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ICYMI: Donna Soucy: Kelly Ayotte Picks Fights; Granite Staters Pay the Price
In Case You Missed It, Donna Soucy’s latest Union Leader column spotlights Kelly Ayotte’s failed leadership, which “absolutely gets an ‘F’.” New Hampshire families don't need a governor who is constantly looking for the next fight. They need a governor who is looking for the next solution.
Costly Kelly promised to “make New Hampshire affordable,” yet she’s “presided over record housing prices, rising electricity bills, and higher health care costs.” It’s clear Granite Staters can’t afford two more years of Kelly Ayotte.
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Union Leader: Donna Soucy: Kelly Ayotte Picks Fights; Granite Staters Pay the Price
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I’ve been through dozens of veto days. While each has its own nuances and inside baseball, this year’s stood out. Perhaps the simplest way to describe veto day this year is that Kelly Ayotte doesn’t work or play well with others. That’s a pretty serious problem for a governor who has a supermajority in Concord. Her allies in Concord are supposed to be the people she can work with to turn her priorities into law. It’s become increasingly clear that Ayotte has failed to build the relationships she needs with members of her own party to effectively lead.
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Not since Governor John Lynch was in office have we seen so many vetoes overridden. Of course, that was when Governor Lynch, a Democrat, had a legislature with Republican supermajorities!
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Ayotte joined failed one-term Governor Craig Benson by vetoing the 10-Year Transportation Plan. Her reckless veto jeopardized safe roads and bridges, left federal dollars on the table, and delayed needed construction projects. A unanimous vote in the Senate and a majority in the House overrode that veto, delivering a rebuke to a governor who can’t even get her own party to stand with her.
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This was just one of many instances where Republicans and Democrats joined together to override the senseless and out-of-touch vetoes of Ayotte.
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But at the end of the day, Granite Staters aren’t paying attention to how many vetoes survive an override vote. They’re paying attention to whether they can afford to live here. They’re paying attention to whether they can afford a home as they watch their electricity bill rise. Whether their property taxes are rising or if their family budget stretches as far as it did a year ago.
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On those questions, Ayotte’s record absolutely gets an ‘F.’ Housing costs have now hit a third record high in two years under Ayotte’s watch: $580,000. Electricity costs have risen since Ayotte took office. And families are paying exponentially more for health care after Ayotte barreled forward with colossal health care cuts that raised Medicaid premiums by upwards of $270 a month.
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The irony is that while Ayotte has been picking fights in Concord, she has been losing the fight that actually matters to Granite Staters. While Ayotte attempts to spin her failing record, the truth is simple: everything has gotten more expensive under Kelly Ayotte.
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A governor who came into office promising to make New Hampshire more affordable has instead presided over record housing prices, rising electricity bills and higher health care costs. And rather than focusing her attention on bringing people together to solve those problems, Ayotte has spent her time fighting with the Legislature, including members of her own party. New Hampshire families don’t need a governor who is constantly looking for the next fight. They need a governor who is looking for the next solution.
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As voters take stock of Ayotte’s record, the question is becoming increasingly clear: after nearly two years in office, are Granite Staters better off than they were before Kelly Ayotte became governor? The answer: Granite Staters can’t afford two more years of Kelly Ayotte.
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