With 3 weeks left in office, Sununu reflects on 14 years in New Hampshire government

Chris Sununu leads his last Executive Council meeting as governor. Charlotte Matherly—Concord Monitor
Published: 12-18-2024 7:01 PM |
In his 14 years in government, Chris Sununu has seen a lot.
One of his favorite moments? He was an executive councilor and was about to vote on funding for Planned Parenthood. Activists from opposing sides crowded the council chambers as they debated the contract.
“The room was flooded with just citizens who walked in the door. Where else in the country can you get a divisive issue like that, where people on both sides are literally standing shoulder to shoulder, literally in that moment with the governor while they’re having that debate?” Sununu said. “They took the vote. One side won, one side lost, and one side was OK, and one side was upset, but everyone walked away. Never, anywhere in this country, would that happen other than New Hampshire. I sat there, and it was emotional for me because I went, ‘God darn it, we do it right.’”
Sununu, who has just three weeks left as governor, reflected on Wednesday – after his 335th and final Executive Council meeting – on the Granite State’s culture of public involvement and civil debate, and his time in office. Before becoming governor in 2017, he served three terms as a councilor.
He praised New Hampshire’s model of the Executive Council, saying it not only provides a checks-and-balances system but fosters public debate. Despite some political grandstanding, especially during election season, Sununu said, he finds it opens the process to the public and keeps different branches of government in touch.
As for some of his accomplishments, Sununu cited his administration’s work on the drug crisis and mental health crisis, which have been top priorities throughout his tenure.
After meeting a woman in the North Country who told him she’d “tough it out” because she couldn’t commute halfway across the state for care, he came up with the idea for the Doorways program, which has locations across the state and provides treatment, prevention and recovery care.
“I was like, ‘That’s it.’ It was rural access to care that we didn’t have,” Sununu said. “We were asking people to do too much on their time and their schedule to meet their needs where they needed to be.”
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As he prepares to leave office, Sununu said he’ll miss the personal interactions that come with being governor, like people walking up to him in the grocery store or visiting small towns, although he’s ready to step down. His personality and free-wheeling conversational style have for years boosted his popularity with voters.
“To be able to go to Chatham and say hi to the town clerk and they want to let you know what’s happening there, it’s exciting. It’s empowering for them, and it’s an opportunity for myself,” Sununu said. “Yeah, I’ll miss that kind of stuff, but eight years is enough for anybody, to be sure.”
Wednesday also marked the last council meeting for Cinde Warmington, a Concord Democrat who ran in the primary campaign for governor, and Ted Gatsas, a retiring Republican from Manchester. They’ll be replaced by Karen Liot Hill, a Democrat from Lebanon, and John Stevens, another Manchester Republican.
Gov.-elect Kelly Ayotte will be sworn in on Jan. 9. As for Sununu’s next chapter, he said he plans to stay in New Hampshire and is looking for nationally focused jobs in private equity or media.
Charlotte Matherly is the statehouse reporter for the Concord Monitor and Monadnock Ledger-Transcript in partnership with Report for America. Follow her on X at @charmatherly, sign up for her Capital Beat newsletter, and send her an email at cmatherly@cmonitor.com.