Post by gotmoxie on Aug 4, 2010 19:53:11 GMT -5
John Stephen promises to focus on
North Country if elected governor
BY BARBARA TETREAULT
THE BERLIN DAILY SUN Aug 4, 2010.
BERLIN — Republican gubernatorial hopeful John Stephen Monday questioned whether Gov. John Lynch has done enough to help the economy of the North Country and said he believes there are a lot of things the state could do better. Stephen said the region needs a coordinated, focused, and consistent effort on the part of the governor to help realize the potential that exists here. He said Lynch has not done that and instead charged the governor has managed by crisis. Stephen promised as governor he would be more pro-active in promoting the North Country and working to ease regulations and cut taxes on small businesses. One example that surfaced during his stop at Androscoggin Valley Hospital was the ATV trail system at Jericho Mountain State Park. Stephen asked several members of the Androscoggin Valley ATV Club about the park. Randy Cicchetto of Jericho Motorsports said the park has attracted riders from Canada, Europe, and Australia as well as all over the United states. He said his business has grown in four years and now employs four people and he just expanded his building. Cicchetto reported the recent ATV festival at the park was very successfully, attracting an estimated 2,000 visitors.
Both Cicchetto and Club member René Boutin told Stephen it would be nice to see the trail system finished at the park. Right now there is just over 50 miles of trail with a total of 136 miles planned. Boutin said visiting riders are also interested in camping which currently is not available at the park.
Tom Thomson said his father, the late Gov. Mel Thomson, heavily promoted the state as a snowmobile destination and as a result that has grown into a $1.2 billion business for the state. He said the same potential exists for the state with ATVs.
Boutin told Stephen there is a need for better roads for tourists traveling to the North Country. He said the north country needs the Conway bypass to be completed.
Stephen said as governor he would work to be “salesman in chief for the state”. He said he supports more promotion of the park and promised to return and take a tour of it by ATV.Economic growth would be his top priority as governor and Stephen said he would reduce business taxes to the lowest in the region and streamline permitting. Cicchetto said there is a need for easier credit for small businesses
and Stephen mentioned he is proposing a jobs incentive tax credit. Stephen noted the North Country’s interest in renewable energy projects and asked about the two biomass plants proposed for Berlin. He pointed out that traveling with him was entrepreneur and businessman Peter Paul, the president of Paul Financial LLC., and West Biofuels which is working on converting biomass to biofuel and biopower. Two years ago, Paul donated $25 million to fund the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics at the University of N.H.
AVH CEO Russell Keene noted the hospital is now one of the largest, if not the largest employer, in the city. AVH is the only hospital in the county with a birthing center. Keene spoke about the challenges of running the hospital with a high percentage of patients on Medicaid, Medicare, or without health insurance. Stephen said he was sensitive to the needs of the North Country when he was Health and Human Services Commissioner and said he bring that same sensitivity to the governor’s offi ce. The stop at AVH kicked off a day of events in the North Country as part of Stephen’s ‘Let the People Speak’ tour. He also stopped at Presby Environmental in Whitefield, Fuller’s Sugarhouse in Lancaster, and concluded in Colebrook at. Stephen explained that he is traveling the state listening to the concerns of the public. Stephen is also the former assistant N.H. Safety Commissioner and served as an assistant N.H. Attorney General.
He is one of four candidates running for the Republican nomination in the September primary. Also running are Frank Emiro, Karen Stephen said as governor he would work to be “salesman in chief for the state”. and Jack Kimball. The winner will challenge Lynch who is running unopposed on the Democrat side.
North Country if elected governor
BY BARBARA TETREAULT
THE BERLIN DAILY SUN Aug 4, 2010.
BERLIN — Republican gubernatorial hopeful John Stephen Monday questioned whether Gov. John Lynch has done enough to help the economy of the North Country and said he believes there are a lot of things the state could do better. Stephen said the region needs a coordinated, focused, and consistent effort on the part of the governor to help realize the potential that exists here. He said Lynch has not done that and instead charged the governor has managed by crisis. Stephen promised as governor he would be more pro-active in promoting the North Country and working to ease regulations and cut taxes on small businesses. One example that surfaced during his stop at Androscoggin Valley Hospital was the ATV trail system at Jericho Mountain State Park. Stephen asked several members of the Androscoggin Valley ATV Club about the park. Randy Cicchetto of Jericho Motorsports said the park has attracted riders from Canada, Europe, and Australia as well as all over the United states. He said his business has grown in four years and now employs four people and he just expanded his building. Cicchetto reported the recent ATV festival at the park was very successfully, attracting an estimated 2,000 visitors.
Both Cicchetto and Club member René Boutin told Stephen it would be nice to see the trail system finished at the park. Right now there is just over 50 miles of trail with a total of 136 miles planned. Boutin said visiting riders are also interested in camping which currently is not available at the park.
Tom Thomson said his father, the late Gov. Mel Thomson, heavily promoted the state as a snowmobile destination and as a result that has grown into a $1.2 billion business for the state. He said the same potential exists for the state with ATVs.
Boutin told Stephen there is a need for better roads for tourists traveling to the North Country. He said the north country needs the Conway bypass to be completed.
Stephen said as governor he would work to be “salesman in chief for the state”. He said he supports more promotion of the park and promised to return and take a tour of it by ATV.Economic growth would be his top priority as governor and Stephen said he would reduce business taxes to the lowest in the region and streamline permitting. Cicchetto said there is a need for easier credit for small businesses
and Stephen mentioned he is proposing a jobs incentive tax credit. Stephen noted the North Country’s interest in renewable energy projects and asked about the two biomass plants proposed for Berlin. He pointed out that traveling with him was entrepreneur and businessman Peter Paul, the president of Paul Financial LLC., and West Biofuels which is working on converting biomass to biofuel and biopower. Two years ago, Paul donated $25 million to fund the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics at the University of N.H.
AVH CEO Russell Keene noted the hospital is now one of the largest, if not the largest employer, in the city. AVH is the only hospital in the county with a birthing center. Keene spoke about the challenges of running the hospital with a high percentage of patients on Medicaid, Medicare, or without health insurance. Stephen said he was sensitive to the needs of the North Country when he was Health and Human Services Commissioner and said he bring that same sensitivity to the governor’s offi ce. The stop at AVH kicked off a day of events in the North Country as part of Stephen’s ‘Let the People Speak’ tour. He also stopped at Presby Environmental in Whitefield, Fuller’s Sugarhouse in Lancaster, and concluded in Colebrook at. Stephen explained that he is traveling the state listening to the concerns of the public. Stephen is also the former assistant N.H. Safety Commissioner and served as an assistant N.H. Attorney General.
He is one of four candidates running for the Republican nomination in the September primary. Also running are Frank Emiro, Karen Stephen said as governor he would work to be “salesman in chief for the state”. and Jack Kimball. The winner will challenge Lynch who is running unopposed on the Democrat side.