presented by the u new hampshire union. >> it would not be a good primary if it wasn't close. >> the contrasts are clear. >> it will help everyone. >> the issue is doing it the new hampshire way. >> there is a big test that he has failed. >> he doesn't want to talk about the issues.

state moving forward. >> the candidates for governor. [applause] moderator: good evening and welcome to our debate serious. -- series. we will be discussing the top issues facing the state. colin van o stern the questions will come from the moderator. rebuttals will be at the moderators discretion. each candidate will have time for a closing statement. we have dave solomon. adam sexton.

the state of new hampshire. 44% of adults in new hampshire see drug abuse, and addiction as the number one issue. twice those who cited jobs as the type issue. deaths are predicted to rise. we are talking when hundred 14 people killed in car accidents. and work done on this. what do you see is the most successful program implemented so far? mr. ostern: if the most urgent crisis facing our state. the way we will overcome the crisis is attacking the problem, not the people with the problem. one of the things that is

republican program. it was the result of bipartisan compromise. 7000 people have gotten recovery resources and addiction treatment through the bipartisan expansion. it is something we have differed on. the last time we were here on this stage in this rent it was for a forum with the new hampshire police association. their way out of the problem. they will be endorsing me tomorrow in this race. >> what do you see is the most effective measure taken? mr. sununu: when you have 1000 people who have lost their lives, we are on track for another record-breaking year.

proportions without a doubt. we have to be aggressive. we need aggressive prevention programs. i have a fifth and a sixth grader. that program is underfunded and hasn't had resources to talk about heroin and opioids. i've had that conversation with my wife. knowing my kids will be offered drugs in the next few years. before the drug dealers do. we need to make sure officers no elected officials have their backs every time. we need to move forward and make sure the drug dealers, they are not drug dealers, they are dealing death at this point. we have to be tough on them and start executing the penalties

sure they are not out there. >> the state allocated $3 million to the governor's commission on alcohol and drug abuse but some complained only one million of those had been spent. everyone is clamoring for resources. what was the holdup? what would you do to get money what would you do to get money out more quick problems with money out of concord. with a variety of different programs we have, the drug abuse crisis we are facing is a good example where we were offered a $12 million grant to fight this. that is important. folks at how we going to spend that money?

issues come into play. that we are managing this issue. it requires real management. >> why was the stay unable to spin this? >> politics does get in the way. even the successful management -- successful expansion of medicaid took a well to get done. i do know we are certain to make p center in franklin which is coming online sin. there is no question we are picking up momentum bureau the hill is steep. i'm committed to addressing this problem. i have been inspired by individuals and recovery spending their time helping others. we need to do more prevention

down on how our state is involved in drugs in the first place. moderator: this is going to van ostern. >> it is widely accepted job josh chopper directive services are in crisis. we have had two young girls die while cases were under review. being sued because children under their watch were sexually abused. an independent agency says we cannot hire enough social workers. the cases are piling up. what can you do as governor to ensure greater protection for our children? mr. van ostern: what we have

reference is one we hired to come up with solutions. i spent a couple hours visiting. with no television cameras. i heard about individual can handle. they can't be expected to be law enforcement as well. what we need is going to be an immediacy of additional staffing. if we can't fill those roles we may need to look at the appropriate pay scale. it is great we have low unemployment but we need to do more to strengthen our workforce.

with the crisis is real. there is no doubt that dcyf needs to be fully funded. we need staff. not just sitting in the offices, engage in one-on-one to find out the pushes and pulls. when you see many of the dcyf workers with caseloads 150, we are setting ourselves up for a recipe of disaster. they provide quality program for kids to get them on a better path. we have a lot of the great programs. it needs to be fully staffed. my plan looks at incentives. we will help pay down your high

incentivize the workforce. moderator: to both of you, talking about the staffing shortage, you identified why it is such a problem? mr. sununu: making sure their needs areei if we grow the right way we don't just try to tax our way out of the program -- problem, we can get people the things they need. moderator: in addition, if it is a matter of money, why haven't they asked for it? mr. van ostern: i'm focused on

