New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte wasted no time Thursday signaling plans to oversee a period of belt-tightening in state government.
The newly inaugurated Republican didn’t immediately specify what her administration would seek to trim from the budget, but she underscored her cost-cutting commitment by announcing the creation of a state-level Commission on Government Efficiency.
Ayotte drew applause and chuckles from GOP lawmakers when she pronounced the commission’s acronym, COGE, during her inaugural address. It’s “kōhj.” That rhymes with DOGE (“dōhj”), the acronym for President-elect Donald J. Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
Ayotte didn’t mention DOGE directly, but the implicit reference in her COGE announcement was clear. In much the same way that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are preparing to scrutinize the federal government, two business-minded New Hampshire leaders are preparing to scrutinize the state government as well.
Former Governor Craig R. Benson and Bedford businessman Andy Crews will lead the commission, Ayotte announced during her speech. Benson appointed Ayotte as state attorney general in 2004, and Crews, the former president and CEO of AutoFair Automotive Group, has been serving as New Hampshire Lottery commissioner.
“They are going to put proposals on my desk to streamline government, cut spending, and ensure that we’re doing everything we can to create value for our taxpayers,” Ayotte said.
Benson and Crews will not be compensated for their work on the commission, according to the governor’s office.
Later in the day, Ayotte’s office released a copy of her first executive order. It establishes COGE and specifies that the commission will consist of 15 members in total, including 13 appointed by the governor. One member will be a state representative appointed by the speaker of the New Hampshire House, and one will be a state senator appointed by the president of the New Hampshire Senate, according to the order.
Ayotte called Benson and Crews “two of the smartest business guys I know,” and said COGE will conduct its work in a way that honors the state’s commitment to serving vulnerable residents.
House Majority Leader Jason Osborne said Republicans — who hold a majority of seats in each legislative chamber — are excited to partner with Ayotte on COGE and other projects.
House Democratic Minority Leader Alexis Simpson, meanwhile, expressed concern that Ayotte had picked “two millionaires to talk about government efficiency” after GOP leaders approved tax cuts for higher-income Granite Staters.
New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley said Ayotte is “following in Trump’s footsteps” and “already laying the groundwork for massive budget cuts to services that people rely on.”
Democrats were particularly pointed in their criticism of Benson, whom Buckley called an “underwhelming” one-term governor. Benson, who lost his bid for reelection in 2004, faced criticism on a variety of topics while in office, including his reliance on unpaid “volunteers” in his administration without disclosing information about them, according to news reports from the Concord Monitor and others.
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Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.