New Hampshire's Virtual Town Hall

Stephen wants to run for Governor but doesn't work in this state?

NH has an undeniable need to attract and retain a sustainable workforce. The state doesn't want to see its citizens travel out of state in pursuit of more lucrative careers.

I recently read an announcement in the Concord Monitor that John Stephen kicked off his campaign for Republican candidate for Governor. According to the article, Stephen, a Manchester resident works for a Boston-based government consulting firm, and said he would rely on his experience in state government to bring NH's finances under control, cut taxes and create new jobs.

This is the part I got stuck on- Stephen works for an MA gov't consulting firm and wants to run for NH Governor? Does that not seem right to anyone else? I know he has prior experience in NH but as a proud NH citizen, I am a little put off by this. I want a Governor who has a long and passionate love affair with this state, knows its varied people and regions and truly believes in branding NH as more than a tourist destination. I do not want my Governor to be someone who will go anywhere to take their career to the next level.

I applaud people who live, work and play in the State of NH. I encourage people to make a difference in their local communities and governments. In my opinion, Stephen already has one strike against him.

Tags: John Stephen

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Comment by Jamila Lasante on March 5, 2010 at 8:31am: I absolutely agree with your statement below; The requirement of people running for governor must also work within the confines of the state is like saying the local town employee must live in the town.!

Comment by Ananta Gopalan on March 4, 2010 at 7:30pm: The requirement of people running for governor must also work within the confines of the state is like saying the local town employee must live in the town.
The state of New Hampshire is on its way to a financially unsustainable condition. The government spending has been rising at a compounded rate of 9.2% since 1990 while the GDP growth has been at one third of that. The New Hampshire Retirement System is one of the worst in the nation with 58% funding ratio- please see my blog posting on it.
I want a governor that understands that the government can not spend more that what the average taxpayer can support -i.e based on a GDP measure or a measure of average personal income. I couldn't care less where a person works as long as he/she acts on the basis of basic conviction and common sense. Instead, what we have is bunch of politicians pandering to the special interests who can deliver a block of votes to sustain them in power. We must break that cycle of abuse heaped on the average, hard working residents of the state. The average resident does not feel honored to be abused by someone that becomes a governor whose highlight is that he had worked within the borders of the state all his/her life.

Comment by Gary O'Neil on March 4, 2010 at 5:49pm: It angers me greatly when I see NH residents have to get up way too early to catch a bus to Boston to work. We should not be exporting our brainpower! Instead, we should be attracting the "brainpower economy" to move their companies to New Hampshire!

We now have a completely new definition of the NH Advantage as compared to other states. We have lands which are immediately ready to develop along Manchester's Airport Access Road...just 40 minutes to downtown Boston. We have super-smart people graduating from our colleges and universities. We have a tremendous "laptops to kayaks" lifestyle. We have fantastic hospitality and nightlife. We have.....I could go on and on!

It's time for NH to regain its brand! Find its mojo! This is the best place on the planet to live and work...by far. Why, right now, I'm going out for a great dinner in Portsmouth, then I'll get ready for incredibly meaningful and important meetings tomorrow on how to spread the word about how great NH is. Tomorrow I will be sitting with a major city Mayor trying to recruit him into the campaign. Then, I'll be getting ready for a news conference next week to announce "The NH Enterprize Corridor" in Londonderry. And tomorrow night, I'm at Boston College v. UNH hockey to settle the season championship in Hockey East.

New Hampshire is the perfect place for the brainpower economy. It's time to speak up...live free or die...and get this program rolling. I'm Gary O'Neil, and I paid for this message.

It's time to tell the new economic development story about NH!!!