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Concord, N.H. -- Governor Chris Sununu’s administration is allowing non-residents who own second homes in New Hampshire, but are not full-time New Hampshire residents -- such as in the Sununu family Waterville Valley Resort area -- to receive some of New Hampshire’s COVID-19 vaccination doses. This comes after reports that Sununu prioritized vaccinating ski patrol members but refused to follow CDC guidelines and vaccinate teachers in Phase 1 of the vaccine rollout. NHPR reported that according to the state website updated Jan. 21, “anyone who owns land in New Hampshire, which includes second homeowners or out-of-state landlords who reside elsewhere, need only provide proof of property ownership to get vaccinated in New Hampshire, despite the lack of doses currently available for full-time residents.” Vermont and Maine, which are ahead of New Hampshire in the percentage of the population vaccinated, are only allowing residents or people who work in the state to obtain the vaccine. Massachusetts, where many people who own second homes in New Hampshire live full time, has not yet opened vaccinations to the 65-plus category. This news comes after reports that Sununu approved a plan to move ski patrol members -- even out-of-staters and volunteers -- into the first group for vaccinations -- and to downgrade the priority of teachers. New Hampshire is one of only two states -- along with New Jersey -- that will not vaccinate educators by Phase 1b -- in defiance of CDC guidelines that say Phase 1b of the vaccine rollout should prioritize frontline educators. The state’s decision under Governor Sununu to prioritize vaccinating ski patrol staff and non-residents who own second homes raises serious concerns given Sununu and his family’s financial ties to the ski industry and the Waterville Valley ski resort. Chris Sununu was the CEO of his family’s ski resort at Waterville Valley -- where only 10 percent of the town’s homes are occupied by year-round residents -- and two of his brothers, James and Michael, continue to serve as corporate officers of the resort. Chris Sununu still holds an ownership stake in the ski resort. “In yet another example of corruption in his administration, Chris Sununu is giving the life-saving COVID vaccine to the ultra-wealthy, out of staters who own property near his ski resort, while our teachers, grocery store workers, and many residents in long-term care facilities are waiting on the COVID vaccine,” said New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley. “There needs to be a serious look into how Sununu and his family are benefiting from this disastrous COVID policy.”
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