NH state Senate, District 8: 2 candidates with healthcare backgrounds

By GLYNIS HART
[email protected]
Two candidates with backgrounds in health care are running to represent New Hampshire’s State Senate District 8, covering the eastern part of the Eagle Times’ coverage area. Both candidates were asked identical questions.  

Jennifer Alford-Teaster

Democrat

Teaster grew up in the Seacoast area and graduated from University of New Hampshire with a master’s degree in public health. She works at Dartmouth as a Geospatial Research Project Director. She has not held public office before.  

 

Eagle Times: What particular skills or experience do you have that make you the best candidate for State Senate, District 8?

Jenn Alford-Teaster: I chose a career in healthcare because I wanted to use the education and training I worked so hard for to improve healthcare access, especially in rural areas. The experience I’ve gained working with fire departments and medical professionals showed me how crucial these services are in New England, and especially in our district. My experience studying rural access to healthcare services, along with the struggles I faced as a young adult, have made me truly understand the problems facing our district.

 EA: Is there a particular issue or problem you are focused on for the upcoming term?

JA-T: I’m committed to lowering our property taxes. New Hampshire families and businesses have been shouldering too much of the burden while large, out-of-state corporations get unsolicited tax breaks that take money out of our communities. In the Senate, I’ll work on returning to the 2010 tax levels for businesses headquartered outside of New Hampshire to ease the burden on Granite Staters.

 EA: What achievements have you made in the past that are relevant to what you want to achieve in the senate?

JA-T: I grew up in poverty and worked hard all my life to get where I am today. My mother had four kids by the time she was 23, so when my dad left us and we moved in with my widowed grandmother, it was hard to make ends meet — even with both my mom and grandmother working full time. Once I was on my own, I worked two and three jobs at a time to scrape by and eventually pay my way through college. I’m running for state Senate because without the right opportunity and context, that hard work wouldn’t have paid off — and it’s even harder to find opportunity now than it was twenty years ago. I’ll work to make sure that we live in an economy that works for hardworking Granite Staters, not just the lucky ones.

 EA: What challenges are facing the senate in the upcoming term?

JA-T: I’ve talked to hundreds of voters on both sides of the aisle and one of the most common problems I see is the divisiveness of party politics. Underneath party alignments, we all want the same things – to have the freedom to live and work in peace, to retire with dignity, and to see our children succeed. I hope that I have the opportunity in the State House to bridge the divide between parties and solve the issues that face all of us.

 

Ruth Ward

Republican

 

Ward is a retired nurse practitioner and has served in public office several times. First elected to the N.H. House of Representatives in 2012, she subsequently was re-elected to that position, then in 2016 Ward ran successfully for State Senate.  

EA: What particular skills or experience do you have that make you the best candidate for State Senate, District 8?

RW: I am a retired nurse practitioner, so I am used to listening to my patients, diagnosing them, and creating a treatment plan for them.  I think those listening skills and experiences interacting with people in all kinds of situations have incredibly valuable in the State Senate.  I have also spent four years on my towns ZBA, and ten years on the planning board working on local issues.  I have also served on several non-profit boards including as president of two weavers guilds, president of a large conference, and on the board of the AMC and other conservation groups. These experiences have given me a lot of common sense people skills which are needed when trying to get things done.

 EA: Is there a particular issue or problem you are focused on for the upcoming term?

RW: I will continue to work on school choice for children and their parents. Public Schools administrators are unwilling to accept the fact that not all children fit in the educational environment of public schools, and prefer to deny them the opportunity to go somewhere else.  Education is the key to a successful future and I want to make sure that every child in our state has every possible opportunity to reach their full potential. 

 EA: What achievements have you made in the past that are relevant to what you want to achieve in the senate?  

RW: I was the prime sponsor of the bill that allowed the Town of Croydon to send its students to a school of their choice after fourth grade.  I have co-sponsored bills that have established more funding for the community college school system, workforce development, Governor’s Scholarship Fund for N.H. students, sending money back to municipalities for bridge and road repair, money for schools to improve the safety for the students and staff. These are some of the achievements that I am most proud of and that I think will make the most important long term impact to our district.

 EA: What challenges are facing the senate in the upcoming term?

RW: One of the most important and difficult things we do in the legislature is pass a state budget.  Two years ago we passed a balanced budget, that stimulated the economy by cutting taxes.  As a result, unemployment is at an all time low, and state revenues have increased.  Because of that we have been able to invest in education, in fighting the opioid crisis, fixing our roads and address many other state priorities.  Over this election cycle I have seen the Democrats’ plans for raising business taxes, raising the gas tax, creating new programs that are unsustainable, and spending us to an income tax or a sales tax, which I think would be a disaster.  

(Editor’s note: This interview has been edited to remove Ms. Ward’s statements about gubernatorial candidate Molly Kelly. Candidates were questioned about their positions, experience and strengths, not their views of other candidates.)