When it comes to the high costs of attending the state's colleges and universities, Kelly said she would "freeze tuition and lower it as well." And she's proposed increasing the state loan repayment program to give students more flexibility in paying their bills.
Marchand laments that "we are one of 6 states that do not offer state funding for pre-K." Such state funding is one part of the plan on public school reforms that he's proposed.
And taking a shot at Kelly, he's argued that freezing in-state tuition is not enough, as he's called for "debt-free college for in-state students who attend post-secondary education."
"I am the only candidate certainly in this race, and I suspect in a generation, who believes the only way you're going to get campaign finance reform is through public funding of elections," Marchand's said. And he claimed that when he released his plan this spring, "Molly and her campaign, she criticized me harder than Chris Sununu."
Kelly's said she doesn't believe Granite Staters should pay for political campaigns and TV ads. But her campaign's said she would work as governor to end corporate contributions to political campaigns and strengthen campaign finance laws.
Marchand: We need to continue to provide the resources that continue to give a suite of services to those in the midst of recovery, beyond simply detoxification of the addictive substance. Until recently, I think a lot of people in the world of politics saw recovery as largely detoxification. The reality is that if we simply just detoxify people and then we put folks back in a situation where addiction became the norm, the likelihood of relapsing is really high. I priced it out last year in that it would be an additional $8 to 10 million a year of resources that would provide a level of stability for local and regional recovery centers. I think it's a relatively low amount of money, that would improve lives, reduce costs, and directly address what New Hampshirites say is the most important issue facing us.
Marchand: I do favor the legalization, regulation, and taxation of marijuana. I do feel it would have a net positive impact in terms of lowering costs for law enforcement and judicial entities. I also think that it will improve health outcomes and reduce addiction rates, and it will generate revenue.
A: The good news is that the solution is not a ton of money, necessarily. It is some legislative changes, it is more effective use of the state's database. Some of it, frankly, is cultural. It requires that we have to be more aggressive in fully funding drug courts, to really get us in a position where we're not trying to punish and incarcerate, we're trying to rehabilitate and get towards recovery. And the wait list is where the real problem is--we have 13 health zones in the state--in most of those we have a waiting list. We have people on a weekly basis dying, waiting on the waiting list. So I sat down with a bunch of people trying to start recovery centers around the state, and did budgets with them. I asked them to price it out. The price tag? Smaller than you'd think--typically about $300,000-$500,000 a year on average, per recovery center. This is an $8-10 million initiative that I've been looking at.
A: I favor the legalization of marijuana. First of all, I do not think it's a gateway drug to other drugs. Second, we have seen lots of studies that we actually reduce use in certain groups. You legalize it, you regulate it, you tax it. We can actually help public health by reducing its use under 21 and doing it responsibly for those that, frankly, already doing it over the age of 21.
Marchand: The pilot program between higher education and New Hampshire businesses I would pursue that would cost approximately $5 million a year in three programs: computer science, nursing, and education because those are three places where we don't have enough talent to match the demands. It would create a debt-free college experience for students that enter the program.to work with New Hampshire-based companies or entities. And if they did that, kept their nose clean, kept their grades up, and then worked for one of those New Hampshire-based employers for a period of years after graduation, they would have no debt. It would be half-paid by the private sector participants and half-paid by the targeted state grant for these programs.
A: First, you've got to have the credibility as a candidate and then as a governor to instill confidence that when you say something, that you need that math, that you need those dollars, and you prioritize it very high, that people will see it's the result of a process that they can trust. The number one thing businesses tell me is, if the school district around where they're thinking of putting a business or expanding a business, if it is seen as outstanding, they will win time after time the tiebreakers for the kind of talent, particularly from out of state, that we have to get if we're going to be where we want to go in the next twenty years.
Marchand: The gas tax is not desirable. But I believe when you can attach the revenue stream to the use of the revenue stream, that's a more transparent system. The business leaders I've talked to over the years also identified infrastructure as a priority. For now, the gas tax is one of the most direct tools in the toolbox. It is something I still have on the table because I think infrastructure is one of the biggest barriers we face to economic growth if we do not address and updated electric grid, ensured drinking water, improved Internet access particularly in rural areas, and improving our roads and bridges. Conservative business people tell me "why would I invest in New Hampshire, if New Hampshire doesn't invest in New Hampshire," and they meant these infrastructure issues.
Marchand: Our mission is to be the best state in America to start a family and to start a business. I think our two biggest challenges to thrive in the next few years is we need to get younger, and we need to get more entrepreneurial and nimble as an economy. I don't believe the policies that our current governor pursued would move us toward a younger and more entrepreneurial economy. I want to get us in the right direction.
A: You should have a permit, and I agree with Governor Hassan's decision. I think if you get a background check and you're seen as somebody that is not a threat to others in having a gun, I think that it's totally appropriate to have one. I support the Second Amendment, but I'm somebody that is not looking to make big changes on that but I would have supported Governor Hassan's veto of that recently.
Marchand: We have to be the most inclusive state that we can be as it relates to immigration. The states that are getting the youngest are seeing the largest influx of immigrants. Some of the rhetoric that has come from Republicans makes it more difficult for immigrants to see N.H. as a great place to come. That's a shame. If we're going to get younger and more entrepreneurial, [we should be] aggressively pursuing pro-immigration policies.
A: There are some other issues where we clearly disagree. I didn't ask my wife when we first started dating what her party affiliation was, and by the time I figured it out, I was smitten. It is easy to demonize other people that you don't know. So I'm really proud that even though I'm socially very progressive and fiscally I'm very responsible--and I'll pay for priorities; I'm not afraid to say that--I have a lot of folks who are Republicans that are like my wife, and are kind of freaked out by some of the things going on at the national level and don't know what happened to their party. I want them to know that we don't have to agree on all the issues, but they know they can work with somebody like me. I'll never compromise on my principles; I'll also not demonize people if they don't agree with me on everything.
Marchand: That is correct.
Q: Gov. Sununu prioritizes new businesses; do you?
Marchand: The policies Gov. Sununu has pursued to grow the economy, largely run 180 degrees from what the data tell us we should be doing if we actually want to create jobs and see economic growth. For example, Sununu and the Republican legislature want to cut the Business Profits Tax. Most new businesses lose money at the beginning. When we cut the Business Profits Tax, we downshift costs from the state level to the town level. If [instead] you focus on cutting the Business Enterprise Tax and local property taxes, you will be directly and positively impacting the segment of economy where 80% of net new job growth comes to fruition. The data tells me that focusing on the Business Enterprise Tax and on reducing local property taxes is the winning formula for tax reform that will lead to job creation and economic growth.
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The above quotations are from 2018 New Hampshire Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage.
Click here for other excerpts from 2018 New Hampshire Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage. Click here for other excerpts by Steve Marchand. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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