Dear Voters,
I am Jay Kahn, candidate in the September 13th Primary Election for the Democratic nomination for State Senator in District 10, which includes Keene and 14 surrounding towns in Cheshire County. My leadership experience in our region and nationally has prepared me well for the State Senate: Keene State College as VP for Finance and Planning for 27 years and Interim President for 2012-2013, leading regional organizations, and helping start-up many initiatives to support the Monadnock region.
The passion with which I have advocated on behalf of Keene State College and the Monadnock region across the state is the same passion I will bring to the State Senate in representing Cheshire County citizens, students, institutions, and businesses. I’m proud of my accomplishments, for which I have been awarded honorary alumnus by the KSC Alumni Association and lifetime honorary membership by NH architects.
The way we improved KSC’s learning environment is through inclusive processes, hearing the preferences of how faculty most effectively teach and how students most effectively learn. It’s the same kind of legislator I will be--one who leads on issues, listens to voters, and incorporates ideas of others to achieve legislation that creates the greatest value.
Important to me is workforce development and educational opportunity that will spur economic growth, retain high school and college graduates in NH, help retain and grow current businesses, and have the capacity to encourage innovation in NH. This goal requires that NH holds down the price of education and establishes partnerships that help students pay down education debt. The state also needs more certificate programs that translate directly to workforce needs in fields such as manufacturing, information technology, healthcare, mental health services, child care, and construction trades. There are too many good paying, entry-level jobs in the Monadnock region that are going unfilled.
Schools and teachers need to be engaged in the process of helping link grade-level competencies to workforce skills at earlier ages. We wait until students near high school graduation to make them aware of available workplaces locally. And we need to adjust the amount of standardized testing done in schools and rely more on how teachers inspire students.
Sustaining equal opportunity requires more proactive policies for child care and child development (0-5 yrs.) – access to healthcare, early assessment of learning and physical disabilities, parenting information on developmental skills that lead to school readiness, more childcare capacity, and family medical leave policies in the workplace.
We also need to assure access to healthcare and mental health services. I support Medicaid expansion and Planned Parenthood funding. I will support policy changes that ensure greater access to treatment of substance use disorders – expand the mental healthcare workforce by accelerating licensure procedures, including out-of-state reciprocity, and more licensed drug and alcohol recovery coaching programs. We need to support human services clients, workers, and emergency responders with better information systems to link people with needs to existing treatment and services for which they qualify.
Our state needs to expand renewable energy supply (wind, solar, and water) and encourage conservation investments by using existing Regional Greenhouse Gases (RGGI) revenues. We can grow small businesses with good paying jobs to fill a regional need and avoid gas pipelines, which this region doesn’t support. We also need to make progress on other infrastructure needs like broadband, road repairs, and bridge replacements.
Among the three candidates running, I have been endorsed by retiring State Senator Molly Kelly, Congresswomen Annie Kuster, 14 current Cheshire Co. State Representatives, three elected Cheshire County officials, 11 Keene City Councilors and Mayor Lane, and teachers and state employee unions. As Sen. Kelly stated in her endorsement, “Jay Kahn is a finance and business expert and has the exact skill set we need in the State Senate.” I will be the strongest advocate for you and the Monadnock region in the state legislature. I hope you agree and vote for me in the Democratic primary election on September 13th.
Jay Kahn
135 Darling Road
Keene, NH
352-2903