THE STRATEGY OF SPLITTING — off the record — votes in the New Hampshire House of Representatives is long and well-practiced.
Apparently, some Democrats aren’t happy with questions about House Democratic leaders’ choice last week to repeatedly seek divisive votes in the course of losing by a single vote three times in 30 minutes.
Division votes, like short speeches, are for the winners.
When you have the votes, shut up and let the other side endlessly debate a bill.
When you have the votes, look for a split vote because that gives your supporters coverage. They can vote for your bill and not have to defend it publicly.
Democratic leader of the House Matt WilhelmD-Manchester, said it doesn’t always work that way.
“It’s often because we think we’ll have more support from the other side” if we seek a split, Wilhelm said Friday.
“It makes a difference. Sometimes we see back division votes on the same issue and there are changes going in that direction. We saw that a couple of weeks ago. I’m not going to get into any of our floor strategy.”
Fair enough, but boy did some Democrats get heated when we raised the issue on social media.
“The House has had division votes and voice votes every damn day of session you’ve reported on,” the MP said. David Meuse, D-Portsmouth. “And now, all of a sudden, it’s a Dem plot against transparency. Obviously, reps aren’t the only people in Concord who need a vacation.
Rep. Rosemarie RungD-Merrimack, said the division’s votes made sense.
“If there were roll calls, these bills would have lost by a larger margin,” he tweeted.
House Majority Leader Joe SweeneyR-Salem, pounced on that one.
“I don’t know about Rosemarie and her caucus, but I vote the same regardless of whether a vote is voice, division or roll call, and I know the Republican caucus is the same,” Sweeney said. “”Are you aware or part of a group of Democrats who switch their vote if they are registered?”
Rep. Peter SchmidtD-Dover, said seeking a recall would have had merit in the bill to carve Strafford County into three separate districts (HB 75).
“We’ve given every Republican a pass. Any of them across the state can say, ‘Oh, this bad bill, I didn’t vote for it, everyone else did,'” said Schmidt, a holder of 11 mandates.
Still in his mind
Gov. Chris Sununu he’s pulled out of the 2024 presidential bid, but it’s still on his mind.
On Wednesday, he introduced the GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley at a Manchester house party to benefit the state party.
Fox News reported that after saying nice things about Haley, Sununu joked, “I don’t want you to get too stressed … I think it’s best to go ahead and support me now.”
Here’s how experts like yours truly feel now that the New Hampshire Red Book is here, the biennial bible that’s a treasure trove of vital statistics about elections, state agency executives and the thousands of volunteers who serve on boards and state commissions.
Thanks to the Secretary of State David Scanlan’s crack computer equipment, an online version of the Red Book is updated every two weeks as state agency officials and board members come and go.
But Luddites yearn for the day in June every odd year that the hardcover comes out. This is a 777 page classic.
This 67th edition opens with a tribute to the former secretary Bill Gardnerwho retired on January 10, 2022, after a record 50 consecutive years of service.
He then bids a fond farewell to Gardner’s irreplaceable staff, Karen Laddwho retired last December after 49 1/2 years on the job, 30 of them spent working in the Red Book.
There’s also an update on the Democratic National Committee’s bid to take the Granite State’s first primary into the nation.
“Both New Hampshire and Iowa are very proud of their traditional presidential nominating events, and it should surprise no one that both states will position themselves to protect their primary papers, even if it means penalties from the DNC,” a written comment said. certainly by Scanlan.
The opening section includes an essay by the deceased Leon “Andy” Anderson own book “To This Day,” which describes life in the Legislature in 1871, the last time the body was so closely divided.
At the time, Democrats held a 165-164 lead in the House, and the Senate was 5-5 with two vacancies.
Finally, there is a salute to all legislators who served 15 or more terms since the state constitution was adopted in 1784.
Rep. Mary Jane Wallner, D-Concord, has joined two others in second place, with 22 terms. Manchester Democrat Dan Healey serving 26 terms before deciding 52 years was enough.
Other holders with more than 35 years in office include: Representatives. David CoteD-Nashua (41 years); Phyllis KatsiakoresR-Derry, Janet WallD-Durham and John Hunt, R-Rindge (37); i Sharon NordgrenD-Hanover and Ken WeylerR-Kingston (35).
President of the Chamber Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry, is right behind them. Next year will be his 34th in the Chamber.
Affected by bail reform
President of the Senate Break BradleyR-Wolfeboro, wasn’t the only one unhappy that the 2023 session is ending without bond reform.
During his regular Q&A after last week’s Executive Council meeting, Sununu went ballistic on the issue, at one point calling out New Hampshire Public Radio and “other media outlets” for printing the line ACLU-NH that the existing bail system works well.
