The Great Debate, Part 3

Minimum wage sparks maximum disagreement among candidates

Editor's note: Eight candidates who are running for the four seats for New Hampshire House of Representatives, District I, gathered for a debate in Conway Village on Oct. 18. Following is the third and final story on the debate.When legislative candidates in Conway fielded a question about economic development in the Granite State, the controversial topic of raising the minimum wage quickly exposed rifts between the parties.At the Oct. 18 candidates forum, Democrats were upset that the state's minimum wage has not been raised in years while Republicans said that it was the vote which received the most local attention with an overwhelming number of local people contacting lawmakers urging them to vote down a proposed increase.About 40 people turned out to watch and listen to the eight candidates incumbent Carolyn Brown, R-Conway; incumbent Gene Chandler, R-Bartlett; incumbent Howard "Crow" Dickinson, R-Conway; and Henry Mock, R-Jackson; incumbent Tom Buco, D-Conway; Ed Butler, D-Hart's Location; Fran DeFeo, D-Conway; and Gino Funicella, D-Jackson share their views at Granite State College at the Tech Village in Conway.Attempts to raise the minimum wage have floundered in New Hampshire.On Sept. 1, 2005, the New Hampshire Senate killed a bill that sought to increase the minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $5.65 per hour, and again on Sept. 1, 2006 with a bill aiming to raise the wage from $5.65 per hour to $6.15 per hour.In Maine, legislators voted to raise the state's minimum wage from $6.50 an hour to $7 by October 2007. Supporters of these increases say the lowest-paid workers need an increase to keep up with rising costs. Opponents call the increases window dressing, something that won't help workers but could hinder new hiring because they force small businesses to curtail hiring.In New Hampshire, the state's minimum wage is the same as the federal rate, $5.15 an hour. In one instance, Chandler cast the deciding tie-breaking vote to defeat an increase."Over the last 10 years we've had eight times as many service jobs in the North Country over manufacturing jobs," Funicella said. "One of the main reasons why I'm running is because of the vote by Mr. Chandler two or three years ago on the minimum wage. The minimum wage in this state is $5.15 and it's a few dollars more in the surrounding states. The poverty level is $10 per hour. ... There are 26,000 people in New Hampshire at minimum wage. If you pay them more, Mr. Chandler will argue they'll go out of business. Well, they haven't gone out of business in Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts.""I couldn't disagree more strongly," Mock said. "This area is not a manufacturing center. It's a tourist area, it's why people come here in the first place. ... When I see a sign up here at McDonald's (advertising for staff), and last year they were paying $10 an hour with benefits. I know restaurants right here on The Strip that are paying dishwashers $10, $11 and $12 per hour because they can't get them if they don't. Also you've got to look at the State of New Hampshire which has the lowest level of unemployment in the country. ... The country is 4.6 percent and New Hampshire is 3.6 percent, and Carroll County is 3.3 percent unemployment. You know what, that is basically full employment. Anyone who wants to work is working. And, if you don't think so, pick up The Conway Daily Sun on almost any given day and look at page after page after page of help wanted ads, and they're not all service jobs.""I really can't drop this minimum wage thing," Brown said, after a brief digression onto other economic development topics. "I know that I also voted against (increasing the state's) minimum wage. When that bill came before us, I can't tell you how many calls I got from area businesses saying, please don't vote for that, don't vote for that. We didn't have a choice when we went there. We're elected by you to represent you in that vote down there. That wasn't my vote I took that vote for my constituents, who said, do not vote for the minimum wage, it's not necessary in North Conway.""If the average wage in our area is $7, $8, $9 or $10 more an hour, what's the resistance to raising the minimum wage?" Butler asked. "I disagree that it will challenge businesses to raise their pay. ... There are many people in this valley who are working two and three jobs to survive. They may be making $6, $7, $8, $9 or $10 an hour but it isn't enough for them to manage so they're working a second job or another half job or two more jobs in order to survive. Raising the minimum wage isn't going to hurt anyone and it will send a message to the people of our valley that we care for them.""I take care of 36 apartments in this town," DeFeo said. "I know my tenant pretty good. Most of them work two or three jobs in this town. ... We need to do something about the minimum wage here. It needs to be increased so people can live a somewhat decent life, a normal life and so they can put food on the table. I get phone calls from tenants every once in awhile saying, 'Can you hold off on the rent this month because I need to pay my electric bill?' or 'I need to put food in my refrigerator for my kids.'""I guess I have defend my vote," Chandler said. "I did cast the tie-breaking vote on the minimum wage vote some years ago which I'll point out at least half of people in the House that day agreed with me, otherwise I wouldn't have had to cast the vote. Right or wrong, that's what we did. As Representative Brown mentioned, clearly on that issue I received more constituent response probably than I have on anything else in my years in the House. It was clearly to vote against that bill. Maybe other people didn't call, but the people who did are the people we have to rely on. Clearly the intent of this valley, of the responses that I got, was to vote against this bill. Two things happened. One, there are very few people in this state, leave alone this valley, who are working for minimum wage. Two, if you raise the minimum wage in a lot of areas that means if you raise it up other people who are just above that making $7 and $8 per hour feel they are entitled to more money and in some cases they probably do. The testimony that we've received for years has been in the cases of a lot of summer employment with the high school students, some of the businesses that hire and maybe put on a few extra kids if they can pay them a relatively small amount, they might not be able to that. And the other thing quite honestly, was the testimony from around the state from a lot of fast food restaurants and chains was they employ people who might not otherwise be able to be employed in the private sector. They're willing to do this; but if they have to have great increases in the amount of money that they are going to have to pay some of these people, they're just not going to be able to do that. That was testimony we've heard every time we've had a minimum wage segment. That's the reason I voted that way."Buco broke away from this debate to talk about infrastructure."I support the continuation of the fiber-optic loop through Pinkham Notch that will open up the North Country to broadband access," Buco said, referring to more efficient Internet service. "I also support the state and federal grants for wastewater improvements that are going on through the Mount Washington Valley. And, I also voted for the university capital budget which allowed Granite State College and the Community Technical College to combine their programs right here at the technology village, and I hope this will be a seed for a college campus right here in Conway."Each of the candidates was given time for closing remarks with all asking voters to consider their candidacy when the public heads to the polls.District 1, which covers Bartlett, Chatham, Conway, Hart's Location, Hale's Location and Jackson, elects four candidates this November. Voting is Tuesday, Nov. 7.