The three Democratic candidates for governor differed over raising taxes and legalizing marijuana, largely in a civil way, during a broadcast debate Wednesday.
Former Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand, the last to enter this competitive primary, was the most aggressive, panning rivals Colin Van Ostern of Concord and Mark Connolly of New Castle during this first debate as well-intentioned but timid politicians.
"We have to be honest," Marchand said during the debate on WGIR-AM's "Jack Heath's New Hampshire Today" program.
"My opponents, I feel, are not getting specific about raising the revenue we need to deal with the challenges we have.''
Marchand is the only contender supporting legalizing and taxing marijuana and raising the state's business profits tax, which is slated to go down for a second time in two years.
Connolly, a former state securities regulation director, said it sends the wrong message to business owners for state government to cut business taxes one year only to raise them the next year.
"You can't be changing tax policy year to year. You have to give business owners a chance to plan," Connolly sad.
Van Ostern, a two-term executive councilor, said Gov. Maggie Hassan and the Republican-led Legislature fashioned the business tax cuts as part of the current, two-year state budget.
Hassan initially vetoed them until GOP leaders tweaked the details and made them conditional on meeting forecasts for business tax revenue.
"I don't think going back to unravel that compromise is a way to advance our economy," Van Ostern said. "They do not deserve to be treated as a yo-yo on the end of a string."
Marchand said legalizing and taxing marijuana would raise at least $30 million a year but Connolly said the state should not rush into it.
"It needs to be done in a way that is a New Hampshire solution," Connolly said. "We shouldn't be trying to get revenue into the door until we understand what legalization means in New Hampshire.''
All three candidates favor a repeal of the death penalty but Marchand would apply it retroactively to Michael Addison, the Boston man sentenced to die and facing an appeal for the killing of Manchester police Officer Michael Briggs.
Connolly said it would be wrong to take Addison's death sentence off the table.
"We should not be changing that in any way after the fact. We should not be going back after the fact and changing the rules," said Connolly, who served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives four decades ago.
Van Ostern called for raising the tobacco tax by 10 cents per pack of cigarettes and using the revenue to extend statewide, full-day public kindergarten programs.
Van Ostern was the only one to invoke the Republican field of candidates, who are trying to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Hassan who is running for the U.S. Senate.
Van Ostern called on all GOP hopefuls to repudiate presidential nominee Donald Trump for his comments Tuesday about getting gun rights supporters to help him stop Democrat Hillary Clinton.
"They need to end and they need to end today. It is a failure of leadership that Chris Sununu and Ted Gatsas continue to support Donald Trump," Van Ostern said.
"This is a moral test; this is a leadership test and they need to do better. I call on them today to end their public support and put the people of New Hampshire first."
Marchand bristled when Van Ostern described his business experience working for Stonyfield Farm Yogurt and more recently with Southern New Hampshire University.
"Colin said his primary experience has been in the private sector. It's mainly being a political operative; the last five years have been a little of that," Marchand said.
Van Ostern didn't back down.
"I know firsthand what will make our companies grow in New Hampshire," Van Ostern added.
(c)2016 The New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, N.H.)
