Bradley says he would vote for across-the-board 13 percent cuts in state spending

Former congressman running for state senate seat in special election

Experience and common sense.Both are assets that former Republican state and U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley of Wolfeboro believes will serve the district and the state well should he defeat Democrat Bud Martin, of Sandwich, in a special election for District 3 state Senate on Tuesday, April 21.What is at stake in this election is a pretty clear choice of sending to Concord a voice of reason and a voice of having the gumption of having to make necessary cuts. They are tough votes, but I am going to make them, to get New Hampshire out of this recession, and to position ourselves to create jobs and to get people back to work versus higher taxes. We cannot go that route, said the former two-term congressman in an editorial board meeting interview at The Conway Daily Sun offices Monday, and people recognize that.The issues that are most important to me are those which would get New Hampshire back on track economically, said Bradley, who served 12 years in the New Hampshire House before being elected in 2002 and 2004 to represent the First District in Congress.Bradley thinks the race has gotten much statewide and even national coverage because, as a special election, It's the only game in town. Others see it as a referendum on the direction the Democratic majority has taken since taking over control in Concord of the House, Senate and governor's corner office.Among the hottest topics during the editorial forum was the potential $1.6 million loss per year under the House Democrats' backed budget to Conway in state building aid for the 20-year, $52 million school bond taken out January 2005; and the proposed increase in the rooms and meals tax from 8 percent to 8.75 percent.The state cannot walk away from its promise. They just can't, said Bradley, speaking about the potential building aid loss.Bradley agreed that both issues are huge for Conway.He said no town would see as great an impact as Conway should the plan go through to raise the rooms and meals tax.Tourist conventions, the ability to attract people to a place like Conway that relies on visitors to this area, it just becomes less and less competitive when you look at Maine, where there is a lower tax, or Massachusetts, which has a lower hospitality tax. Businesses in Mount Washington Valley are irate that the House has passed that, said Bradley.In his editorial board interview, Bradley said he would: Oppose the so-called bathroom bill that would give transgender individuals protection under the civil rights bill. Continue to support the death penalty and would vote against attempts to repeal it. Oppose the use of medical marijuana. Oppose a mandatory seat-belt law,/ Propose an across-the-board 13 percent cut in state government.He said since the last biennial budget showed an increase of 17.5 percent, he says he knows that there is room for cuts in state spending and bureaucracies.After a 17.5 percent increase in the last budget, the Republican version of the budget calls for across-the-board cuts of about 13 percent. which I feel even though it's difficult it's justified because the last budget had increased spending of 17.5 spending, so that's where we ought to look to make adjustments in the bureaucracy to balance the budget without new taxes, said Bradley. The Republican budget makes those cuts, does not rely on new taxes, or increased taxes, and funds building aid at $83 million, and funds municipal revenue sharing."The Republican budget makes those cuts, does not rely on new taxes, or increased taxes, and funds building aid at $83 million, and funds municipal revenue sharing, said Bradley.He said the state can make the 13 percent cut and still meet its essential services needs. He agrees with Gov. Lynch, a Democrat, for example, that the state could reduce the number of vendors that work with the state Health and Human Services Agency, Currently, that total stands at 4000 vendors, according to a speech made by Lynch at the April 2 Eggs and Issues forum at the White Mountain Hotel a forum that was also attended by Bradley and Martin.But that reform may take time to enact. On the contrary, he says, the governor's proposal to look at ways to streamline the state's liquor sales operations could be done sooner, and more effectively, to save funds that could be applied to such needed services as Health and Human Services.He said the Republican budget does not rely on new taxes or increased taxation while raising $83 million for building aid.Currently Conway receives $128,418 in revenue sharing, and Bradley said the town would lose that under the Democratic budget. Rooms and meals revenue is back in the Democratic budget, but Republicans fear it could be removed by the Democrats. Conway received $388,397 in rooms and meals revenue in fiscal year 2008. Democrats counter that Conway will get $337,000 in additional school aid under their budget, which proposes to use one-time economic stimulus money."You can argue whether that is appropriate to use one-time money to fund this. What it tells me is that unless we wrap our arms around reducing spending, the next thing in the next budget that will be cut will be that municipal revenue sharing, said Bradley.He added that the New Hampshire unemployment rate of 5 percent remains lower than that of states to its south because of the lack of a sales and income tax in