Posted on 03/03/2004 6:34:10 AM PST by DM1
CONCORD – The New Hampshire Democratic Party unleashed a 60-second radio ad Tuesday, charging Gov. Craig Benson with engaging in poor ethical practices that could get the state “possibly indicted.’’
Democratic Party Chairwoman Kathy Sullivan said it’s proper for the party to focus upon Benson’s integrity, even though no Democrat has emerged to oppose his re-election.
“We work with what we have, and the Craig Benson administration has shown that ethical standards are not what they should be,’’ she said.
“I think this is going to be a major part of the campaign that the Democratic Party plans on raising.’’
The ad buy is relatively small – $7,500 – and the ads will air on nine radio stations in southern and central New Hampshire over the next week starting today, Sullivan said.
“There is a bipartisan and growing consensus that the Benson administration is the most ineffective administration in New Hampshire history and that ethical scandals are the worst in history,’’ she said.
Benson press secretary Wendell Packard said the ads play fast and loose with the facts and is the work of a party scrambling to find someone to run for governor.
“This is more of the negative lies of Kathy Sullivan, all because she’s trying to recruit a pro-income-tax candidate,’’ he said.
The ad faults Benson for:
- Bankrupt golf course: Benson failed to specify in his personal financial disclosure that he held a mortgage now worth $16 million in the Golf Club of New England, which filed for protection from creditors two weeks ago.
- Choicelink: Attorney General Peter Heed is investigating allegations that competitive bidding was not followed in awarding a health insurance consulting contract to this company, whose chief executive served on Benson’s transition team.
The contract resulted in a Benson administration volunteer, Linda Pepin, getting a commission on the purchase of health insurance for state workers in violation of state law because she wasn’t a licensed broker.
- Enterasys accounting: Enterasys Inc. is one of several firms that rose from the breakup of Cabletron Systems Corp., the high-tech firm Benson co-founded.
Benson remains its largest shareholder.
He served on the audit committee during a time when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fined the company for failing to properly record sales.
“(That’s) just like Enron,’’ the radio ad states.
The ad closes by quoting a critical newspaper editorial.
“Benson’s ‘running the state like a business,’ ” says The Concord Monitor, “the kind that gets investigated, sued and possibly indicted.”
Packard said Benson’s disclosure of his finances in December 2002 went beyond past practice of the executive order first signed by former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.
“The disclosure is full and complete,’’ he said.
The filing listed Benson’s real estate holdings in the limited liability company of Soft Draw Investments, but it did not state Benson’s firm held the mortgage on the golf course.
So much for that theory. What are they on, two year terms there? Time to start nominating better Republicans in the primary.
Hey, that was back from March!
Yes, VT and NH are the only two to have 2 year terms.
Benson was hurt by high Dem turnout from the Kerry campaign and various shady dealings of volunteer gubernatorial staffers. He would have won had some other candidate been running as the Dem or if the election were in 2002 or 2006.
I was flipping through CSPAN one day and I watched the Benson-Lynch debate for a few minutes, Benson's main spiel was to keep repeating some "no tax hikes, no way" line or something similar and pointing out he that pledge from 2002. He really didn't have anything else doing for him. It's quite surprising this Lynch guy (has he even held ANY kind of office before?) came out of nowhere and managed to beat Benson, but then again, Benson himself was an obscure businessman when you were touting him back in 2002. IMO, had you guys gone a pr oven leader like Gordon Humphrey, you'd still be holding the governorship now.
I don't know why you seem to prefer all these country-clubbers and blue-bloods in the primary. I checked and AT LEAST three out of four of the NH delegation to Washington is made up of ex-Governor's kids (Gregg, Sununu, and Bass). I suppose by the same token George W. Bush ran for his dad's job, but he WORKED in the private sector until 1994 -- unlike the career politicians in N.H. Both of your Republican congressman are pro-choice on abortion, pro-UN, pro-McCain-Feingold, pork-barrelin' tree-huggers.
I just can't help but wonder, were those guys really the BEST you could pick in the primary? C'mon. A couple of elitist blue-bloods and some obscure businessmen, with RINOs galore. No offense, but in "Republican" New Hampshire, you'd think the primary election would serve the purpose of advancing the party's agenda more, not making sure some pampered governor's kid gets a cushy job in Washington.
IMO, you guys have been lucky the New Hampshire Dems usually don't even try so your candidates get a free pass. (for instance Gregg had some old liberal quack in her 80s as his only "opposition" this time) With NH going to Kerry and Lynch, I'd say it's time to start finding some better folks to send to Washington or you can start saying "Senator Swett"
Sununu was not a career politician. He beat former Manchester Mayor Ray Wieczorek, who was the politician in the primary race. He was an engineer from MIT and served as the Chief Financial Officer and Director of Operations for Teletrol Systems.
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