“It’s obviously broken, you just have to talk to the police, talk to the prosecutors. We knew it was broken months after signing this bill into law in 2019,” Sununu said.
“A lot of the media is simply relaying what the Civil Liberties Union says about bail: ‘Oh, the law works fine, there’s nothing wrong with it,’ and it doesn’t take an investigative report to confirm that’s totally wrong.”
A rare one for the second time
Being one of the three members of the Public Service Commission is a difficult and stressful job that often results in burnout.
So Sununu’s nomination of Carleton Simpson of Hampton to a second six-year term was rare.
Simpson faced a drama-free public hearing before the council last week.
He is the first PUC commissioner to whom Sununu has sought a second term and the first PUC member offered that opportunity since 2007.
Medical pot for sale
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that the seven alternative treatment centers that distribute medical marijuana to eligible patients will be able to sell it to out-of-state citizens and qualified Canadian citizens visiting here.
Visitors can purchase it up to three times a year as long as they have photo ID and a card from their home state or Canada that confirms a medical condition qualifying them for cannabis.
They can only buy two ounces of marijuana at a time during a single 10-day period.
Everyone loves a parade
For weeks it looked as if residents would get a holiday break from the parade of presidential candidates in New Hampshire.
Governor of North Dakota. Doug Burgum was the drum major, first confirming that he will make his second trip to the state July 4-5 with plans to make it to at least one of the three marquee parades in Wolfeboro, Amherst and Merrimack.
US Senator Tim ScottR-South Carolina, said Friday that he will leave for Merrimack on Tuesday.
Not to be outdone, the governor of Florida. Ron DeSantis “Never Back Down” Super PAC revealed Friday that its candidate will participate in the Wolfeboro festivities.
Biden petition in the works
State Rep. Keith AmmonR-New Boston, has an idea to put Biden’s re-election effort on the defensive here.
He is working on a petition for all GOP White House hopefuls to sign asking Biden to put his name on the New Hampshire primary ballot.
“We have a president who is now planning not to run here? Everyone running on our side should be beating the drum every time they’re here,” Ammon said.
Unforgettable… Concord?
Today is national “Day of Oblivion” and legal sports betting people Massachusetts decided to harm the most forgotten state capitals.
You won’t see it on the Concord Chamber of Commerce website, but New Hampshire’s capital barely escaped the basement.
Jefferson City, Missouri, had the lowest recognition of any capital city in the country, with only 61.5% of participants able to name it, most of them likely sixth graders.
Concord was second with 62.1%.
Loyal Granite Staters won’t be pleased to know that Boston was the fourth most memorable state capital (85.2 percent), behind only Honolulu, Hawaii (85.6 percent), Sacramento, California (85.8 percent ) and Austin, Texas (86.3%).
Montpelier, Vermont, didn’t beat Concord by much, coming in as the sixth least known (66.3%).
More while the glass is half full: Concord was also not one of the eight state capitals that most people get wrong.
Tops was Albany, New York, since many people assume that New York is the capital of the Empire State.
Impulse for a woman judge
Now the former attorney general Michael Delaney has withdrawn her name, many are urging Biden to appoint New Hampshire’s first woman to the US Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.
“In 2023, this seems inexcusable and would be easy to rectify. The list of highly qualified female attorneys in New Hampshire is long,” she said David Vicinanzo of Nixon and Peabody, a former federal prosecutor.
As we first reported, U.S. District Court Judge Landya McCafferty is among those likely in the works if Biden goes that route.
Law 360 reported this week that she is not alone. Others in the mix are the executive director of Legal Aid of New Hampshire Sarah Mattson Dustin i Pamela Phelanthe former director of litigation for the Disability Rights Center and the senior staff attorney for the New Hampshire Public Defenders.
Albert “Buzz” Scherrprofessor at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, promotes Dustin for the position.
Singing the Senator’s Rocks
State Senator Kevin AvardR-Nashua, touched a lot of toes at last week’s Executive Council meeting, where he serenaded the room with renditions of “Tennessee Whiskey” and “This Land is Your Land” while serving as the Council’s Executive Assistant . Meagan Rose provided harmony vocals.
Lots in the box
We know our state liquor monopoly is a marker of national trends, but we’re not the “drunkest” state, according to dating assistant. We rank 14th, while Vermont leads the nation.
The Green Mountain State took the crown, with 8.6 percent of its population identifying as “heavy drinkers,” trailing only Georgia (8.7 percent). He also had the sixth highest DUI rank. (New Hampshire was 19th).
New Hampshire still leads where it counts (read $$$).
With more than 50% of New Hampshire liquor store shoppers coming from across the border, the 2.5 gallons per capita sold in New Hampshire each year is unmatched.
