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| Posted on Saturday, September 13 @ 00:00:42 PDT |
WHILE potential U.S. Senate hopeful John E. Sununu continues his exploratory tour of the state, Republican rival Scott Brown is staffing up his team.
The Union Leader has learned that Brown is bringing on a seasoned operative to become his political director.
Michael McEleney of Amherst was New Hampshire regional political director for President Donald Trump’s campaign in 2024.
“As our campaign continues to gain momentum, I am thrilled to have Michael join our growing team,” Brown said in a statement.
“Victory in this race will be earned the hard way, through town halls, parades and old-fashioned retail politics that the voters of New Hampshire expect from their elected officials. Having played a key role on the Trump campaign last year, Michael knows the voters, issues and state, and will help me flip this blue seat red.”
A Wilton native, McEleney mobilized hundreds of volunteers for Trump and surpassed the campaign’s goal for voter contact.
“I have gotten to know Scott over the last few months and firmly believe he is the candidate best equipped to carry the America First flag into battle next year,” McEleney said. “Last year, the Trump campaign defied expectations, including here in New Hampshire, and Scott Brown is working tirelessly to earn the support and votes of Granite Staters and elect another Republican to the U.
S. Senate.”
10-year highway plan goes on the road
The Governor’s Advisory Commission on Intermodal Transportation, which comprises the five executive councilors and the Department of Transportation’s commissioner, has scheduled a series of public hearings over the next two weeks to take testimony on what should be in the next 10-year highway plan.
The group seeks comments on the draft 2027-36 plan the DOT has put together and is available on the agency’s website.
The commission must make recommendations on changes to the 10-year plan this fall. Gov. Kelly Ayotte will make the final decisions on legislation to be presented during the 2026 session.
The upcoming hearings are:
• Tuesday at 6 p.m., Manchester Community College, 1066 Front St., Manchester.
• Wednesday at 6 p.m., Barnstead Town Offices, 108 S. Barnstead Road, Center Barnstead.
• Thursday at 6 p.m., Brentwood Recreation Department, 190 Route 125, Brentwood.
• Monday, Sept. 22, at 6 p.m., Keene Parks and Recreation, 312 Washington St. Room 14, Keene.
• Tuesday, Sept. 23, at noon, Franklin City Library, 310 Central St., Franklin.
• Thursday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m., N.H. Technical Institute Auditorium, 31 College Drive, Concord.
Written comments should be addressed to William E. Watson of the Bureau of Planning and Community Assistance at the DOT’s John O. Morton Building, 7 Hazen Drive, P.O. Box 483, Concord.
Forum on legalizing marijuana on tap
A forum on legalizing marijuana and public safety is set for this Friday at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.
Speakers include:
• Kevin Sabet, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions and Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
• Amy Turncliff, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and public health advocate.
• Rep. Paul Berch, D-Westmoreland, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and supporter of legalization.
This columnist will moderate the discussion, which starts at 10:30 a.m.
Sabet will host a talk about his book, “One Nation Under the Influence,” at 9:45 a.m.
Lawmaker seeks more oversight of group homes
House Majority Whip Michael Drago, R-Raymond, called on the Department of Health and Human Services to be more accountable to local communities that struggle with incidents that occur at group homes, which aren’t covered by local zoning laws.
Manchester Ink Link reported on a disturbance that occurred last month when a resident of a Chester group home, 6 feet tall and 300 pounds, walked away and allegedly burst into a private home a short distance away.
The same man was involved in similar incidents while living at group homes in Manchester and Nashua.
“When a state-contracted nonprofit places a high-needs client in a residential neighborhood, it is essentially asking the local taxpayers to subsidize the costs of keeping that facility safe and functioning,” Drago said. “The Chester police are now burdened with repeated service calls, all because these facilities arrive under the radar, bypassing normal zoning processes.
“This is a public safety issue, not just a tax issue. The system is neither fair nor transparent and Granite Staters deserve better. This incident proves that DHHS should not be able to shift its operational responsibilities onto the backs of local taxpayers by hiding behind nonprofit partners. It is time for accountability and reform.”
Forum focuses on separation of powers
During Constitution Week, the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law is sponsoring a forum titled “Separation of Powers and Fiscal Responsibility in the Granite State.”
Speakers at the Sept. 23 event will be House Judiciary Committee Chairman and former Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Lynn, R-Windham, and Henry Klementowicz, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire.
New Hampshire Public Radio reporter Annmarie Timmins will moderate the discussion, which starts at 5 p.m.
The New Hampshire Supreme Court Society is co-sponsoring the event, which is approved for continuing education credits at the law school.
GOP poll hardly an ‘independent’ source
Right on cue, national Republican actors promoted a new poll that concluded John E. Sununu was already in a statistical dead heat in a U.S. Senate matchup with likely Democratic nominee and four-term U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas.
Punchbowl News first reported the survey from 1892, a GOP firm that’s done work for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Republican Governors Association and the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee.
