North Haverhill
The three-member commission — which oversees operations at facilities such as the county’s nursing home, jail and working farm — has been all-Democrat since the 2013 death of Republican Ray Burton.
However, incumbents Mike Cryans and Martha Richards are not seeking re-election this fall, potentially opening the door for the GOP to regain a seat, or even a majority.
Republicans will not contest the seat in District 1, which includes Enfield, Lebanon and Hanover. Democratic primary voters will decide between two experienced officeholders — state Rep. Wendy Piper, of Enfield, and former Lebanon mayor Ralph Akins — to succeed Cryans.
After two terms in Concord, Piper said, she’s ready to make the move to county government.
“I have really enjoyed being a state representative, but I find myself more interested in the problem-solving, pragmatic aspect of the commissioner position,” said Piper, who lectures on writing and lives in Enfield.
She said the commission is the place where officials can come together in a nonpartisan way to serve some of the county’s most vulnerable residents.
The statehouse, she said, is much more partisan and policy-oriented.
“I really want to get things done,” Piper said.
Piper said she would carefully manage the county budget, seek to fill positions with quality workers and maintain services while also making hard financial decisions.
Last month, the county delegation passed nearly $41 million budget for the 2017 fiscal year, an increase of almost $600,000 from last year’s budget. The amount to be raised by taxes also increased by about $1.6 million, partly because a recent nursing home renovation project drew down the county’s reserve funds.
Akins, 68, said his past experience in municipal government and managing a construction business provides him with the skills needed on the commission.
“I feel that (being mayor) is very near the job of county commissioner,” he said, adding the responsibility of budgeting and overseeing large staffs come with both positions.
Cryans, who is running for a seat on the state Executive Council, also inspired Akins, who characterized Cryans as caring deeply for area communities, a trait he said he shared.
Akins, who previously served as a state representative, said he plans to advocate for more nursing home beds, which he said are needed and would generate additional revenue for the county.
The county also should look to improve transportation options for residents, he said.
Democrat Linda Lauer, 68, is seeking re-election in District 2, which encompasses northern Grafton County, including the towns of Haverhill, Orford and Piermont.
A Navy veteran and aerospace researcher, Lauer said she felt compelled to stay on for another term when she learned Cryans and Richards would not be running again.
“The County Commission has a big learning curve and I think about the impact of three new commissions on the operation of the county,” said Lauer, a Bath resident.
She said she wants to continue work to expand alternative sentencing programs in the criminal justice system. The county’s drug court, the second in the state, also needs to have its operations reviewed and updated, Lauer said.
Republicans Randy Subjeck and Stephen Whitney will face off in a September primary to challenge Lauer in November.
Whitney, a former corrections officer, worked in the Grafton County Jail for 26 years.
A third generation county employee, he served on an employee council that negotiated benefits and salaries with the commissioners.
He said that experience, along with his work educating students on the jail, prepared him to join the commission.
As a fellow Bath resident, he doesn’t want to run a negative campaign against Lauer, and called her “sincere” and “honest.”
“I don’t think you can go (to the commission) and say that you’re going to run on a Republican line or a Democratic line. I think it’s independent,” said Whitney, 62.
He too would like to support alternative sentencing programs and experiment with different crops and nominatives at the farm. Whitney also wants to see the nursing home continue providing a quality level of services.
“I would like to see people get the aid they need and they deserve,” Whitney said, adding those needs have to be balanced with what residents can pay in taxes.
Subjeck declined a phone interview, but said in an email that he intends to run on his opposition to county budget increases. The Piermont Selectboard member said tax increases should never exceed the cost of living increases for Social Security or military pensions.
Subjeck, 58, who works as a communications contractor, said the county should accept federal prisoners to fill empty jail beds as a way to generate revenue.
“We cannot continue to tax our seniors out of their homes no matter what political party you claim,” he wrote.
Two Plymouth residents are competing for Richards’ District 3 seat, which in includes the towns of Canaan, Grafton, Orange and Dorchester.
Republican Omer Ahern Jr. said the potential for turnover of all three commission seats prompted him to run. As a former commissioner, he hopes to share that experience with colleagues.
“I’m offering myself up to be a servant (to the county),” said Ahern, 61, an attorney and Christmas tree farmer.
If elected, he aims to reduce limit increases to the county budget and tax rate.
“I believe there are some revenue resources that would not include tapping the taxpayers directly,” he said.
Those include increasing inmate labor at the county farm, which produces milk and vegetables for the nursing home and prison.
He also wants to eliminate what he sees as inefficiencies. For instance, Ahern said, there’s no need to send more than two employees to conferences and training sessions.
“We’ve got some good employees,” Ahern. “It’s incumbent on us to be their managers.”
He also hopes to tackle homelessness, partnering with nonprofit organizations and utilizing unused buildings.
Democrat Bill Bolton is also running for the seat. A retired state employee and Plymouth Selectboard member, Bolton, 63, once oversaw development and roll out of municipal reporting software in the Granite State.
He said Richards recruited him to run for the seat.
“I like politics. I also like Democrats and like Commissioner Richards,” he said. “I want to continue the work she has done.”
Bolton plans to focus on the state’s opioid epidemic on the commission, advocating for the drug court, alternative sentencing and addiction prevention programs.
He said building partnerships with area colleges will also be important in the coming years to train workers and encourage entrepreneurship in the region.
On the budget, Bolton said he would like to roll back the pending tax increase, citing increased nursing home beds and a new agreement with the federal Department of Veterans Affairs as ways to increase revenue.
New Hampshire’s primary election is scheduled for Sept. 13. The general election will follow on Nov. 8.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.