the Granite State.The tax-and-spend policies that are being pursued will lead us to be like other states, states like California where there is double-digit unemployment, said Bradley, who opposes the Democrats' proposed hike in the capital gains tax.That is the wrong message to send to potential businesses looking to come to New Hampshire, he said, adding, You don't raise taxes in the middle of a recession.The same day of the interview, four of the five members of the Conway board of selectmen wrote a letter in support of Bradley's candidacy. Signing the letter were Crow Dickinson, Mark Hounsell, Bob Drinkhall, and Larry Martin.The letter was written among the board but did not represent an official vote, according to Hounsell, who agreed that the mailing of a letter of endorsement was unprecedented in Conway's history.We did not take a formal vote, said Hounsell, a former Republican state Senator who is now an independent, but we wrote the letter because the financial consequences for the town of Conway are great. Hounsell and the three other selectmen cited Bradley's experience, work ethic, willingness to give clear answers to difficult questions, and his understanding of the specific issues confronting state government.In accepting the endorsements, Bradley reiterated his promise to fight against any increases to the rooms and meals tax, against the formation of a brand new capital gains tax and death tax, and to always make sure the state meets its obligations to the local communities.I am honored to receive the endorsement of these four dedicated public servants. I look forward to working with them as a member of the Senate to protect the vitality of the hospitality industry and protect property tax payers from tax spikes because the state wants to walk away from its obligations, said Bradley.Democrats currently hold a 14 to 9 advantage in the state Senate. The District 3 seat became vacant when Republican Bill Denley of Wakefield resigned this winter after being arrested a third time on drunk-driving charges. That case is still pending.Denley beat Martin in the general election in November.After his editorial board meeting April 13, Bradley headed to the Gibson Center for Senior Services, where he dined with patrons and also met for a brief campaign talk before three senior citizens. Martin also appeared at that small forum.Bradley is a former health foods store operator and painting contractor who later became involved with commercial real estate. His family owned a hardware store in Wolfeboro that is no longer in the family.He said after losing twice to Carol Shea-Porter of Rochester in the First District congressional races in 2006 and 2008, he was not planning on getting back into politics until the Denley arrest. He said he would have preferred that Joe Kenney, former state rep. and District 3 state Senator, run for the Senate seat after the latter's unsuccessful bid for governor against Lynch, but Kenney, of Wakefield, was called back to active duty to serve in the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan.Frankly, I was overwhelmed by the many friends who called and asked me to run, said Bradley, who said it is not true that he is running because he is really keeping his focus on a possible run for governor or for national office.He said running for an office such as governor or national office is extremely, extremely unlikely, but said, Would I put 46 padlocks on it? No. But as I said, it is extremely, extremely unlikely. He said he would be able to put his years of experience to good use for the district.I am running because it feels like returning to my roots. I served 12 years in the state House, and I loved it, working on legislation dealing with lowering electric bills and the environment and helping the economy, said Bradley. He says he continued to enact legislation that helped the environment during his years in Congress, most notably working with the state delegation and Vermont liberal Congressman Bernie Sanders to enact the Sandwich Wildernerss Range and Wild River Wilderness Acts in 2006.He also said he was proud of his work on behalf of veterans and service people, noting he was twice being named New Hampshire Veterans' Citizen of the Year and that he worked with his Maine Democratic and Republican congressional counterparts to save the jobs at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.Despite Democratic critics who charge that he was lockstep with the Bush administration for 85 percent of the time during his years in Congress, Bradley said both in the New Hampshire House and in Congress he was able to act in a bipartisan way, and he looks forward to doing more of the same should he be elected to the state Senate seat April 21.He said he has long enjoyed a friendship with Lynch. I like John Lynch. I knew him when he was on the board of trustees for the University of New Hampshire System. I don't always agree with him, but I call him a friend and I think we have a relationship of mutual respect, said Bradley.Although a letter writer recently accused him of living on shorefront property on Lake Winnipesaukee, Bradley, and avid Red Sox fan and hiker, said he and his wife Barbara live in a 2,000-square-foot house on Rust Pond.He is already a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club's 48 4,000-footer club, and has five to go before he can say he has done all 48 in winter as well.Whether he wins or loses, Bradley says, You'll see me in the mountains up in Tuck's this summer.