Governor Craig Benson and his Democratic challenger John Lynch clashed over homeland security, ethics, and the environment last night.
Their debate in Berlin had a heated and increasingly personal tone.
NHPR correspondent Trish Anderton reports.
The candidates didn’t wait long to go on the offensive.
Benson took a mild jab at Lynch during his opening remarks.
But it was Lynch who set the tone with a series of blistering attacks.
He jumped on a question about conservation to criticize the Governor’s environmental record.
LYNCH you can’t have a gov talking about the environment who twice got caught bulldozing wetlands in front of his own property. the second time he got caught he said he had permission from the Attorney General. not only didn’t he have permission, but that’s not even who you get
permission from!
Benson didn’t respond to the wetlands issue.
But he pledged to make funding the state’s conservation program, LCHIP, a priority.
LCHIP has suffered deep cuts during Benson’s tenure.
The governor also defended his performance on the environment.
BENSON: We’re the only state to sue over MTBE. I’m proud to stand up to big oil. We’re one of 18 states suing the federal government over clean
air. I have a darn good environmental record.
On the next question, which was about state-sponsored gambling, Lynch circled back to an earlier topic: homeland security.
LYNCH: 008 100 one of his first appts was to appt his personal assistant with no qualifications to be head of homeland security. it was a slap in the face to all of us, to police chiefs, troopers, first responders who care aobut homeland security.
Benson argued Lynch was exaggerating the importance of that appointment.
BENSON: the job of homeland security is this: find the governor and tell him when something’s wrong. this is not a complicated job. it’s finding
me on the phone. and finding me and making sure I’m aware of the situation. the Office of Emergency Management deals with all the details
of homeland security and knowing what to do in this situation and that. finding me is not something you need a phd from Harvard to do.
Asked about the state’s higher education budget , Benson painted his opponent as a free spender.
He said Lynch had allowed the university system’s budget to rise 6-point-8 percent last year.
BENSON: you can’t keep increasing costs beyond people’s abilty to pay. what do we need to do to change that. we need to learn to live within
our means at the college level, the state level and the community level.
Lynch shot back that the governor was an absentee manager of the university system.
LYNCH: there’s always somebody who doesn’t attend the meetings who’s quick to criticize those decisions. craig benson is on the board of the
university system. in two years he hasn’t attended a meeting.
On the issues, the candidates painted some clear distinctions.
Lynch vowed to repeal SB110, the controversial health insurance reform Benson signed last year.
The governor argued that would discourage competition and cause even larger increases in premiums.
Benson firmly rejected the possibility of expanded gambling in the state.
Lynch said he opposed an increase in gambling, but he didn’t completely rule it out.
But mostly, the two men clashed over their records.
Based on the applause for both candidates, many people in the audience seemed to have chosen sides already.
Sarah Markley is a Republican.
She moved to Lancaster from North Carolina last year.
MARKLEY: I thought they both were strong but I’m leaning toward benson because I felt he had command of the facts.
Union member Bobby Roderick lives in Berlin.
He’s been a Lynch fan for some time.
RODERICK: I thought mr lynch was very candid, very honest and
straightforward, I was very comfortable in the way he presented himself.
this is the first time I got to see and meet him and I was very impressed.
The Berlin meeting was the second of four debates between the two men.
But most people around the state will have only one chance to watch.
Monday at 7 pm Lynch and Benson face off in a debate broadcast live on
WMUR-TV (and New Hampshire Public Radio?).
For NHPR news I’m
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