The race for a four-year term as Sullivan County Commissioner from District 1 will be a repeat of the 2024 contest, with Democrat Benjamin Nelson of Claremont again challenging incumbent Joe Osgood, a Claremont Republican, who has served six years as commissioner.
Nelson, 32, has owned Claremont Spice and Dry Goods on Tremont Street with his wife, Chiara Tosi-Nelson, since 2019. He was born and raised in Claremont and graduated from Stevens High School and Dartmouth College.
Nelson said he has made a home here yet talks to others who tell him they advise their children to leave the area. If elected, he wants to change that mindset as he sees many county municipalities “depopulating.” Nelson said he is troubled that so many “don’t see a future here, a capacity to live here, work here and build a life here.
“I want to see that as a reality. And that is, at the core, what I am fighting for,” Nelson said. “Rising property taxes plays a role in that. Affordable housing plays a role in that. I would really like to see the county be a partner in that. I want to get creative with the county to support public and private housing.”
Nelson said he doesn’t feel residents are getting results for the taxes they pay.
“County is part of the property taxes, and taxes have been going up, and I think it is valuable for elected officials to make sure they are delivering results for it,” Nelson said. “I would like to look closer at what we are getting.”
The end of the Transitional Reentry and Addiction In-Lieu-of-Sentencing (TRAILS) program at the Sullivan County Department of Corrections bothered Nelson.
“This was a program to help break recidivism, getting people working again and paying taxes,” Nelson said. “I think that is a good tool to have.”
The Republican majority of the delegation of state representatives, led by Dale Girard of Claremont, sprung a surprise vote on the commissioners at the annual convention in late June to cut the program from $750,000 to $250,000, which led to the loss of two senior staff members. The delegation’s Executive Finance Committee had earlier agreed to study the program before any decision was made.
Nelson said the state reps who voted for the cut just to “feel good” about taking out a chunk of the budget never allowed a proper discussion on the program.
“This program was a model to get people working again and become productive. We were a model, and to just throw it all away is bad governance,” Nelson said. “We didn’t make the problem [substance misuse] go away.”
Nelson also criticized the commissioners for paying the legal fees of the Beagle Club in its dispute with a local landowner in Unity over trail access.
“What are we doing with our money?” Nelson wondered. “This is ridiculous.”
Last summer, County Manager Derek Ferland defended the legal expense to protect the county’s legal right-of-way across Beagle Club property, safeguard the county’s property interest and restore safe public access to the regional trail network.
Nelson has been endorsed by the third commissioner, George Hebert, a Republican who is not up for re-election. A message left for Hebert asking about his endorsement was not returned.
Nelson promises to deliver results for Sullivan County and bring a new outlook to county government.
“We need a fresh perspective. We need to make this county work again,” he said.
Osgood, 73, is a former state representative, was the Cornish Police Chief for 15 years and is the retired owner of an automobile repair and sales business in Claremont. He has served six years as a commissioner and was born and raised in Claremont.
Osgood highlighted several things the commissioners have accomplished, proving they are delivering results to taxpayers.
Among Osgood’s priorities, if re-elected, are finishing the $75 million nursing home renovation and addition that will be officially celebrated next month and looking into how to proceed without TRAILS funding.
“The big thing is getting the nursing home to the end of the month when it will be basically done,” Osgood said in a phone interview.
The final funding piece of the project was approved by the county delegation of state reps in November 2022, and it came after COVID caused an escalation in prices for materials and some disagreement among state reps over the cost.
Osgood agrees with Nelson that cutting TRAILS was not a wise move by the delegation and there was no opportunity for the commissioners to argue their case.
“They did not even tell us they were going to do this,” Osgood said. “I did not agree with the decision. If you can prevent three out of five people from going back to jail, you are saving the county money. It made a big hole in our ability to treat inmates as well as TRAILS people. We had to find money in the budget for what TRAILS had supported at the jail.
“I want to investigate how we can fill that hole. That could involve the Sullivan House” recovery housing in Claremont, he said. “We might be able to generate more income there. It is a benefit to people getting out of jail “
Osgood also said the commissioners’ Unit Aide-to-LNA (Licensed Nursing Assistants) program continues to reduce the number of contract or traveling nurses, which are more expensive
“It helped us fill a big hole,” he said, adding that they are looking at a program for participants to become registered nurses.
Another goal for Osgood is to use the grant the county received to explore a daycare facility at the county complex in Unity for employees. “We are looking to see if the grant is large enough,” he said.
Lastly, Osgood dismissed criticism from his opponent that spending three months of the winter in Florida limits his ability to run the commissioners’ meetings as chairman effectively.
“For three months I run the meeting by Zoom, and I talk to Derek all week long,” Osgood said. “I am very accessible in Florida.”
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
