DATE=5/3/02

TYPE=English Feature

NUMBER=7-36258

TITLE=Interview: New Hampshire Governor Jean Shaheen

BYLINE=Adam Phillips

TELEPHONE=212-264-2148

DATELINE=Concord New Hampshire

EDITOR=Nancy Smart

CONTENT=

(ATTN: AMERICANA, POLITICS)

INTRO: The small state of New Hampshire in the region of the northeastern United States known as New England has a famous motto - "Live Free or Die." It reflects New Hampshire's role in the American Revolution and the continued independent-mindedness of its citizens. New Hampshire also is well-known as the first state to hold direct primaries during national presidential campaigns.

In 1996, New Hampshire elected Jeanne Shaheen [SHEH' heen], a Democrat, to be the first woman governor in its two hundred and twelve year history, and has since re-elected her twice. VOAs Adam Phillips recently met with Governor Shaheen in Concord, the state capital, and asked her what makes New Hampshire both challenging and special in her view.

TEXT: On a clear spring day midway through her third term, New Hampshire governor Jeanne Shaheen [SHEH' heen], takes a moment after a news conference to smooth out her signature red dress, and then begins to outline a broad portrait of her state for an outsider.

TAPE CUT ONE SHAHEEN

"New Hampshire is a very special state. It is a state that has a unique combination of industry, agriculture, forestry, that makes it a beautiful state, but also a state where there are good jobs and also a business climate that encourages business to thrive."

TEXT: While today, one out of four New Hampshirites was born elsewhere, Missouri-bred Governor Shaheen says that the look and feel of the place remain solidly "New England Traditional."

TAPE CUT TWO SHAHEEN

"It was one of the original thirteen colonies that formed the United States. If you travel around the countryside in New Hampshire, you can see structures that date back to the Revolution and to the early part of our history… [And] I think [we] New Hampshire people pride ourselves on being independent, on being thoughtful and on being individuals… not necessarily following the crowd. (BEGIN OPT) So people in New Hampshire, I think, think for themselves. They come to their own conclusions."

TEXT: Governor Shaheen says there also is a tradition of skepticism, even mistrust, of state authority in New Hampshire which makes running the state a unique challenge for its chief executive.

TAPE CUT THREE SHAHEEN

"That is true that people they want to know the good reasons why you're doing something. (END OPT) And I think that's important. It's certainly important to the democratic process and New Hampshire's history of having the first presidential primary here reflects how thoughtful people here are about the political process and about policy.

People are used to having candidates for president coming through their living rooms and having the opportunity -- and many people feel the right -- to ask those people why they are running for president, what they want to do and challenge their thoughts and their issues. And that's good for the democratic process in this country."

TEXT: (BEGIN OPT) Alone among state governments in the United States, New Hampshire features an Executive Council presided over by the Governor. The system is directly rooted in colonial days and even earlier, to the Magna Carta, which mandated a careful balance of power between the sovereign and his or her counselors.

TAPE CUT FOUR SHAHEEN

"New Hampshire is the only state in the country that has an actively working executive council. That is a carryover from colonial days. It is a five-member elected body. They run from districts just as our legislators run from districts, and they approve all contracts that the state enters into and all appointments to boards and commissions and positions within state government. So it's a very powerful state body. But it is also another level of government that provides an opportunity for public scrutiny over how government operates." (END OPT)

TEXT: New Hampshire has no state income tax, and much of Governor Shaheen's energy is spent locating other ways to raise revenue for New Hampshire's schools, health and social programs, roads, and other services.

TAPE CUT FIVE SHAHEEN

"… But one of the things we do in New Hampshire, which has become increasingly important in terms of how government and states in this country function, is that we're very good at partnerships. We work together -- the private sector, the non-profit, and the public sector -- to get things done. And so we are very creative. We are very innovative, and we are very frugal."

TEXT: While Jeanne Shaheen was the first woman ever elected to New Hampshire's highest office, it is a distinction that seems to mean little to her.

TAPE CUT SIX SHAHEEN

"I am the first woman governor in New Hampshire. But I got elected governor not because I was a woman, but because what I had to say about issues that made a difference for people in this state is what I think appealed to them. I was working on making sure that people had good jobs and that they have access to health care and a good education for their children.

And I hope that that's how I will be remembered as somebody who was on the side of the people of New Hampshire and always fighting to make sure that the people in this state got what they needed to be successful."

TEXT: Jeanne Shaheen has served almost three terms as New Hampshire's governor, which may be enough for her. But she hopes to continue to serve the state, and is currently running for U-S Senator in a highly contentious three-way race. I'm Adam Phillips, in Concord, New Hampshire.

Neb/ap/nes