Business & Community Director Cassie Gudek attended the New Hampshire Governor’s State of the State forum at the NH Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College, Wednesday, February 17th. Governor Hassan first remarked on the importance of town hall governance in the state, and maintaining the strong tradition of keeping the lines of communication open in this manner.

The Governor then gave progress reports across several areas: the battle against the heroine and opioid epidemic (greater education to deter drug abuse, and to reduce the over-prescribing of opioid pain killers), safety and security of citizens and children (partnerships with DCYF to improve case manager training to better detect cases of abuse), economic and workforce development (freezing the in-state tuition for the first time in 20 years, and her ‘Gateway to Work’ plan), transportation and infrastructure, (working towards a commuter rail from Manchester to Boston) and access to health care coverage (through the Bipartisan Expansion Plan).

The Governor then fielded questions from the audience, including one from BCL, Cassie Gudek, regarding the importance of training and education of our young adults to foster a stronger and more agile workforce in the state. The Town Hall tradition is alive in well in new Hampshire, and an excellent opportunity to hear from our elected officials and voice our concerns especially as it pertains to economic and workforce development in our region.