New England College Hosts Primary Debate with Democratic Candidates for Governor

The Center for Civic Engagement at New England College hosted a primary debate with New Hampshire’s Democratic candidates for governor on May 31. The debate was organized by WMUR-TV  and streamed live on WMUR.com. Moderators for the debate were James Pindell, Political Director for WMUR.com and Felice Belman, editor of the Concord Monitor. The debate was free and open to the public.

Since announcing her plans to run for governor, Maggie Hassan has organized Innovate New Hampshire, an online community where Granite Staters can offer their thoughts on improving life in the state. Hassan was appointed to the Advisory Committee of the Advocacy in Education and Finance Commission in 1999. She was elected to the New Hampshire State Senate in 2004 to represent the 23rd district, and was re-elected in 2006 and 2008. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law.

Jackie Cilley is a native of Berlin, New Hampshire. She has taught at the University of New Hampshire and started her own marketing research firm. Cilley served one term as a State Representative representing Barrington, and was elected to the New Hampshire State Senate in 2006. She holds a master’s degree from the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire.

Bill Kennedy of Danbury, New Hampshire attended New Hampshire public schools and the University of New Hampshire. After a career in the military, Kennedy has turned his attention to politics and announced his candidacy for governor. Kennedy describes himself as a middle-of-the-road candidate who is not linked to any special interest groups. He considers the property tax system to be outdated and has declared that he will not take “the pledge.”

“New England College has a long tradition of providing a venue for local, regional, and national candidates to share their ideas on a wide range of current topics with members of the community,” noted Dr. Wayne Lesperance, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Civic Engagement. “As we have seen recently in the presidential primary, debates play an important role in allowing the public to get to know candidates and to formulate their decisions.”

Felice Belman has been with the Concord Monitor for more than 20 years and serves as the newspaper’s editor. In addition to covering New Hampshire politics for the Concord Monitor, Felice was the Maryland politics editor for the Washington Post. She is a graduate of Oberlin College.

James Pindell is the Political Director for WMUR.com and the author of the station’s Political Scoop program. In addition to his appearances on WMUR, James is a regular on WGIR-AM and writes a column for New Hampshire Magazine. He has worked for the Boston Globe, The Des Moines Register, Campaigns and Elections Magazine, and the Indianapolis Star.