'They deserve a voice': John Burns of SOS resigns from Sununu's recovery council

John Burns took to Twitter Thursday morning to announce his resignation from the governor’s NH Recovery Friendly Workplace Advisory (RFW) Council, citing his disappointment with the governor's lack of willingness to add more diverse voices to the council. 

Burns is a well-known advocate in the recovery and substance abuse community as the director of SOS Recovery. He said that while he believes in the work the council is doing, he is disheartened by Gov. Chris Sununu rejecting the council’s unanimous recommendation for Emmett Soldati and Tanisha Johnson to join the council.

He said that these additions “would have brought valuable LGBTQ+ and BIPOC voices to this council.”

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“It’s been over six months awaiting an explanation,” Burns said on Twitter. “Today I step aside in light of what I perceive as politics over people and disregard for inclusion. I have no interest in participating in efforts that don’t include our LGBTQ and BIPOC partners … They’ve been marginalized long enough and deserve a voice.”

Sununu spokesperson Ben Vihstadt said that the governor is “absolutely open to adding new members, including LGBT and BIPOC voices to the council,” and while the governor is happy to receive recommendations, “it is not the role of this council to nominate its members.”

Burns told Foster’s Daily Democrat that it was strictly a personal decision and not an organizational one on behalf of SOS Recovery.

He said he resigned because “the council made a statement supporting diversity, equity inclusion in spaces around peer-recovery supports on June 3, 2020 and the representation on the council has not reflected that statement and efforts to achieve it haven't been successful.”  He said the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association “identifies cultural competency and diversity as one of the principles of a recovery oriented system of care” and diversifying the council would have greatly benefited the work the council is doing.

“Addiction and peer-recovery supports should never be compromised on issues of partisanship,” Burns said. “Efforts and unanimous recommendations were made with the RFW advisory council to make changes to include more diversity but nominations of two qualified candidates were rejected (Emmett Soldati) and ignored (Tanisha Johnson). The Recovery Friendly workplace advisory council needs voices of the LGBTQ+ community and communities of  color, given documented disparities in access to treatment and recovery supports those communities have faced. In light of the decisions not to appoint recommendations for representation made by the council, I decided to resign my position and step down.”

The NH Recovery Friendly Workplace Advisory Council is part of the governor's  Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative, which is meant to “promote individual wellness for Granite Staters by empowering workplaces to provide support for people recovering from substance use disorder,” according to the state’s website. 

According to the governor's office, there are nearly 300 participating workplaces representing approximately 84,000 employees, and the Recovery Friendly Workplace Program has become a model for other states looking to start their own initiatives.

Burns ended his statement saying that, “To be clear: the work of the Recovery Friendly Workplace in this state is critical and being done right. The work of the RFAs is stellar and this decision does not reflect upon those efforts but rather another frustrating missed opportunity at inclusion by the governor.”

Soldati, who challenged longtime Chairman Ray Buckley for chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party and lost this year, continues to be vocal about politics and causes he believes in. His cafe in downtown Somersworth was designated a “Recovery Friendly Workplace” and he says that he was honored to be recommended by the council, and disappointed when that recommendation was rejected. 

“I’ve always been active in the space of recovery,” Soldati said. “All members of the council unanimously recommended me given my own personal background in recovery, the work that I do in owning a business that is committed to recovery and sobriety, while also having strong connections to the LGBTQ community –  which is a constituency that the council determined they were not doing enough outreach to. The governor rejected the recommendation, and presumably, it was a purely political move.”

Vihstadt said that when the names were put forward earlier this year, Soldati was actively running to lead the New Hampshire Democratic Party as chair, and the council is nonpartisan.

“One of the most effective qualities about this Council is that it is strictly nonpartisan, and adding a member running for an overtly partisan job would limit the council’s impact,” Vihstadt said.

Soldati said that part of what disappoints him the most is that after being one of the first restaurants to be designated a “Recovery Friendly Workplace” he spoke highly of that, always giving credit to Governor Sununu for spearheading this initiative. 

“It is unfortunate because (Gov. Sununu) knows that this work is genuine for me, this is something that I'm passionate about, and I think am a perfect fit for,” Soldati said. “John has inspired me to be more active in this space. I didn't know he was going to resign, but it is a huge loss to the council because he is the voice of recovery. I know he values the work of the council and wouldn't just give it up unless he was not convinced that this leadership is committed to an outcome that is best for our community."

This isn’t the first time a respected leader has stepped down from a post on one of the governor’s advisory councils because of political differences or a feeling of being unheard and unrepresented. In June, more than half of Sununu's Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion resigned, saying that his decision to sign a state budget that limits the discussion of systemic racism and other topics has derailed the work they were appointed to do.

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Sununu said in a statement that he "welcomes individuals to reach out" to his office to express their willingness to serve.

“We are committed to diversity in our incredibly successful Recovery Friendly Workplace program and value all perspectives,” Sununu said. “The Advisory Council has done incredible work these last few years, and part of its strength lies with the fact that it is strictly nonpartisan.”