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| An Editorial |
Since John Lynch has announced that
he will not seek another historic term as
Governor of New Hampshire, we take a
look back at his seven years of
accomplishments to assess how New
Hampshire will remember him.
Born in Waltham, Mass. Lynch earned
his undergraduate degree from the
University of New Hampshire in 1974.
He holds an M.B.A. from the Harvard
Business School, where he also served
as director of admissions. He received
his Juris Doctor from Georgetown
University. From 1994-2000, Lynch
was president and CEO of Knoll Inc., a
national furniture manufacturer in
Pennsylvania.
Lynch won his first term in 2004 during
the beginning of a major shift in
Democratic victories in the state. He
won re-election in 2006 by the widest
margin in state history, and again in a
landslide in 2008 when Democrats took
over the House of Representatives and
he will not seek another historic term as
Governor of New Hampshire, we take a
look back at his seven years of
accomplishments to assess how New
Hampshire will remember him.
Born in Waltham, Mass. Lynch earned
his undergraduate degree from the
University of New Hampshire in 1974.
He holds an M.B.A. from the Harvard
Business School, where he also served
as director of admissions. He received
his Juris Doctor from Georgetown
University. From 1994-2000, Lynch
was president and CEO of Knoll Inc., a
national furniture manufacturer in
Pennsylvania.
Lynch won his first term in 2004 during
the beginning of a major shift in
Democratic victories in the state. He
won re-election in 2006 by the widest
margin in state history, and again in a
landslide in 2008 when Democrats took
over the House of Representatives and
the Senate. In 2010, he narrowly defeated his Republican opponent John Stephen.
Lynch has been widely known as the “nice man” who for most of his terms carried the
distinction of the most popular Democrat governor. But it wasn’t always so. When he first
got elected, he was more a conservative than a liberal. Even some Democrats were
afraid they had just elected another Republican for Gov. But the direction of his
acomplishments soon began to potray him not just a good liberal, but a staunch one.
Certainly, his leadership in establishing the effective emergency response system when
he addressed the terrible floods in 2005 is to be applauded. He reappointed Kelly Ayotte,
a Republican, as his Attorney General.
While the state website commends him for decreasing the drop-out rate in our high
schools, others argue that raising the mandatory attendance age to 18 was a bad
decision. Some disapproved of mandatory kindergarten when 80% of the state’s
population of kindergarten aged children were already attending private schools.
However, under Gov. Lynch New Hampshire has experienced a voluminous number of tax
hikes on tolls, cigarettes, etc. as well as increasing number of taxes, such as the LLC tax
and the campground tax. There has been increased spending that emptied the Rainy
Day account of $82 million left by his predecessor, Craig Benson while at the same time
growing an $800 million deficit.
Socially, he tackled the people of New Hampshire by repealing the Parental Notification
law that reinforced parental involvement. Most notably, while saying he believed and
supported marriage to be defined as the union of one man and one woman, Lynch bowed
to the financial influence of special interests to sign first Civil Unions and then Same-Sex
Marriage into law, making NH the first state to legislatively legalize this definition.
Most recently he is recognized for his VETO pen, which he should have used on the
budgets in his earlier terms. He vetoed Parental Notification, Right to Work and a Citizens
Right to Defend in Public legislation.
On the latter bill, the Governor diligently lobbied the state with law enforcement officials to
fight the override of a bill he vetoed that would secure the rights of citizens to defend
themselves in public. The State House upheld the constitutional rights of the citizens and
voted to override the Governor. Perhaps this was the defining straw.
What happened on his “watch” is also of note. Two failed liquor commissioners are an
embarrassment. However, the more revealing is the Financial Resources Mortgage Inc.
Ponzi scheme that involved multiple State agencies.
Just how will Governor John Lynch be remembered? He will be remembered as a popular
Governor who used his popularity, always surreptitously to push a very extreme liberal
agenda down the throats of Granite Staters. This is evident by the Legislature’s efforts
over the year to undo plenty of his legislation.
Lynch has been widely known as the “nice man” who for most of his terms carried the
distinction of the most popular Democrat governor. But it wasn’t always so. When he first
got elected, he was more a conservative than a liberal. Even some Democrats were
afraid they had just elected another Republican for Gov. But the direction of his
acomplishments soon began to potray him not just a good liberal, but a staunch one.
Certainly, his leadership in establishing the effective emergency response system when
he addressed the terrible floods in 2005 is to be applauded. He reappointed Kelly Ayotte,
a Republican, as his Attorney General.
While the state website commends him for decreasing the drop-out rate in our high
schools, others argue that raising the mandatory attendance age to 18 was a bad
decision. Some disapproved of mandatory kindergarten when 80% of the state’s
population of kindergarten aged children were already attending private schools.
However, under Gov. Lynch New Hampshire has experienced a voluminous number of tax
hikes on tolls, cigarettes, etc. as well as increasing number of taxes, such as the LLC tax
and the campground tax. There has been increased spending that emptied the Rainy
Day account of $82 million left by his predecessor, Craig Benson while at the same time
growing an $800 million deficit.
Socially, he tackled the people of New Hampshire by repealing the Parental Notification
law that reinforced parental involvement. Most notably, while saying he believed and
supported marriage to be defined as the union of one man and one woman, Lynch bowed
to the financial influence of special interests to sign first Civil Unions and then Same-Sex
Marriage into law, making NH the first state to legislatively legalize this definition.
Most recently he is recognized for his VETO pen, which he should have used on the
budgets in his earlier terms. He vetoed Parental Notification, Right to Work and a Citizens
Right to Defend in Public legislation.
On the latter bill, the Governor diligently lobbied the state with law enforcement officials to
fight the override of a bill he vetoed that would secure the rights of citizens to defend
themselves in public. The State House upheld the constitutional rights of the citizens and
voted to override the Governor. Perhaps this was the defining straw.
What happened on his “watch” is also of note. Two failed liquor commissioners are an
embarrassment. However, the more revealing is the Financial Resources Mortgage Inc.
Ponzi scheme that involved multiple State agencies.
Just how will Governor John Lynch be remembered? He will be remembered as a popular
Governor who used his popularity, always surreptitously to push a very extreme liberal
agenda down the throats of Granite Staters. This is evident by the Legislature’s efforts
over the year to undo plenty of his legislation.