appropriate pay scale. we need to do more to keep young people and young families in startups here. the workforce shortages you not -- is not unique. we are rapidly aging. the second oldest in the country. they leave faster than any state except new jersey. there is more we can >> green energy, you have voting records speaking to renewable projects. moderator: you have voted against numerous f renewable programs. >> i was an environmental engineer. i spent my career cleaning up

the vast majority of the objects that have come before the executive council i have approved. these can be good projects. we need a diverse portfolio. many projects i have said no to. i see the value in using judgment, discernment, and knowing what projects that our needs. manchester wanted to spend of our money. i said no to that project to reinvest it in projects that have a better return for us. we can see a better environmental benefits. moderator: recently the person in charge of new england power grid warned there may not be enough power to meet energy needs in the winter time and we

noble energy. what would you do to keep the lights on? mr. van ostern: additional investments in solar more portent. it has three goals. you lower electricity cost bringing more power onto the grid. you also create good local jobs in a way that protects our environment which is critical our tourism industry. that is what i have been a strong advocate. he has voted against every single solar energy project in front of us. the truth is when you see the world through the eyes of the fossil fuel industry you see

opportunity to lower electricity cost bringing more supply onto the grid. >> the question was on backup plans. what do you think a good backup plan should be? >> 10 years ago, stonyfield have the biggest solar array in the state. today it is 20 times that in done. right now today there are multiple projects being plan that are 50 times as big. >> let's be clear. the manchester, zero.

we need to make sure we are using judgment and discernment to make sure we are helping individuals and families and reducing energy costs. moderator: let's keep it with the project of energy. >> you said the state needs to look at burying transmission lines. would you be mr. sununu: weed to bury more of the lines to protect our tourism industry. there were seven of us who ran for governor. six had some hesitation on how to approve the northern pass project.

i think that is unfortunate. it just doesn't exist when it comes to something being funded by multibillion-dollar corporations. i think people of good faith can have honest disagreements. there are some who thought that we should move forward. others said even if they bury the whole thing we should not do he stand up for the people. chris said he opposed them because they penalized the light electric utility companies. moderator: you obviously support northern pass. he said it is a mistake to bury the entire line. are you concerned about the natural beauty of the state by not clearing the line?

too-three times as tall as the towers. most of the line goes through an axis thing power cord. colin says he is for renewable. one of the largest run noble energy projects in the northeast. we get to bring that line the net zero construction cost and save $80 million they are on fixed incomes they don't have financial flexibility. the project has to be done the new hampshire way. there are some tweaks to this design. if you want to add $4 million of cost, it is canceling the project.

just to make snow. these are great manufacturing companies. they are leaving because we happen had leadership stand up and make real progress. we have to have leadership that moves the ball forward. nothing has happened. your bills have gone up and up and out. we need leadership. >> candidates, a lot of the let's talk about public trust. with respect to northern pass, obviously as individuals they can donate to whoever they want to. how do you make the case that this project is not already bought and paid for? mr. sununu: there is no active contract sitting before the executive council.

we are moving forward on. i am a supporter of northern pass. i know it is going to drop rates. they are not sustainable. they are really not. we are getting to be an older state. more folks are on fixed incomes. the need to provide ways to get financial flexibility to stay in their homes. do to help individuals. policy is more than just words on a piece of paper. it is how it affects families and individuals. we need a governor who is a stakeholder to make sure whatever we do is for the best people. >> your campaign has received thousands of dollars from

trust part of this thing. how can you convince voters dollars in donations don't influence where you stand? >> butter should based on the votes that we make them positions we take. i am always when the stand up for the people of new hampshire. for the people of new hampshire. the problem is not just the chris's campaign, the problem is when he votes over and over and over again, it's against solar energy. it's partly because it brings down electricity costs and

