More Contention About Election Claims
Budget Committee member resigns. Republicans respond to Democrats' claims.
The town’s Republicans have published a response to the Democrats’ rebuttal of claims made in a mailer the Republicans sent out, covered previously in this article. The Republican response is provided verbatim at the end of this article
The Republican response mentions that a member of the Budget Committee has resigned and again this year the Budget Committee will be selecting a volunteer rather than having a vote on the ballot. This is correct. Budget Committee Chairman Michele King has resigned, and she did so after the period for candidates to register, which means that the Budget Committee will have to select a volunteer after the election due to the timing of her resignation.
Michele King has not announced the reasons for her resignation. The Republican response, below, claims her resignation is a “highly questionable tactic on the part of someone or group.” Whatever the reason for Michele King’s resignation, I’ve watched or attended every Budget Committee meeting for the past year. Here’s an example of what those meetings can be like. Being a Budget Committee member is an unpaid volunteer job. It’s understandable why people would not want to volunteer for such a thing.
The situation with this open seat on the Budget Committee is different from last year’s situation in which a member of the Budget Committee resigned early enough for the position to have been placed on the ballot, but somehow those who drew up what ballot were not made aware of the opening and no one caught the error in time for it to be corrected (article). Whether, as the Republicans claim, “some members manipulated other board members into selecting a write-in candidate” I know of no evidence one way or the other on this. It looks to me like the vote was on party lines, with the Republicans voting for the Republican, the Democrats voting for the Democrat, causing the independent candidate to be shut out.
The Republican response also deals with the issue of how Republican conservatives are being unfairly called “Free Staters,” saying:
As Nottingham GOP Committee members, we have all been labeled as "Free Staters". The accusation is an attempt to scare voters into thinking we have some radical plan to close schools, libraries, ban books and eventually, the plan calls for New Hampshire to secede from the U.S. These claims can not be further from the truth.
It seems easy enough to believe that their committee members don’t all believe in those causes, but there are individual Republican candidates who give the appearance that they believe in some of those causes: example and example. Perhaps encouraging candidates to more clearly state their personal positions, and perhaps publishing a town party platform would help clarify matters. While candidates should not be compelled to follow their party’s orthodoxy, it can benefit a political party to be judicious with its endorsements and which candidates they recruit.
Republican Response
We, as an organization, have a few things we’d like to address before the rescheduled town elections.
Some of you may or may not be aware of the ongoing political chatter on social media. Our democratic friends and neighbors here in town are trying to rebut, in typical political hyperbole, the information this committee mailed out prior to the first scheduled voting day. These left-wing, radical activists claim our mailer was illegal, full of falsehoods and that we are all " Free Staters". Our mailer could technically be called illegal. By law, a person responsible for the mailer must have their name and address printed on each mailer. We didn't know this and simply put "paid for by the Nottingham, NH GOP Committee. We corrected that error. Maureen contacted the NH Attorney General's Office and told them about the mistake. The person admitted a complaint had been filed against our committee but was grateful we came forward to admit our error. Also, please rest assured that we are registered with the State of NH.
While some of the mailer can be attributed to political "gamesmanship," statements about candidates can easily be traced back to things they have said in public or votes and comments made while they were members of various town committees and boards. Comments supporting the content of our mailer can be found in the town newsletter and the YouTube videos showing the town and school deliberative meetings. Clearly, democratic candidates do not support the 4% tax cap for either the town or school and rarely do they attempt to curtail spending.
Last election, you may remember, an open position for the budget committee was mistakenly left off the ballot. The budget committee, to fill the vacancy, choose from the candidates who were not elected and who indicated they wanted to be considered for the open position. Instead of selecting the person whose name was on the ballot with 544 votes, some members manipulated other board members into selecting a write-in candidate with only 23 votes. Needless to say that person is a Democrat and does not support a cap on property taxes. We bring this up because a similar situation has occurred for this election. A budget committee member, whose term ends in 2024 has resigned. The resignation took place after ballots were printed. That open position will not appear on the ballot, again. Highly questionable tactic on the part of someone or group.
There are residents in this town who say the "Free State Movement" is too radical and that those they claim are "Free Staters" go too far in seeking to restrict government. As Nottingham GOP Committee members, we have all been labeled as "Free Staters". The accusation is an attempt to scare voters into thinking we have some radical plan to close schools, libraries, ban books and eventually, the plan calls for New Hampshire to secede from the U.S. These claims can not be further from the truth. We, as conservatives, believe in smaller government and do not support the needless and wasteful spending of your tax dollars. The opposite of our radical liberal candidates. We are not the radical extremists. We understand the value of town employees and recognize the importance of good pay and benefits to keep them. We support maintaining town buildings and services.
Next Tuesday, March 28th, is voting day. It is imperative we all vote. There are many rumors and flat-out lies circulating throughout the town.
Voting our Republican Slate of Candidates offers the community:
• Genuine care and concern for the citizens of Nottingham, including our children
• Commitment to be a good steward of your tax dollars
• A promise to listen to the will of the voters
• A commitment to look at all the issues facing Nottingham and not just the pet projects of the people who scream the loudest
• A commitment to truth and transparency.
On the other hand, a vote for any of the Democrat candidates means you will get:
• Misleading rhetoric and hypocrisy
• Smear campaigns against anyone they disagree with
• Higher taxes
• Progressive, radical policies voters don't want
• Ignoring the will of the voters.
Stick to your principles and vote accordingly. We can do this.