In the Sept. 2-4 poll, Pappas led Sununu, 45% to 43% which was well within the poll’s margin of error of plus- or minus-4.4%.
Once likely voters are told that Pappas voted with then-President Joe Biden‘s agenda 90% of the time, Sununu opens up a lead of 49% to 42%.
Among all-important independents, Sununu led Pappas, 41% to 40%.
But the poll also said Republicans had a 13-point lead in generic voting (mentioning no candidates) among independents.
It’s no political shocker that any poll would have Sununu, a former senator and congressman, competitive with Pappas, who after all has run for elective office in only one half of the state.
But the generic-vote finding doesn’t pass the smell test since several independent polls published last November have given Democrats a small lead in that variable.
Retired from the court, but not from the law
James Bassett, 70, just retired after 13 years on the New Hampshire Supreme Court, but he is remaining in the practice of law.
He’s rejoining Orr & Reno, the Concord-based law firm he was with for 27 years
Bassett will concentrate primarily on alternative dispute matters, serving as an arbitrator or mediator for litigation cases that work their way through state and federal courts.
On the state’s highest court, Bassett was a designated expert in this legal field.
Child porn arrest sparks partisan scrap
Leading House Republicans pounced on the news that a paraprofessional working in the Hooksett School District had been arrested for allegedly possessing child pornography.
House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Vice Chair Jennifer Rhodes, R-Winchester, praised Manchester Police for making the arrest.
“I can’t help but remember the work of my Democratic colleagues to shield child predators. In 2019, New Hampshire Democrats tried to strip funding for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), the very same group which caught this repulsive pedophile,” Rhodes said.
She also noted that all Democrats on her committee voted against a bill that became law which increased penalties for the sex trafficking of children.
“It was only when Democrats were put on the spot on the House Floor that many members bucked the party, while over half of the party’s Criminal Justice members either still voted to shield pedophiles or refused to cast a vote at all,” Rhodes said.
The Committee to Elect House Republicans quickly came out with a fundraising email focused on this issue.
“Democrats’ opposition means we face well-funded challengers who prioritize political games over child protection,” the mailing said.
House Democratic leaders shot back that a proposed House budget called for a big cut to ICAC and only restored that funding after several local police officials testified against the cut. In addition, Democrats criticized elimination of nearly half the jobs in the Office of the Child Advocate after the House had initially proposed to eliminate the office altogether.
Liot Hill won’t vote on AG’s renomination
Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill, D-Lebanon, confirmed that she will not be voting on Ayotte’s renomination of John Formella to another four-year term as attorney general.
Republican critics have asked Formella to investigate whether Liot Hill violated state law by openly trying to recruit national legal experts to help Democrats who plan to challenge a new state law that will require those seeking an absentee ballot to show proof of citizenship and proper residency to take part in the election.
“Since the Republicans are continuously calling for AG investigations of my work, most recently emails I sent from my official email address advocating for my constituents’ right to vote, I will be recusing myself from the attorney general’s confirmation vote to prevent even the perception of a conflict of interest,” Liot Hill said in a statement.
Some House Republicans have said they may seek legislation to impeach Liot Hill for her conduct.
The council is expected to confirm Formella’s appointment at its meeting next Wednesday at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.
Pappas knocks House GOP over defense bill
Pappas criticized U.S. House Republican leaders after culture-war amendments were attached to a defense spending bill this past week.
The changes limited transgender medical care and also would restrict some renewable energy efforts.
Only 17 House Democrats backed the bill that passed, 231-196.
The controversial add-on provisions aren’t likely to survive in the Senate, which is considering its own bipartisan defense bill that could come up for a vote later this month.
“The injection of culture war issues in this defense bill goes far beyond anything we’ve seen before. Attacks on personal freedoms and the stripping away of health care from servicemembers and their families not only undermines our security, but it also weakens our military readiness,” Pappas said.
“I urge the House and Senate to shut out extreme voices and end these political games. We must pass a serious, national security-focused bill that gives a pay raise to servicemembers, addresses PFAS contamination, funds our defense industrial base and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and most of all, is worthy of the men and women in uniform who have stepped up to serve this great nation.”
School building aid reform talks continue
There appears to be agreement that a problem exists, but solutions remain elusive when it comes to state building aid for school construction projects.
The House Education Funding Committee held a work session last week on a leftover bill (HB 366) from Rep.
Michael Cahill, D-Newmarket, to increase state support by $40 million to $50 million a year.
The building aid program faced a moratorium for nearly a decade, and while state support has returned, the lion’s share of the money spent each year is to pay off the “tail” of school construction projects approved years ago.
Committee Chairman Rick Ladd, R-Haverhill, said he’d support a change that would permit all school districts to receive some money each year rather than giving all new money to “two or three winners” annually.
The grants for school districts currently range from 30% to 60% depending on the property and income wealth in those communities.
Rep. David Luneau, D-Hopkinton, said such a disparity should continue since many property and income poor towns need much more state support than others.
“Some districts have 10 times the ability to pay for a project that others don’t,” Luneau said.
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