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Sununu's Top Drug Policy Aide Under Review By Attorney General Over Personnel Issue

Via LinkedIn

A top advisor to Gov. Chris Sununu has been placed on paid administrative leave and is under review by the attorney general’s office for an unspecified personnel issue.

Marty Boldin — Sununu’s Policy Advisor for Substance Misuse Prevention, Treatment and Recovery — will remain on leave until the attorney general’s review is complete, the governor’s Chief of Staff Jayne Millerick said Friday afternoon.

Millerick said the attorney general’s office informed the governor’s office of a “potential personnel issue” involving Boldin on April 26.

“After assessing the information and following standard protocol for non-classified employees, our office immediately asked the Attorney General’s office to conduct a review,” Millerick said.

The governor’s office said they were unable to provide additional details at this time. The attorney general’s office said they could neither confirm nor deny whether they were investigating Boldin.

But numerous sources with direct knowledge of the attorney general’s review said investigators are focusing, in part, on allegations that Boldin has engaged in bullying and inappropriate behavior in his position as an advisor to Sununu.

Asked whether the governor or his staff had received complaints, formal or informal, about Boldin in the past, Millerick said she received one call from a representative from a nonprofit organization relaying a report that students involved in the Governor’s Youth Council were being asked to complete council-related tasks during school hours.

“I immediately spoke with Mr. Boldin about this inquiry and it is my understanding that efforts were made to ensure that Council work would not occur during school hours,” Millerick said.

Sununu hired Boldin in February 2017 to fill a newly created position within the governor’s office focused on addressing the state’s opioid crisis. He was hired at an annual salary of $95,000.

At the time, Sununu said Boldin would “help to bring a renewed emphasis on recovery programs in the state and ensure that available funds are reaching programs quickly and are yielding positive results.”

Millerick, who oversees hiring in her role as Sununu’s chief of staff, said Boldin “came highly recommended from members of the recovery community due to his extensive clinical experience in substance abuse treatment, prevention, intervention, and supervision.”

Before joining Sununu’s administration, Boldin served on the Governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Recovery, at one point chairing the commission’s Recovery Task Force. He has served on numerous boards within the recovery community, including Hope for New Hampshire Recovery and New Futures.

He worked for a decade as the Director of Youth Services for the City of Manchester.

Boldin has also spoken about his personal connections to his work on substance misuse issues and his experiences as a person in long-term recovery

According to Millerick, Boldin’s role in the governor’s office was wide-ranging, dealing with legislation, program implementation, public outreach with the recovery field, and more.

Boldin was also responsible for researching trends in addiction prevention, treatment and recovery and he worked with other top aides to steer the governor’s policy priorities in this area.

Boldin did not respond to a phone message and emails seeking comment.

Casey is a Senior News Editor for NHPR. You can contact her with questions or feedback at cmcdermott@nhpr.org.
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