, basic math, these are things children aren’t getting. — —Interviews by Jeff Mucciarone
Interviews by Jeff Mucciarone