Local Democrats Have Big Plans for Weekend

LACONIA – With primary season now officially behind us with today’s vote, the Laconia Democratic Party is gearing up its Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts for November’s elections.

“Unlike the Republicans, we didn’t have a lot of contested primary races,” observed Laconia Democratic Party Chair Beth Arsenault. “That’s afforded us an opportunity to begin early our strategy for turning out the vote in November.”

This Saturday local Democrats will be conducting their first door-to-door canvass, with volunteers gathering at Arsenault’s house on Cottonwood Avenue. “We’re planning on two waves of canvassers, one hitting the streets at 11 a.m. followed by another group at 2 p.m.,” Arsenault indicated. “We’re excited that NH House Speaker Teri Norelli will be participating – going door to door with other volunteers.”

Following the afternoon of face-to-face meetings with voters, volunteers and other party activists will join together for a Harvest Cookoff at the Leavitt Park clubhouse beginning at 5 p.m.

“We’re inviting people who can’t participate in the canvass to share with volunteers their favorite fall dishes,” Arsenault explained. “This is the time of year when the aroma of fresh applesauce and apple pie, great stews and soups, and of course countless pumpkin recipes fill New Hampshire kitchens, and we expect many to be shared and sampled.”

For those volunteers participating in the canvass, Arsenault has promised to bake fresh apple pies for the ones who knocked on the most doors and collected from residents the most pledges to vote. “We’re confident that when people look at the issues and where the two parties stand, the majority will vote Democratic,” Arsenault said. “In the four short years that Democrats have had control of state government they’ve tackled the education funding crisis, they’ve balanced the budget during extraordinarily tough economic times, and they’ve managed to preserve the safety net for the most needy while at the same time creating opportunities for businesses to flourish.”

The local Democratic Party has endorsed five candidates for the NH House, including incumbents Arsenault and Richard Stuart, as well as Ed Allard, David Stamps and Maureen Baxley.

“We’re really fortunate to have so many well qualified, dedicated individuals willing to represent Laconia,” Arsneault said. “As voters get to know them better over the next couple of months, I expect they’ll be as enamored of the group as I am.”

The local party will also be heavily engaged in turning out the vote for NH Senate candidate Andrew Hosmer, the re-election of Governor John Lynch, the re-election of Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter and the election of Paul Hodes as the next U.S. Senator.

Anyone wishing to volunteer or to participate in the Canvassing should contact Beth Arsenault at 528-1727. For those interested in contributing to the Harvest Cookoff, contact Judie Reever at 525-2644 or Jane Wood at 528-2119.

“The more people we have, the merrier,” Arsenault insisted.

Kudos To The NH House

What an incredible week! Concord was rockin’ as the winds of change blew through the capitol.

No matter which side of the political aisle you call home, or if your place of comfort is to straddle the aisle, this most recent session of the New Hampshire House of Representatives - the people’s legislature - should have left you exhilarated.

Granted, no one is totally satisfied with the legislation passed. Count me as displeased with several outcomes. But I can live with that. And so can you.

What was most remarkable about this legislative session was the priority placed upon matters of historic proportion. Representatives didn’t content themselves with merely arguing over whether or not speed limits should be placed on boats racing around the lakes, or whether or not large numbers of helium filled balloons should be released into the atmosphere.

Instead, lawmakers dared to provide national leadership on issues from capital punishment to same sex marriages and the medicinal use of marijuana. And the debate wasn’t confined to committee rooms, it was waged on the floor of the House.

Now the focus shifts to the NH Senate where despite the 14 to 9 advantage among Democrats, there’s no assurance that a majority of senators will support any of these three bills passed by the House. After all, 25 House Democrats opposed the “gay marriage” bill, which won approval only because 15 Republicans voted for it.

And 46 Democratic House Reps. voted against repealing capital punishment. Had 32 Republicans not joined the majority, the bill would not have passed.

The vote on legalizing medicinal marijuana was so overwhelmingly bipartisan, that the 234-138 vote included 45 Republicans among the majority.

So as the bills move to the Senate, it’s time to begin contacting your state senators to let them know your position. And it wouldn’t hurt to let the Governor know as well how you stand on the issues.

We know that he’s promised to veto the bill repealing capital punishment, and given that 46 Democratic House Reps. opposed it as well, he has a legitimate argument even aside from his personal beliefs.

But I believe he can be persuaded on the “gay marriage” and “medical marijuana” legislation given the bipartisan support both bills earned.