House Speaker O’Brien is angry at Gov. Lynch for not keeping him in the loop and consulting with him about his plan to address the budget deficit for the current fiscal year.
The House leader said he was miffed that Lynch and his budget team showed reporters how they would cope with the shortfall with a plan that includes tapping some dedicated funds.
“I’ve heard dedicated funds is one option; he knows that takes legislative approval,” O’Brien said.
“Where he is going to get this approval where he won’t talk to the house is beyond our ability to understand.”
Gov. Lynch is refusing to “talk to the house?” Here’s a little background.
April 17, 2011: Lynch, the popular four-term Democrat, extended the first olive branch to the first-term House boss, offering to meet in his office on a weekly basis.
The sessions included the House and Senate presiding officers and majority leaders.
But Lynch revealed that O’Brien canceled them more than a month ago.
“He said they weren’t very productive. I don’t know if it was something I said or someone else in the room,’’ Lynch said, half jokingly.
Kevin Landrigan reveals Speaker O’Brien has more threats and bribes in his arsenal to pressure GOP representatives to change their vote and override Gov. Lynch’s Right-to-Work veto.
The weapons at the speaker’s disposal include the two-year state budget, retirement reform and perhaps appointive spots on key conference committees that will thrash out conflicted bills.
It won’t work, says Landrigan.
Will that be enough to turn the tide? It doesn’t look like it.
During last week’s special election in Hillsborough county, signs were posted at the New Boston polling location reading, “Per pending legislation you will be required to produce a photo ID in order to receive a ballot.”
Writing in The Lobby, Kevin Landrigan calls the incident “an attempt to intimidate voters” and questions whether it was simply a bad idea from town clerk Irene Baudreau or “part of a larger initiative.”
Landrigan interviewed three New Boston voters who confirmed observing potential voters turn away from the polls when they saw the sign.
Charles Koch of New Boston said he saw some chagrined voters spot the sign and walk away.
“This is corruption. The attorney general should be investigating this. This was an obvious attempt to intimidate voters,” he said.
I have utmost respect for the members of New Hampshire’s citizen legislature, who donate their time in the name of public service, while juggling day jobs and family commitments, but still…
Yes, the most popular committee of choice for House members was the Fish and Game panel.
There are two good reasons for this.
First, it’s an obvious favorite for gun and sports enthusiasts; second, few issues are politically partisan and the lifting isn’t heavy.
This race has been slow getting revved up but soon it could make the bitter, US Senate race look like a polite game of tiddlywinks.
— Kevin Landrigan on potential New Hampshire Gubernatorial contest between Gov. John Lynch and John Stephen
Last week, the Real Clear Politics blog reported Frank Guinta signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. The agreement endorsed the Kyoto protocol emissions targets and a national emission trading system.
The Nashua Telegraph quotes Guinta spokesman Sean Thomas dismissing the report by claiming the agreement was “probably” signed by his predecessor.
As for the Conference of Mayors, [Guinta spokesman Sean] Thomas said the group probably got support from predecessor Mayor Robert Baines, a Democrat, and substitute Guinta’s name after the fact.
One of the first acts Guinta made as mayor was to rescind the city’s membership in the U.S. Mayors Group as part of a budget-cutting initiative, Thomas added.
Here’s a contemporaneous report of the signing from the June 14, 2007 issue of The Hippo:
In seven cities and towns in New Hampshire, community leaders signed the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement during an energy summit hosted by the Sierra Club last week in Manchester. Joining Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta in that commitment were mayors Bernard Streeter of Nashua, Michael Blastos of Keene, John Larochelle of Rochester, Steve Marchand of Portsmouth, Hanover Town Manager Julia Griffin and Dona Layton of Dover.
According to the report, Guinta did sign the Climate Protection Agreement and he signed it in June, 2007—almost a year and an half after he took office.
Frank, you’ve got some splainin’ to do!
Cross-posted to Blue Hampshire
Kevin Landrigan reports 2nd Congressional District candidate Ann McLane Kuster has been endorsed by the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire, “one of the state’s most important and politically active unions.”
President David Lang said Kuster’s “been just great” on safety, public pension and other key issues for the union and they solidified a kinship during the 2004 presidential primary when both were staunch supporters of NH primary winner and Democratic nominee John Kerry.
“She is from Main Street, she understands the issues that are vitally important to working people,” Lang said.
Don’t be misled that this organization is a “only Democrats may apply” organization. In 2002, they played a big role in the blowout gubernatorial victory for Republican Craig Benson.
“The bond has been there for a well with Annie so we feel great about this,” Lang added.
Kuster is in a tough Democratic primary battle with the 2002 nominee, Katrina Swett. Swett has previously been endorsed by the local American Postal Workers Union and State Employee’s Association of New Hampshire.
That creaking sound you hear is Bob Giuda hanging there, twisting slowly, slowly in the wind – yet to acknowledge his campaign for Congress is over.
In today’s Nashua Telegraph, Giuda attempts to explain his “marriage equality leads to bestiality” meltdown to Kevin Landrigan.
According to Giuda, he said a few, female gay rights advocates “aggressively came after me” for his opposition to same-sex marriage.
The image of a former Marine fighter pilot and FBI agent cowered by a few “aggressive” teenage girls is probably not the image a potential Congressman wants to convey.
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