Congressional hopeful Guinta meets with Rochester business owners
ROCHESTER — Near the end of his walk around downtown Thursday congressional candidate Frank Guinta met Mike Deegan, a small-business owner who is bracing for his son Kyle, a 19-year-old Marine reservist, to go off to war.
"Where are you at on Afghanistan?" he asked Guinta, a Republican and the former mayor of Manchester.
"I wouldn't put public timelines on" how long troops will have to be there, he said.
"What I would say is we're sending our troops in, we're sending the requisite number of troops in that's necessary to complete this mission and we're going to make sure we are training the police force of that country to be self-sustaining so we can bring our troops home."
Deegan, the owner of Distinctive Forrest Creations, said he found the Republican candidate to be honest and have a good grasp of the issues.
"I like the idea he supports troops. Obviously we need to go in, we need to do what we have to do," he said. "I feel confident that he's going to support the troops, give them the tools that they need to do their job."
Deegan said he wasn't sure members of Congress are of the same mindset as Guinta, yet he hesitated from throwing his full support behind the candidate — at least now.
The two also talked about the need for people to support local businesses in hopes of boosting the economy
Guinta's stop at Deegan's business, where 90 percent of the furniture and house decor come from New Hampshire or Maine, was one of six between his arrival in the city around 8 a.m. and a town hall-style meeting 10 hours later. He's amid a statewide "Let's Talk Frank About ... Tour!" that so far has put him in 15 communities.
Guinta veered from policy, slightly, when he and Deegan got to comparing the quality of American-made products versus things found in big box stores, and Guinta recalled shopping for beds for his daughters, who are 5 and 6, when they graduated from cribs.
"I remember when I was a kid 'Made in the U.S.A.' meant something, and the quality was exceptional," he said.
Guinta said Rochester was not part of the tour because it's home to Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter, a Democrat whose seat is also being eyed by GOP candidate Bob Bestani of Newmarket, Rich Ashooh of Bedford, Mike Castaldo of Dover and Peter Bearse of Fremont.
Bestani has been looking to engage Guinta in a debate for months, something Guinta said will happen once the field is settled in June.
"When the debates are scheduled I'll be there, and I've told him that personally," he said. "Unfortunately when you're the front-runner this is what people do to you."
Before noon, Guinta stopped by Mel Flanagan's Irish Pub, also on North Main Street, where owner Walter Bellville said small businesses need help accessing working capital. So far, he said, banks tell him they can't loan unless he shows a profit.
"I tell them that if we were showing a profit we wouldn't need a loan" to replace equipment, help with advertising and stocking shelves, he said, adding a dart league, Friday night music sessions and private parties help keep the business afloat.
At the Jenny-Wren Gallery, Guinta met with owner Jennifer Stimac, police Capt. Paul Callaghan and Mike Provost, executive director of Rochester Main Street. They discussed obstacles downtown business owners can encounter trying to raise money to benefit their districts.
But mostly, Guinta was there to introduce himself, offer "constituent services" and hear from local folks. "I think Congress needs regular every day people that have a much better idea of what's going on," he said.
As he walked between businesses, Guinta said he's proud to be a Republican but doesn't wear party affiliation on his sleeve.
"But when I say I cut taxes, I cut spending, I increased our police force and changed the philosophy of our police force because we needed to get crime under control, they say 'I'm for that,' " he said.
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