CONCORD – Maggie Wood Hassan became the state’s second woman elected governor of New Hampshire and offered an upbeat and sobering inaugural that calls for ending the era to a “hasty, reactive government.’’
The Exeter Democrat and seasoned state senator vowed to offer bipartisan leadership and challenged state government leaders to embrace innovation as private company owners had to during a struggling economy.
Hassan, 54, campaigned for the job with a thorough rebuke of the super-majority Legislature that adopted a lean state budget and policy changes she promised to try and reverse.
“The people of New Hampshire have made it clear that they want to restore balance, that they want us to work together,’’ Hassan said in historic Representatives Hall. “Let us promise ourselves today that we will meet our challenges by focusing on commonsense solutions borne of collaboration. That we will together end the era of hasty, reactive government.’’
Hassan’s top priority to turn the ship of state around is to restore a 45 percent cut in state aid to higher education within the current budget and to repeal the 10 cents per pack cut in the state’s tobacco tax lawmakers adopted in June 2011.
“Cutting state support for public education in half while lowering the tobacco tax two years ago was short sighted. It hurt our young people and, if not quickly addressed, will impair our future economic prosperity.![]()
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