Recently in Town Committee Meetings Category
Tom Brown announces that he's going to do something about it - from the Sun (page 7):
LACONIA — A week before the filing period opens on June 4, Tom Brown has announced that he will enter the Republican primary for one of the city’s five seats in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
Brown, 38, will be making his second bid for a spot on the general election ballot in November. In 2004, when less than 17-percent of voters cast ballots, Brown ran seventh in a field of ten in the GOP primary, just one vote behind the two candidates tied for sixth place and 29 votes shy of the fifth place finisher. The fi ve Republican nominees — Don Flanders, Jim Fitzgerald, Frank Tilton, Ralph Rosen and John Veazey — went to sweep all five seats in November. Two years later, Fitzgerald lost his bid for the state Senate and only two of the four incumbents — Flanders and Tilton — held their seats as Democrats Jane Wood, Judith Reever and Beth Arsenault claimed the tree remaining seats.
“I didn’t even think of running in 2006,” Brown said, explaining that he had just begun a new job with HRO Plus, a small entrepreneurial firm that outsources human resources — health insurance, workers’ compensation, payroll and software packages — to national corporations. By 2007, Brown returned to politics as chairman of the Laconia Republican Committee and a regular guest on “The Advocates,” the radio talk show hosted by conservative and activist Niel Young.
“This time I’ve been thinking about it for months,” Brown said of his decision to join the race. “I’m concerned that Republicans aren’t getting a fair shake,” he said. “President Bush is not the whole party. It doesn’t start and end with him. I can’t stand to see Republicans being framed into something we’re not.”
Calling himself a “freedom Republican,” Brown said “I don’t want to lose the New Hampshire way of life. New Hampshire is an idea, not simply a state.” For him, that idea is embodied in the notion of limited government marked by laws designed to maximize personal liberty and policies intended to limit public spending.
“When you write a law,” Brown remarked, “you should ask ‘will it infringe on our freedom?’ It’s better not to have a law at all than a law that’s poorly written.” He said that if he is sent to Concord, his top priority would be to explore state expenditures with an eye to reducing them and “rolling back some of the recent tax increases.” At the same time, he would seek to promote economic development by encouraging entrepreneurial enterprise and commercial investment.
Public service runs in Brown’s family. His greatgrandfather was a supreme court justice in Massachusetts and his grandfather, after serving as an ambulance driver in the First World War, was elected to New Hampshire House of Representatives.
“I’m in this to do something,” Brown declared, “not for something to do.”
At its monthly meeting, the GTRC voted to ask the Town of Gilford Selectmen, the Gilford School Board, and the Belknap County Commissioners to upgrade their websites to become even more open and transparent to their respective residents, taxpayers, and stakeholders.
The GTRC agreed with, and based its decision upon a plank in the NH Republican Party:
More can be seen at the Gilford Town Republican Committee website.
The GTRC agreed with, and based its decision upon a plank in the NH Republican Party:
What can be more open than the local governmental entities providing all public information on the websites for which local taxpayers have paid?Promoting a limited government that is open, responsive and fully accountable to and in touch with its citizens without interfering in their personal, daily lives.
More can be seen at the Gilford Town Republican Committee website.
Last night was the latest meeting for the Gilford Town Republican Committee (new website can be seen here). The special speaker was Fergus Cullen, Chair of the NH GOP. His message was that while the Party in NH took a body blow during the last election, there are real reasons why we should be looking at an upswing. In fact, he had 10 of them! With a nod to David Letterman's Top Ten:
For the webcam video of his talk, click here.
10) More than twice as many people voted in the recent Republican primary than did in the 2006 election.9) The presidential campaign will be competitive. New Hampshire is an important swing state, and much attention will be paid to us. This will help set the stage for competitive races up and down the ballot. We will not see, as in '06, that same sort of "tidal wave" but instead more "equilibrium."
8) John E. Sununu's polling data and approval numbers are solid and improving. He has a 3 to 1 advantage in cash on hand over probable opponent Jeanne Shaheen.
7) The party has had candidate recruitment "coups" in all of the major positions
6) Hodes approval: 35%; CSP approval: 33% (UNH survey)
5) The emerging Democrat scandal over the sale of the state voter files. Look for big news to come soon.
4) National issues are moving our way. With the success of the surge, the Iraq War is secondary. When people worry about the economy, the Republican message beats that of the Democrats.
3) State issues are moving our way. With the looming deficit, and Democrats in charge across the board, Republicans are positioned to benefit. They were right to criticize the 17-1/2% budget increase and were right on their call of using "overly rosy" budget projections. Lynch and his party are very vulnerable here.
2) 2008 is a "change" election. Given the current majorities and the governorship are Democratic, in NH, if people want "change" they'll vote GOP.
1) The Democrat Party has been taken over by the angry left wing. They have abandoned the center, proven by their record of "nanny-state" bills that most ordinary people find overly excessive.(H/T: Doug, for taking better notes than I did)
For the webcam video of his talk, click here.
