Horn: Angered delegates over rules vote
The New Hampshire Republican State Committee Convention took place over the weekend and it was a sight to behold. Take it from me, I was a delegate and I was there! The morning got off to a very rocky start as the rules governing the convention were brought forward for approval. Many were angered by the way in which they were adopted without discussion with calls for a recorded vote, after what many considered to be an indeterminate voice vote, being disregarded by Chairman Jennifer Horn. While chatter of a walkout swirled around the room, it didn’t materialize. Instead, the G O P ticket came to the podium not just to state the case for their candidacies, but to appeal for unity.
Guinta: Calls for GOP “family” to unite
First District Congressional Nominee Frank Guinta referred to the party as a family, and noting that family life is sometimes messy, urged the party to stand together in pursuit of victory.
Garcia: “Repeal replace Annie Kuster”
Second District Congressional Nominee Marilinda Garcia roiled the crowed a bit, condemning the Democrats for practicing politics without principle, a charge conservatives have leveled at the Republican Party, but then brought the house down saying that repealing and replacing Obamacare starts with repealing and replacing Democratic incumbent Ann McLane Kuster.
Brown to delegates:
Democrats are the enemy, not me.
U S Senate nominee Scott Brown went to great lengths to bring issues on which he cast votes opposite Democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen, Health Care Queen, to the convention’s attention. Second Amendment advocates made themselves known after a lengthy riff on what Brown said were the important issues facing the country and he agreed, using their point to show how he’d be better on the issue than Shaheen. The Democrats, said Brown, are the enemy as he appealed for conservative support, which he said he honored by hiring staffers from the defeated campaigns of Jim Rubens and former Senator Bob Smith. Brown said their message was delivered in the primary and he hired those folks to ensure conservative issues remain present and worked on in his campaign.
Havenstein: Hassan pledge meaningless
Gubernatorial nominee Walt Havenstein seemed to find his voice hammering Democratic incumbent Margaret Wood Hassan for taking The Pledge against a sales or income tax. Havenstein said it’s a meaningless gesture for Hassan to take the pledge and then go on to spend as if she hadn’t. He said he knew he was singing to the choir in that room, but he urged all present to sing to their family, friends and neighbors to help bring the Republican message to them. He said it could be the difference between victory and defeat in November.
Ayotte: Praises Ovides unity example, tired of Shaheen canceling out her vote
Senator Kelly Ayotte hearkened back to her primary with Ovide Lamontagne, who was present, and shared how critical it was that he unified the party behind her campaign. She urged the same for Brown, saying she was tired of having her vote canceled by Shaheen’s on issue after issue after issue.
The final speaker before the platform debate and vote was Carly Fiorina, the former C E O of Hewlett Packard. Frankly, it was one of the best political speeches I’ve heard in a long time. Prediction: That woman’s running for President in oh sixteen.
Conservative planks strengthened in platform
Anyway, amendments strengthening the party’s commitment to Life, traditional marriage, and support for foundational principals were adopted in very lopsided votes by the more than four hundred delegates present. In the end, of the four hundred thirteen delegates present, only forty seven voted against the final version of the platform, most of them doing so because they wanted to eliminate the party’s support for traditional marriage.
News from our own backyard continues after this.
the recipient of yet another outside study
The Manchester Board of School Committee meets twice this week. The typical end of the month special meeting tonight features a report on the city’s schools from the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies. Their study, the Manchester Education Benchmarks, will be presented to the board tonight and to a breakfast meeting of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday morning, which is why Mayor Ted Gatsas will be with us tomorrow for his weekly interview instead of Wednesday. The study was funded by a grant from The Bean Foundation and purports to contain a variety of data that can be used to help the district chart a course forward. On Wednesday night, there is a one item agenda special meeting relative to a personnel matter. We’re not sure what it is, but it must be something pretty big to warrant a special meeting of the board.
Mara: Swearing in new officers, recognizing the good works of others
Manchester Police Chief David J. Mara will swear in four new police officers in ceremonies today at the Michael J. Briggs Center. Barry Charest, Glen Chislett, Brian Fleming and Tyler Gagne will officially become police officers today. We’ve linked their biographies to to this newscast at Girard at Large dot com. In addition, the department will convey awards to nearly three dozen officers for service that went above and beyond the call of duty. Rather than go through all of the awards to be given and those receiving them, we’ll endeavor to create a separate blog post. Our thanks to them for the great work which earned the recognition.
Candia Crime Wave: Unbelievable numbers!
Crime surged last month in the little hamlet of Candia. The latest stats released by Candia’s cops show that from August twenty second to September eighteenth, they issued one hundred seventeen motor vehicle warnings and eight motor vehicle summons’. They also arrested six people on charges ranging from Driving After Suspension, to Disorderly Conduct, to Simple Assault to Theft. We’re just not sure how they can withstand the onslaught, but until it’s over, our Candia Crime Wave reports will continue. Be strong, Candia. Be strong.
That’s news from our own backyard, Girard at Large hour ___ is next!
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