PORTSMOUTH — As governor, Maggie Hassan would seek to restore funding to the state university and community college system if they agree to freeze tuition.
Hassan unrolled her job creation plan Wednesday, calling for a two-year freeze on tuition and an increase in the number of slots for in-state students, to name a pair of its points.
A few hours after unveiling the plan, Hassan sat down with Seacoast Media Group's Editorial Board to discuss her plans for growing the economy and increasing state revenues.
Hassan was adamant that investing in education and focusing on job training is the best way to grow the state's economy.
In regard to her call for a tuition freeze, Hassan said there is currently no formula laid out to accomplish this goal, but the candidate did say her early discussions with the University System of New Hampshire about the plan have been positive.
"We have to work with them to see if there are ways to bring their cost structure down," Hassan said. "I think there is a significant will to figure out how to do this together."
Hassan, an Exeter Democrat who previously served three terms in the state Senate, said a trait of a strong leader is to first set a goal and then work toward it.
Other ways Hassan said the state could increase revenue and invest in education would be to undo the cigarette tax cut approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature, which she estimated could result in $20 million in revenue, and revisit expanded gambling.
Hassan has entertained the idea of expanded gambling before and, with Massachusetts legalizing casinos, she believes not having a casino could hurt New Hampshire. "I think it's possible to have one high-end, highly regulated casino near the border that would compete with Massachusetts," she said. "I support that because gambling is here and it happens. I don't think prohibition on gambling will work any better than prohibition of drinking does. Both do great damage to some people who engage in the activity."
While there are some areas in the state that don't support gambling, there are some communities that would be open to it, such as Salem, according to Hassan.
She said some of the revenue from expanded gambling could be put aside to address the social and safety issues that come along with it. She also noted that if there were casinos in Massachusetts but none in New Hampshire, many of the social issues associated with expanded gambling would come across the border to New Hampshire and the state wouldn't have the money to deal with them,
If such a proposal were to be discussed, Hassan said it would have to happen in the very near future.
"My guess is if it doesn't happen relatively soon, it won't happen at all because Massachusetts will become the first out of the gate and entrenched in it, and there will be less of an incentive for the industry to come in here and compete with that."
Hassan previously supported a limited expansion of gambling at Rockingham Park as part of Senate budget negotiations in 2008, but the Senate rejected the proposal. A year later, she held an invitation-only meeting with Seacoast state representatives and Millennium Gaming to discuss expanded gambling in New Hampshire. That meeting was initially closed to the press, which Hassan now regrets.
"The lesson I learned is that it struck people as not transparent, and it was an important lesson," she said.
Hassan's top opponent for the Democratic primary election on Sept. 11 is former state Sen. Jackie Cilley of Barrington.
To date, the most publicized difference between the two has been that Hassan has taken the pledge not to support or enact any broad-based sales or income tax, while Cilley has stated she doesn't believe in "pledge politics."
Hassan elaborated on her decision to take the pledge.
"I think our economy is structured around not having (an income or sales tax), and I think we're focusing on economic growth and development right now, and that's what we should be focused on," she said. "I am confident we can fund our priorities without an income or sales tax, so I am being clear with voters about what I believe about that issue."
On the issues of school building aid and a constitutional amendment for educational funding, Hassan said she would like to continue working toward a building aid plan prioritized on safety needs. She said she supports targeting educational funding to communities based on need, but how the state comes to an agreement on a constitutional amendment on funding is going to have to be a part of a larger discussion.
If elected governor, Hassan said one of the challenges will be to build consensus between two divided parties, which she said is more reminiscent of "Washington politics," not New Hampshire. She said building consensus starts with building relationships, and understanding where the other side is coming from when there is disagreement on issues.
"If you trust the good faith the other person brings to the table, if you understand what their life experience might be like, you begin to be able to have conversations where you don't doubt each other's motives," she said. "When people doubt each other's motives, when one party believes the other party is saying 'no' just because they want it to fail, not because they think it's a bad idea, then it gets very hard to go through the work of compromise."
Having served as Senate majority leader, Hassan said she has experience building consensus.
Looking back at her six years in the state Senate, Hassan said she regrets those times where she got out ahead of an issue and didn't do enough groundwork to speak with people about their concerns.
One example she cited was extending the interest and dividends tax in the state budget to limited liability companies, a move that ended up costing some businesses more money than anticipated and created more paperwork for small businesses.
Hassan said she is proud of the work she did to expand health care and statewide kindergarten, along with her efforts to grow the economy and increase jobs.
She said her record can appeal to those undecided voters who are in "the middle."
Also on Wednesday, Hassan received the endorsement of the state's largest union, the National Education Association-New Hampshire, to go along with her recent endorsement from former President Bill Clinton.
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