Peterborough Democrat faces Bedford Republican in NH Senate 9 race

Oct. 24--Two years after taking office, an incumbent Democratic state senator from Peterborough faces a challenge from the Republican vice chairwoman of the Bedford Town Council.

District 9 zigzags from the Monadnock Region to the outskirts of Manchester, covering the towns of Richmond, Troy, Fitzwilliam, Jaffrey, Dublin, Hancock, Peterborough, Greenfield, Temple, Lyndeborough, New Boston, Mont Vernon and Bedford.

Both candidates have business backgrounds -- the Democratic incumbent, Sen. Jeanne Dietsch, 68, founded a robotics company, while her challenger, Denise Ricciardi, 59, owned a small insurance business -- along with strong roots in their communities and a history of volunteer service.

Ricciardi said she has long been active in Bedford -- sitting on the conservation and energy commissions, serving as a cemetery trustee, helping to revive Old Home Days, teaching cooking classes and starting an initiative to shop for seniors and other medically vulnerable folks early in the coronavirus pandemic.

"I see a problem, and I fix it," she said in a recent interview.

Ricciardi said her top priorities as a senator would include the economy and education.

As New Hampshire works to recover from COVID-19's economic fallout, Ricciardi said she would prioritize small businesses and promote entrepreneurship by keeping taxes low and scaling back regulations.

"When you place too many mandates, it makes it hard for an entrepreneur to get their business going," she said.

On education, she said parents need to have the flexibility to find the learning option that best suits each kid.

"We have to give parents more choices about their children's education, because there's no better person to know how their child would thrive," she said. Even within one family, each child might have a different learning style, she said. "So if a parent can choose to move her child to a different public school, or a public charter school, or home school, then I think they have the right to do that."

On the issues page of her website, Ricciardi states that "funding for education should follow the child."

Ricciardi also advocated for more vocational training in schools. And, if elected, she vowed to work with the education commissioner to ensure "we get all our public schools the best they can possibly be, and that we don't have disparities amongst the different towns."

She also has an interest in environmental issues. She has experienced water contamination personally, as have constituents of hers in Bedford, she said.

"I really am very passionate about clean water," she said. "I think every resident in New Hampshire should be able to turn their tap on and have safe drinking water."

She said she would also support steps to promote clean energy, though declined to weigh in on specific proposals that have come before the Legislature in recent years because she was not there for those debates.

Ricciardi said she has proven leadership skills and would work to reach across the aisle.

"I can make things better in Concord, and to me, I don't care if you're a Democrat, a Republican or independent," she said. "I want to be there and represent your voice."

Dietsch, who was elected in 2018, is a member of the N.H. Business Finance Authority board of directors and the Peterborough Economic Development Authority, and has also served on the ConVal School Board.

She argued that her business background can appeal to moderate Republicans in the district. She also said she wants to contribute to a sensible discourse post-election.

"I think it's important to have stability and reasonable voices who are committed to talking things through and making sure that we have a strong society," she said.

Dietsch named two key policy priorities: education funding and climate change.

Last year, a Cheshire County judge struck down the state's current school-funding formula, citing N.H. Supreme Court precedents that require the state government to define and fund an "adequate education." A study commission established by the N.H. Legislature has also been meeting and is due to issue recommendations soon.

Dietsch said the existing system, which relies heavily on local property taxes, is unfair to students and taxpayers. She pushed for getting rid of the idea "that this town only has a few students and a lot of money, and therefore they can have a great education, versus this town has a lot of students and not much money, and therefore they don't have a good education.

"That's both foolhardy and short-sighted," she added, "because it short-changes the education of the people who are going to run this state and run our economy."

Instead, more of that funding should be pooled at the state level and distributed equitably across districts, she argued.

On climate, Dietsch criticized Republican Gov. Chris Sununu for vetoing Democratic priorities related to clean energy. Specifically, Dietsch mentioned four bills she would like to see pass.

One would ease restrictions on "net metering," which refers to homes, towns and businesses saving on electric bills by generating energy on site with a solar array or other renewable source. Democrats have proposed raising the cap for larger entities so they could install renewable energy facilities capable of generating up to 5 megawatts at a time -- the current limit is 1 -- but Sununu has argued it would shift costs to other customers.

Dietsch also advocated for putting the proceeds from a regional cap-and-trade system toward energy efficiency improvements, rather than direct rebates, and requiring utilities to use more renewable energy.

And she said she hopes to continue working to expand broadband access.

When it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on the economy, she called on Congress to pass another relief package. At the state level, she emphasized employment assistance and connecting job-seekers with openings.

"We really do have that mismatch again between the kinds of jobs that people are seeking and the kinds of jobs that are available," she said.

Paul Cuno-Booth can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1409, or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @PCunoBoothKS.

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