By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – All five members of the state’s Executive Council are running for re-election, but all are being challenged on Nov. 8 with opponents holding very different views on the issues.
Elected every two years, the Council approves most state contracts and confirms judicial and state department head nominations of the governor.
This is a quick primer on the Council, the candidates, their geographical districts, top issues, and links to their websites.
The current Council is held by four Republicans and one Democrat.
Because of the way the election maps work following redistricting, it is likely that one seat, District 2, will continue to be held by a Democrat for the next decade as it includes many communities which lean Democratic, while the other four seats lean toward Republican candidates but may show after the election that Democrats can win those seats.
The most controversial votes in the past two-year Council term have fallen along partisan lines and involved funding clinics that provide abortions, issues related to the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations, and privacy concerns related to the state putting up a vaccination database.
In repeated votes, the Council has opposed funding for clinics that provide abortions despite the fact the money is to be used to provide basic health care for poor women, not abortions, which would be against the law.
The Council meets with the governor every two weeks and it is often a place where Council members get to question department heads about activities they hear about from their constituents, which are often not on the agenda.
District 1 is huge in geography and extends from the rural North Country to Durham.
The seat is currently held by Joe Kenney of Wakefield, a retired Marine https://www.facebook.com/JoeKenneyNH/ and a fiscal conservative who is known for his constituent services.
He is being challenged this year by Democrat Dana Hilliard of Somersworth who is currently serving his fifth term as mayor and is a school administrator.
He has put education at the top of his agenda.
On his website, https://danahilliard.com/ he focuses on an agenda that also includes reproductive rights.
The District 2 seat has been held by first-term Democrat Cinde Warmington of Concord, https://www.cindewarmington.com/about-cinde/, an attorney who prides herself on working as a health-care advocate on the Council.
She has been the lone voice in support of the reproductive clinics and has supported measures intended to help the public access COVID-19 vaccinations.
She is being challenged by former state Sen. Harold French of Canterbury. In the Senate, the Republican focused on fiscal discipline https://senatorfrench.com/ and has supported many conservative social positions.
The district runs across the mid-section of the state and includes Hanover and Concord.
The District 3 seat is currently held by Rye Republican Janet Stevens https://janetstevens4nh.com/janet-stevens-nh-executive-council-news/ who has been a supporter of many of Gov. Chris Sununu’s initiatives, particularly related to the economy.
She is being challenged by Democrat Katherine Harake https://katherineharake.com/ of Hampton who is putting education and reproductive rights along with the economy as her major issues. She has a background in finance.
The district includes Portsmouth, Salem, and towns surrounding that southeast portion of the state.
District 4 includes Manchester and its surrounding towns and is held by Ted Gatsas of Manchester, https://www.tedgatsas.com/meet-ted a Republican who is being challenged by Kevin Cavanaugh https://kevinfornh.com/ Manchester Democrat.
Gatsas is a retired businessman who was both mayor of Manchester and a member and former president of the state Senate. He is known as a fiscal conservative who has worked on economic development issues and is particularly concerned at council meetings for the welfare of children and issues related to drug abuse along with the development of a new exit on Interstate 93.
Cavanaugh has been a state senator and considers himself a blue-collar worker advocating for those like him on issues of the economy and a safe community.
District 5 is in the state’s southwest corner and includes Nashua. The seat is currently held by David Wheeler of Milford http://davewheeler.org/about-dave/ who is seeking his sixth term on the council. He is a fiscal and social conservative. He is being challenged by Shoshanna Kelly https://www.voteforsho.com/about of Nashua, a business owner, mother, and an alderman-at-large. She said she supports a woman’s right to choose and is concerned about Wheeler’s voting history on that subject. Kelly’s issues also include protecting public education, improved housing, and the economy.
The election is on Nov. 8.
