Jim O’Connell and John Stephen have spent weeks crisscrossing the eastern part of the state door knocking, talking to people on the streets and attending events to inform them about the duties of the Executive Council and what’s at stake in this election.

“Over the last number of terms, it has become a body that is more concerned with ideology than with delivering the solutions that the people need,” Democrat O’Connell said about the five-member council that approves state contract and appointments from the governor.

“We just need to make sure our government is working efficiently in all areas,” said Stephen, a Republican. “I listened a lot during door-to-door activity. I’m hearing a lot about the housing crisis in the state and the need for affordable housing. I’m hearing a lot about issues involving mental health – areas that I have been involved in the past – and trying to make sure that we provide effective services for those that need service.”

The two Manchester residents are running for the District 4 Executive Council seat in the Nov. 5 election. For the last two years, the council under Governor Chris Sununu has held four Republicans and one Democrat, Cinde Warmington, who stepped down to run for governor.

The district includes Allenstown, Auburn, Barnstead, Barrington, Bedford, Candia, Chichester, Deerfield, Epsom, Goffstown, Hooksett, Lee, Londonderry, Loudon, Manchester, Northwood, Nottingham, Pembroke, Pittsfield and Strafford.

Jim O’Connell

O’Connell serves as vice chair of the Manchester School Board and has worked in the business and technology industries, including founding a cybersecurity company in the early 2000s. Now retired, O’Connell hails from Ireland and moved to New Hampshire three decades ago to start a family.

“My history has been one of fighting for rights for families for my entire life,” he said. “My history in Manchester has been delivering value, keeping my eye on the ball, and making sure that I’m focusing on everyday people and not special interests or outside influences.”

O’Connell highlighted his experience on the Manchester School Board, including overseeing a construction project of over $300 million and advocating for higher wages, all while working within the tax cap. He added that running a business, working on large transportation endeavors, and managing public/private partnerships have prepared him well for the role of executive councilor. O’Connell also reiterated his commitment to ensuring reproductive rights, healthcare, and free education for New Hampshire residents and also described himself as an advocate for the state’s 10-year transportation plan.

In speaking with voters, he says he’s noticed that people want to see change away from partisan politics.

He cited the council’s rejection of funding for Planned Parenthood and a proposal to fund a sex education program in 2022 because of concerns about the curriculum.

“I’m going to Concord to deliver practical solutions for people,” O’Connell added. “People want to talk about housing. They want to talk about our economy. They want to talk about education and doing something about the fact that the state keeps on pushing the cost for these things down onto local communities and thereby pushing up local taxes while all the time singing the song about we’re going to be fiscally responsible.”

O’Connell said he is dedicated to problem-solving and working with others to do the job to the best of his ability.

“There are New Hampshire solutions to New Hampshire problems,” O’Connell said. “We just need to be brave enough to seek them out and then to deliver them. But if we’re going to be using this ideological prism to see everything through, with people looking to right-wing think tanks to see what their policy ought to be, that’s not New Hampshire way.”

John Stephen

Stephen has previously served as the commissioner of the Department for Health and Human Services, deputy commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Safety, assistant attorney general, and Assistant Hillsborough County Attorney. He is the founder and partner at The Stephen Group, a consulting company.

Stephen said he wants to see more shared services at the state level with departments and stakeholders coming together regardless of party affiliation to work towards shared goals.

“Serving under five different governors and being appointed by governors of different parties, sets me apart in the sense that I have already been able to see up front what it takes to work together in a bipartisan way,” Stephen said.

Speaking with residents, Stephen heard people’s concerns about delays in permitting impacting small businesses, be it child care centers or restaurants.

“What I’m seeing is the need in New Hampshire, especially, to take the departments that are doing permitting regulatory issues, to come together, meet and identify the gaps and the barriers in the process that are creating necessary delays and impacting our citizens’ ability to grow and our businesses’ ability to grow,” Stephen said. “That’s one area where I’m going to be very vigilant, to make sure the departments are working together collaboratively.”

Serving as the commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services – a role in which he often went before the council – prepared him to be an executive councilor, he said. Stephen also underscored his work in the nonprofit sector as a co-founder of the Veterans Count at Easter Seals.

For Stephen, running for Executive Council is about ensuring governmental efficiency and collaboration.

“Everything we do in government, we need to make sure that we bring value back to the taxpayers,” Stephen said. “That includes in delivering effective services. Second, we need to make sure that those services are getting out to the people that need them, and that the administrative component is efficient, so that we’re maximizing every dollar we have to ensure that those dollars can be used wisely to deliver the services that we need to deliver in this state.”

Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@cmonitor.com