New Hampshire Governor, Maggie Hassan, has once again disconnected herself from the people and is not addressing the economic and social issues like drug addiction plaguing the state. In 2014, more than 300 people died from drug overdoses, and the New Hampshire State Police expect this number to increase in 2015. This comes after a 40% heroin-related spike since 2013. Hassan is also not supporting efforts to give struggling local business owners tax relief.
There is an obvious need for a reformed drug and alcohol prevention system in New Hampshire, and Governor Hassan is inhibiting progress. She recently vetoed a budget bill that increased substance abuse prevention funding by 75 percent. Hassan prevented a needed increase of drug abuse support, yet her own bill she presented increased taxes on residents across the state and overall increased spending by 6.4 percent.
Not only has Hassan not directly addressed the drug issue, but her top advisors and staffers have been disconnected as well. Chris Sununu, District 3 Executive Councilor, is especially disappointed with the office:
“Gov. Hassan’s drug czar has been on the job for over six months now, and it is extremely troubling that he has not reached out to the mayor of our state’s largest city,” Sununu said in a statement. “The Hassan administration’s designated substance abuse staffer should be in constant contact with the mayor’s office to offer whatever help he can provide.”
He is not the only one who is not hearing from Hassan’s office. Jake Wozmak, the state’s drug czar, has made interview and appointments to have people never hear back again.
There is a lack of organized communication within Hassan’s administration, which caused a major grant for substance abuse prevention to temporarily go unknown to the Governor. The state was awarded a $12 million federal grant for the issue plaguing the state. The NHGOP Chairwoman, Jennifer Horn, said in a press release on July 10th:
“At a time when law enforcement officials are asking for more resources to address our heroin crisis, our state needs a full-time governor who is focused on this serious problem. Governor Hassan’s embarrassing admission that she didn’t know about an important federal grant to combat substance abuse shows she is becoming increasingly detached from her official duties as she plots a campaign for United States Senate”
It is time for Governor Hassan to stop letting her Senate campaign distract her from current pressing issues and her responsibility as Governor of New Hampshire. The people and the state should come before her political career.