folks now who are supporting dozens of jobs building projects like that one. that is how we take the next step forward. was he just asked about $40,000 from governor hitchcock and he ignored the question. we need better management. ee part of the governor. the red flags are all over the place. he knows the red flags are there. he knows the lack of action. that is why he would answering the question. mr. van ostern: it was how he can judge the decisions. i give examples of where we have cast different decisions on a vote and allowed voters to choose whether or not that is in

of new hampshire. it was just a month ago chris supported the same contract. we have a serious crisis in mental health care. there are 34 professionals. there was a 10 bed psychiatric unit we could not open because we didn't have enough staff. that is why both of the supported this. i position on it. mr. sununu: he is right. we have a mental health crisis. the red flags came up. the governor made it clear they were not going to rebid it. we moved on the contract. days later senior people are waiting on us. the red flags are there.

accountability that management is about taking real action. he has done absolutely nothing. we need to stand up. the major difference is i answered the question head-on. moderator: we touched on mental health issues. invite both of you to provide a direct answer to. first, will you include in your first capital budget the funds needed to build a secure unit at the state psychiatric hospital so we don't have to keep sending violent but noncriminal mental health patients to the state prison? mr. sununu: absolutely. we need to provide proper

the prison system itself are getting their needs met. when you look at our prison system we have a lot of issues. his severe mental health crisis to be sure. we also have staffing needs within the prison system. we force mandatory overtime because he can't fill those positions. morale is low. turnover is high global look at the system, mental health, psychiatric records, the local prisons as well, we have to have a governor that looks at this package and understands where the needs are and prioritizes.

mr. van ostern: i would support capital dollars by doping that will do it alone. we had, we build a psychiatric unit and it set they can because we did have the workforce to staff it. this isn't just about a capital expenditure. we need to make sure we have the workforce for treatment. it includes funding for behavioral and menhe 50,000 citizens have coverage without raising state taxes. that's the policy we need. that we have the resources to provide that treatment.

folks they will sit empty. mr. sununu: pollen keeps going back to medicaid expansion. we should look at the word -- we should look at going forward. he wants to make it permanent. anytime you make a large government program permanent you lose control in terms of cost and programming. our needs are very different. in their. -- in there. we need a system that meets our needs. not the interests of washington dc. mr. van ostern: i'm glad to hear he wants to go forward with it. we have set together on the executive council. when we call the legislature in

private health insurance through medicaid expansion, the oppose that and then the contract. he said he did everything in his power to prevent it from coming forward. he still has it listed on his website. worse. i want to read it. colin is a rubber stamp. he doesn't care about reading the contract. collin as usual went right along with it. moderator: a couple of different issues and a lightning round. a heavy topic, an important one.

expanding or leaving the death penalty as it is. mr. sununu: i am for the death penalty. the law is the right law. mr. van ostern: as a matter of fate and conscious we should use life without parole. i would do nothing to change that retroactively. as governor i would not commute that sentence. moderator: in schools have been the news a lot lately. should a transgender student be allowed to use the bathroom they must identify with? mr. sununu: i don't think we should have bathroom police in new hampshire. we have led the nation when it comes to treating every citizen with dignity and equality and that is what we should continue to do. mr. van ostern: it's a local issue. if the local communities want to make that decision i support that.

governor's office? mr. sununu: i have no interest in running for any other office again. i will not run for congress, i will not run for senate. i have a family and a business. that is why i'm running for governor. want to bring back the new hampshire way. that is our only hope is. mr. van ostern: for a national office. i'm running for a term of 730 days. i will wake up every day focused on helping the people of new hampshire. moderator: do you believe the state should have an inspector general's office? >> the executive council does a good job. i don't know another layer of bureaucracy will achieve that. >> we have a good checks and

accountable and true and they do their job. moderator: expanding gambling. if a bill arrived legalizing sports betting would you sign it? >> i haven't really thought of that beyond the traditional casinos. casinos want to come in, we make sureis -- big fan of getting out of people's way. >> i have not looked at it closely either. my concerns about casino gambling are not moral ones. i played poker with friends. i had concerns the economics don't work for new hampshire. they are building big resorts. i don't know that the dollars

