John H. Lynch
John H. Lynch (b. November 25, 1952, Waltham, Massachusetts) is a former Democratic Governor of New Hampshire, serving from 2005 to 2013. Lynch was on the Board of Directors at Dyn, a "worldwide leader in Internet Infrastructure as a Service."[1]
In 2010, Lynch was elected to an unprecedented fourth consecutive two-year term. In September 2011, he announced he would not seek another term in office. He made the announcement at Northwest Elementary School, saying that although "for me, being governor of the State of New Hampshire is the best job in the world [and] serving in this role is the highest privilege of my life, democracy demands periodic change. To refresh and revive itself, democracy needs new leaders and new ideas."[2]
Lynch was succeeded by Maggie Hassan (D) who won election on November 6, 2012.
Biography
Prior to his election, Lynch's career included work as director of admissions at Harvard Business School, CEO of Knoll Inc., a national furniture manufacturer, and president of The Lynch Group, a business consulting firm in Manchester, New Hampshire. Lynch was serving as chairman of the University System of New Hampshire Board of Trustees when he announced he would run for governor.[3]
Education
Lynch earned his undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1974, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.[3]
Political career
Governor of New Hampshire (2005 - 2013)
A businessman and Democratic Party politician, Lynch was elected on November 2, 2004, defeating Republican incumbent Craig Benson by a narrow margin. Lynch was the first challenger to defeat a one-term incumbent in New Hampshire in 78 years. He was sworn in on January 6, 2005. As Governor, he is a member of both the National Governors Association and the Democratic Governors Association.
In a poll released on December 20, 2005,[4] Lynch was ranked as the most popular of all Democratic incumbents, with 69% approval versus 21% disapproval. As of February, 2008, he has an approval rating of 73%, one of the highest such ratings in the country.[5]. As of June 20, 2008 his approval rating is 57% good or excellent and 11% poor.[6]
In April 2006, Lynch was awarded the National Chairman of Volunteers Award for Volunteer Excellence by the American Red Cross, mainly due to his leadership during the 2005 floods.[7]
Lynch was elected to a second two year term in a 74-26 landslide over Republican Jim Coburn. Lynch's coattails helped Democrats take over both houses of the State Legislature, and upset incumbent Congressmen Charlie Bass and Jeb Bradley. Lynch's 74 percent of the vote was the largest margin of victory ever in a New Hampshire gubernatorial race.[8] Lynch's poll numbers also improved following his successful re-election. His approval rating rose to 79% in November and his disapproval rating dropped to 17%. This makes him the second most popular governor in the nation behind John Hoeven.[9]
Lynch described his first term as a period in which bipartisan unity was accomplished. With the support of Republicans, Lynch was able to eliminate the state's budget deficit, design a plan to help small businesses with health care costs, and create new laws protecting children from predators. He lists some of the goals of his current term as raising the graduation rate and test scores, increasing the quality of education is struggling schools, making health care more accessible, and preserve the state's environment.[10] (dead link)
Governor Lynch generally held liberal social views but more conservative economic beliefs, as is in line with the somewhat libertarian nature of New Hampshire. He supported abortion rights and would have liked to make emergency contraception more accessible, favored legalizing civil unions for gay couples within his state, and supported upholding New Hampshire's gun laws and death penalty. However, he was a strong supporter of requiring balanced budgets and was an opponent of the sales and income tax.[11]
Judicial appointments
As governor, Lynch was responsible for appointing judges to New Hampshire state courts. In New Hampshire, the governor makes a judicial appointment after candidates are recommended by a judicial nominating commission. After the governor selects a judge, the appointment must be confirmed by the executive council. For an up-to-date list of all of Lynch's appointees, see Judges appointed by John Lynch.
State Budget Deficit
During his third term, Lynch faced a severe budget deficit brought about by increased state spending and revenues that failed to meet budget projections.[12]. On April 8, 2010, Lynch estimated that the total deficit would reach $220 million[13], short of estimates from the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy.
Lynch's proposed fix for the budget hole[14] included targeted cuts at various state agencies, a $.20 per pack tax on cigarettes, anticipated aid from the federal government, and significant borrowing[15]. On April 12, 2010, the Legislative Fiscal Committee unanimously approved Lynch's Executive Order[16] cutting $25 million from state agencies in Fiscal Year 2010[17]. The remainder of Lynch's proposal needs approval from the full Legislature.