>> we are going to segue to taxes. you are both against broad new taxes in the state. new hampshire has done well without them. it has put a burden on the property owners of the state. revenue to provide property tax relief? if not new revenue how do you propose to bring about property tax relief? >> the best way is to grow business organically. when you lower business taxes

you lower health care costs. these are the thing business owners have to look at every day to make the best decisions. we have not attracted a new business here in years. that is because we have not had real business leaders of understanding how to drive dizziness. my goal is to -- how to drive business. i have over 800 employees. we can create a lot more money and revenue for our programs. we have put a downshifting of cost onto local cities and towns. maybe we are not going back to the 35% of municipal costs but

day public brca k. half of our communities need it. that is an important thing to do for our kids, for local property tax relief and for parents who want to work. bringing down college costs, getting passenger rail from boston, investing in clean and are noble energy, and stopping government regulation, those are the things that will bring and keep more young people and grow

adam sexton. quite some people are probably old enough to remember when there was a real connection to boston. you said reviving that line would be a top priority of your administration. what would you do if they invest the line and then the federal government pulls the rug out and takes the subsidies that make independent study shows it will create 5600 new jobs. it will help develop 2 million square feet of commercial real estate and cost 3-4,000,000 dollars a year. federal support is for capital cost. operating costs will be ticket

investment we made increasing the r&d tax credit. help new hampshire businesses throw. there are great businesses that depend on a successful airport. even if you never step foot on a train, less traffic on i-93 is going to be good for all of us. >> are you coming they would not need to subsidize at all? operating costs, that is right. >> 3-4,000,000. >> that is the cost estimate. that doesn't include revenue. the net operating cost is about a million dollars a year. >> is that appropriate?

million new jobs are critical. donhis job was to grow from 10-15 employees with the contingency of finding software engineers for moving into boston. the fact that investors are saying you might need to move to boston should be an alarm bell. we need to make investmts shortsighted given the environmental concerns? >> leadership is about priorities. 2000 miles of poorly paved worlds -- roads. to spend $350 million on a

bridge. the idea is one to drive jobs is a myth. when we take it down into boston the state of maine is paying 50% of that city. they pay $10 million a year for that train. it was going to drive jobs into new hampshire and maine. there is to work. it is an absolute mess. ways to look forward, let's look down the line. let's be smart. right now we have real needs in our state. i want to make sure the people of the state are driving on safe

mr. van ostern: i would like to burst onto that. the trained fanatics are business leaders who want to see their businesses grow. those are important investments we need to make. it's important we invest in improving around the manchester airport. seen great companies have plans to locate jobs there. dover question mark >> dover is the fastest-growing city. >> from the train? >> i would love to take more time to talk about the promise of commuter rail. the seacoast is one of the fastest-growing places in our state.

we are talking about a commuter rail line and extending it 33 miles. if you can't make an investment like that -- >> new hampshire is number one in a lot of categories including one we would not to be. >> new hampshire is number one in two categories. 76% of new hampshire grads left sc w the nation. average student debt was more than $36,000. 8% more than the year before. how can new hampshire attract people with those numbers and keep them? mr. van ostern: we have to lower those numbers. we cannot thrive if we have the highest number of in-state tuition. this is something i have worked on. i left a great job to help

called college for america. there were a dozen employees. no paying student. this past year by partnering with 100 employers we enrolled 4600 new students. 71% are the first in their mind to go to college. we need to focus on bringing cost down. accountability goals. partnering with the private sector. not everybody lives in a dorm. that brings down out-of-pocket a lot when you can connect them. >> my plan looks at real programs to reduce the debt

actual amount that we pay going into our university system. if you stay and work in one of our high demand places, these are areas where we can make real progress. just four years ago, 278, we pay down our college debt. is like to carry that amount of debt. i don't mind putting more into the university system. the first $5 million will reduce costs by $1000. unlike the governor we have, i will go to those meetings, i will be an active participant and help them manage costs. not coming down like a sledgehammer but getting a line

dollars? that is the experience we need. >> many communities have to pay for the full cost of renovation and unsafe schools. what will you do to help our communities provide assistance? >> a school building eight as mentioned earlier -- sometimes the state would pay 50 or 60% of the cost. i think we need to make sure we prioritize our education dollars on what will have the biggest impact.

state of new hampshire. that we do more to help our local school districts advance i. i think we need to invest in programs like running start and steam ahead to earn college credit. a state. >> is kind of an antiquated notion, do you agree? >> we have to restore funding. i have a fit and a six greater. when you go into a classroom with a negative atmosphere, that is not a viable education

small state but geographically diverse. what is happening is different than manchester. there are real needs out there in terms of school building aid making sure they have viable facilities. a very big proponent of charter schools and making sure any say in providing best quality education. charter schools are part of the public school system. we have to make sure they are fully funded. moderator: i think is important to get on record, common core, a hot issue. do you repeal it or keep it? mr. sununu: common core has to

another big washington program not designed with our interests. i have a fit and a six greater. my son came home telling me how he practiced for the test. there is nothing educational about practicing about a test. teachers are frustrated. they don't have the time for individualized education, to challenge kids that need to be challenged. it's not working. mr. van ostern: as i should be very aggressive about replacing high-stakes standardized testing with localized project-based learning. a handful of the school districts have done a pilot program. right now we have a cap holding back the number of school districts that can do that. we should look at lifting that and making sure curriculum are built at the local level.

support for rail. you have called for increasing school funding for full-day kindergarten. you want to make expanded medicaid permanent and increase funding. have you pay for that? >> it helps to have managed in the private sector looking for ways to cut inefficient spending. on postage. we don't have a requirement that checks for direct deposit. we have a paper-based contracting process that holds back small as mrs.. -- small businesses. i have used my job as an executive councilor to identify

the original project proposal was $4 million. i brought the head of the transportation department to hear from local voices. a local engineer said we use a different plan. look at that. he was right. that is the focus on reducing red tape that was needed. >> would you raise any taxes or fees if elected governor? seeing cigarette taxes be a dime aipac higher. -- a pack higher. that is daily when i have proposed. >> your impact analysis, does that create a conflict of interest between citizens health and well-being and business profits?

this day that bear down on businesses, we have to get the stakeholders at the table and figure out which ones work. it is very difficult to do business. i have to take this moment. about is the first 10 years where he was a paid political operative. management is about have business leadership experience. i lay awake at night stressing that we have the best quality health care. these are management decisions i have taken on year after year

need to be able to keep a night on out for people. that's a good way to judge both of their experiences. i cap deny on the bottom line. i have also left to help build a nonprofit where today thousands are getting a degree without debt. compare that to chris's background. his job has been for the sununu when his family bought a ski mountain to manage, he has not been able to keep an eye on the bottom line. he cut jobs. they lost half of their skiers. they have fallen off of the rankings. he held employees back and he imposes a state minimum wage. mr. sununu: if he is going to attack -- we're the only resort

when he was running campaigns i was cleaning up hazardous waste sites. i was developing a resort for families with disabilities. 10 years of a political operative is not the management we need. >> how would you have handled this year crisis in merrimack and other community when meeting -- community meeting. this is something he did not look at as a policy perspective. he lived and breathed it himself. i asked considering -- i think we always need to air on the

sure we are holding the companies responsible holy accountable and tracking the costs and making sure they don't see this as they cost of doing business. we saw in the mtbe settlement for hundreds of millions of dollars they had to pay because they had been polluting our groundwater, not just as a small slap on the wrist or a fine. public water sources to those people. ship they pay the water bills? >> my specialty was chlorinated solvents. i dealt with these projects over a decade. we have to have experience that knows exactly how to deal with it. those are responsible must be held accountable. we have issues in kingston and

every time we turn on the faucet , our kids are drinking that water. we assume that water is coming up clean and healthy. we have seen when leadership doesn't have the experience and know-how, what can happen can lead to serious issues with their children. we have to make sure those have real experience that is going to put accountable and address these issues and not overlook them. collects we are down to our final question. we are talking about experience. you both talk about your background in business. how have both helped qualify you? mr. van ostern: i support