False surplus
On October 4, 2010, Lynch announced that the state ended Fiscal Year 2010 with a $70 million surplus. However, that figure includes both new debt and an $80 million transfer, or loan, from the current fiscal year. The unaudited "surplus statement" comes from the Department of Revenue Administration.
The FY10 Budget borrowed money to meet the state’s payments to local school districts under the Building Aid Program. By taking $45 million out of the General Fund, and paying for it out of the Capital Budget, the Governor and Legislature have created the illusion of a spending cut, while actually increasing the cost of the program.[18]
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
In early July 2011, Lynch vetoed legislation that would repeal New Hampshire’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Lynch--a longtime RGGI supporter--promised throughout 2011 that he would veto any bill pulling New Hampshire out of ten-state cap and trade compact. The RGGI auctions off the right to emit carbon dioxide from fossil fuel power plants.
The New Hampshire House passed the RGGI repeal with more than enough support to override a veto. However, the Senate is likely to uphold Lynch’s veto, as five Republican Senators have joined all five Senate Democrats in supporting the program, with reforms in how RGGI revenues are distributed.[19]
Elections
2012
In September 2011, incumbent governor Lynch announced he would not seek another term in office.[2] Maggie Hassan (D) won election on November 6, 2012.
2010
Lynch overwhelmingly won the September 14 primary, defeating Timothy Robertson and Frank Sullivan.
Lynch defeated John Stephen (R) and John J. Babiarz (L) in the general election on November 2, 2010.[20]
| Governor of New Hampshire, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  John H. Lynch Incumbent |
52.6% | 240,346 | |
| Republican | John Stephen | 45% | 205,616 | |
| Libertarian | John J. Babiarz | 2.2% | 10,089 | |
| Scatter | - | 0.1% | 537 | |
| Total Votes | 456,588 | |||
Campaign finance summary
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
He and his wife, Dr. Susan Lynch, live in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. They have three children, Julia, Hayden and Jacqueline.
See also
Contact information
Office of the Governor
State House
25 Capitol Street
Concord, NH 03301
Phone:603-271-2121
Fax:603-271-7680[21]
External links
- New Hampshire Governor John Lynch Official state site
- Campaign contributions:2010, 2008, 2004
- On the Issues - John Lynch issue positions and quotes
- Project Vote Smart - Governor John Lynch (NH) profile
- (dead link) Nga.org National Governors Association John Lynch bio
The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine was used to recall this version of the website from November 6, 2012.
Footnotes
- ↑ San Francisco Gate, Dyn Adds Former NH Governor John Lynch to Its Board of Directors, August 7, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 NewHampshire.com, "Governor won't seek corner office again," September 19, 2011
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 National Governors Association, "John Lynch" accessed September 18, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ Survey USA Governor's Ratings
- ↑ Lynch still enjoys high job approval - Boston.com (dead link)
- ↑ Rasmussen Reports™: The most comprehensive public opinion coverage ever provided for a presidential election (dead link)
- ↑ American Red Cross Honors John Lynch American Red Cross
- ↑ http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Landslide+for+Lynch+one+for+history+books&articleId=d605035b-90bb-4833-8c47-6d0e48656745
- ↑ http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2006/Approval50StateGovernor061120.htm
- ↑ http://governor.nh.gov/biography/index.htm
- ↑ http://www.ontheissues.org/John_Lynch.htm
- ↑ "Measuring the Revenue Shortfall," Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, April 19, 2010
- ↑ New Hampshire Watchdog, "Lynch Budget Fix includes cuts, taxes, and transfers," April 8, 2010
- ↑ Governor John Lynch, "Ensuring a Balanced Budget," April 8, 2010
- ↑ New Hampshire Watchdog, "Lynch Budget relies on new debt to balance budget," April 13, 2010
- ↑ Governor John Lynch, "Executive Order 2010-02, April 8, 2010
- ↑ New Hampshire Watchdog, "Fiscal gives swift approval to $25 million in cuts," April 12, 2010
- ↑ "NH "Surplus" relies on borrowing, transfers," NH Watchdog, October 5, 2010
- ↑ "John Lynch vetoes RGGI Repeal," New Hampshire Watchdog, July 6, 2011
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "2010 general election results," accessed December 10, 2011
- ↑ National Governors Association, "John Lynch" accessed September 18, 2012 (dead link)
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