saw the impact on people. i was raised by a single mom. i know what it is like to not have health insurance. while that can seem like a political concept, i know how it in back someone if we saw it go from three weeks to five weeks. or have the number of health practitioners go from 3-2. i have seen that in my work. stonyfield and southern new keep more young people and young families here. they strengthen our economy and find ways to cut red tape. it always comes to doing what is right for people. >> the question is about our business backgrounds. colin doesn't want to talk about it because he doesn't has a business background.

affect people's lives. it's not about words. it is about how it affects people's lives. my experience is well documented. colin will avoid his background because he is a paid politico operator. he attacks my family. philosophy of the coulter we want in the governor's office? is at the pinnacle of leadership that we need to set? for the rest of the people in this state? i say absolutely not. >> it is no secret chris comes my political family and he has been around politics his entire life.

i'm concerned about the results of that. we've seen jobs cut. he held employees back from getting health care coverage. >> we have created restaurants. >> there are mr. sununu: he said a single data point and painting a broad brush with it. moderator: closing statements. >> a closing statement. mr. van ostern: thank you for

our people, our communities, for the businesses that power our economy. i've listen to the voters. we need to bring my experience as an environmental engineer and as a business leader to provide the best solutions for the people of new hampshire. i'm very passionate about education. my wife is a special ed teacher. we need to make sure we restore local control so parts we have an out-of-control heroin crisis. i believe in strong prevention. we have to start removing the road backs -- roadblocks to recovery. the choice in this campaign is clear. we can keep going down the path of big washington programs. >> thank you for watching tonight.

i ask for your vote. i will always put people over politics. this race is not about chris and it is not about me. it is about a people of new hampshire. for me the issue is not planned parenthood funding. it's the young woman asking why three women took away funding. it's not about solar energy. if the young entrepreneur who graduated and ispi it's not about expanding the the cape it's about a young woman who is an addiction treatment because of that bipartisan plan. if you elect me i will stand up for the people every day. moderator: thank you for watching. we are back here tomorrow night. we have the granite state debate. debate. u.s. molly's not thinking about cancer today,

and make all the difference. so when chris sununu voted to cut funding for planned parenthood, cutting access to cancer screenings and birth control for thousands of women, it's politics for him. for molly, it's the rest of her life. the stakes are too high to make chris sununu governo. this advertisement has been paid for by put new hampshire first and has not been authorized by any candidate. narrator: two kinds of business experience. chris sununu's family handed him he ran it into the ground. chris sununu cut jobs, and cut workers' hours so he wouldn't have to provide health insurance. colin van ostern went to college on student loans, became a stonyfield business manager. then a top executive at college for america. colin van ostern: i'm colin van ostern. real success is helping others get ahead. a bright new hampshire future starts with looking out for people.

m me - just like i've learned a lot from her. mom helps with homework... she helped dad start his business... and she even fought to put bad guys in jail. now, mom helps make laws that help people - especially when they need it most. i'm really proud of her. and she's taught me that with hard work - i can do... anything. kelly: i'm kelly ayotte, kate: and i'm kate. kelly & kate: and we approved this message. what's kelly ayotte costing you? you're paying more for prescription medicines. generic drugs. you're paying high interest rates on college loans. ayotte voted against letting you refinance at lower rates. and you're paying higher bank fees while ayotte voted for special breaks to wall street executives. kelly ayotte. she's siding with corporate special interests and that's costing you.

[ crow caws ] ? [ whistling ] uh, brick, what's with the getup? oh, this? i've noticed high-school kids seem to be very into school pride. on the fringes of fun. but i've decided, if i want to graduate having lived the high-school experience, it will require total immersion. but you don't even like sports. correction -- used to not like sports. now all i care about is we beat the bentonville bears friday night. the bears are going down. i hate them based on their geographical location. good man. in addition to sports cheering, i will also decorate my locker