Update: Norelli announces leadership changes
By Brian Lawson, PolitickerNH.com ReporterHouse Speaker Terie Norelli (D-Portsmouth) announced that three house committee vice chairs resigned from their positions.
Norelli said the changes came after she and Majority Leader Mary Jane Wallner met with House Committee leaders.
Rep. Lee Hammond (D-Lebanon), vice chair of the Legislative Administration Committee; Rep. Jessie Osborne (D-Concord), vice chair of the Municipal and County Government Committee; and Rep. David Essex (D-Antrim), vice chair of the Environment and Agriculture Committee have all resigned.
"I am very proud of the work these representatives have done on this leadership team on behalf of the Democratic caucus, and the state of New Hampshire," said Norelli in a statement. "They have provided invaluable insight."
The Speaker added that the session has been a "learning process."
"As with any new leadership team, this has been a learning process for all of us. This is the first time in 84 years that Democrats have held a majority in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, and I am proud of our accomplishments and the work that we continue to do for the state of New Hampshire. I commend Representatives Hammond, Osborne and Essex for their service," Norelli said in a statement.
There is no word who will fill the positions or if the positions will remain vacant.
Update: All three vice chairs voted against the constitutional education amendment, CACR34.
This past weekend, Tom Fahey reported that Norelli might seek retribution against committee chairman and vice chairs who voted against the amendment.
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So much for the Democrat
So much for the Democrat party acting democratic. State reps in Concord are always told by leadership to vote your conscience. I guess they weren't serious.
Hammond, Osborne and Essex are highly regarded by their peers from both parties. I suspect they will be even more highly respected now.
This could be the beginning of the end for Norelli.
About time!
When you accept positions of leadership, responsibilities come with it. Those three never grasped that and it is about time they realized they weren't up to the task.
None of the three will be missed, they added little and left less.
Lockstep?
Seems to be a pretty blatant abuse of power. Why should someone's leadership position be held hostage to whether or not they vote with the speaker no matter what the issue? We have been listening to Democrats pound Republicans with terms such as "lockstep" and being "in the pocket" of Republican leadership. Now you have an example of three Democrats being punished by their leadership for being free thinkers and voting what they probably thought was in the best interest of the constituents that elected them. I can't wait to hear how the left defends these actions.
The House Democrats have
The House Democrats have spent two years stabbing labor and others who have supported them in the past right in back. What a shock that they did it to their own speaker.
It seems to me that it was
It seems to me that it was Norelli who stabbed the 3 reps in the back. They all helped get her elected Speaker. I guess she thought she was appointed sheep as committee chairs and vice-chairs, but discovered that some of them have minds of their own. Good for them.
It would be nice if the other 12 resigned in solidarity. I won't hold my breath. One thing this session have proven is that most politicians are more interested in maintaining power than in maintaining their integrity.
As for the Democrats stabbing Labor in the back, you can blame Norelli and her leadership team. It was easy siding with Labor and other groups like the Claremont Coalition when they were out of power and their votes didn't matter. It's different when you're in charge and your focus is to maintain your power rather than doing the right thing. This Democrat group has been a major disappointment.
It wasn't their votes
Who cares about their votes? We're not Republicans who would have removed chairs and vicechairs for the vote.
It was that misleading letter written in a manner as if they spoke for the entire Democatic Party and signed only by committee chairs and vicechairs and they were sure they included each one of their titles.
The letter was an insult to the House. It was behavior unbecoming a member of any leadership. they way I see it, if you want to act like a backbencher then be a backbencher.
well, what about how Norelli
well, what about how Norelli and leadership do not allow anyone to speak out publicly against things? what a joke.
For years I was waiting for democratic control in Concord to get things done. Now I do not expect results overnight on everything- but all I see is kowtowing to Lynch- esp. from the state senate.
No guts, no leadership- the departing dems did try to show some and look at the outcome.
In order for there to be
In order for there to be CHANGE in leadership leadership had to have existed. In this imbecile norelli's case, there was and is nothing of the kind. Man, and I thought that under the repubs that the NH house put the fun in dysfunctional! These dumbocrat rubes are even greater theater.
The only insult was Norelli
The only insult was Norelli trying to ram CACR34 down the throats of her Democratic colleagues when she knew they strongly opposed it for principled reasons.
Norelli staged meetings with House Democrats ostensibly to get their ideas on the amendment, but it was all a sham. She didn't care about their ideas. She had made up her mind to to the politically expedient thing and bow to the Governor.
What's even more appalling is that Norelli never really liked the amendment. She sold her soul, and was willing to sell the kids of NH down the river, and didn't understand why her Democratic colleagues didn't get in line and follow her. How shameful. How pitiful.
Lord Acton was right: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Norelli should resign.
Norelli should resign.
Sleep well
I bet you that Hammond, Osborne and Essex slept very well last night.
As for Norelli...hmmm?
Perhaps Norelli should
Perhaps Norelli should understand that she should not have put herself out there on an issue that is not even a caucus position. She may think that this is "not taking it", but it looks petty and vindictive. . . If someone believes he or she is leading, that person needs to turn around every so often - if no one is following, you're not leading!
It's too bad that Terri
It's too bad that Terri didn't show some real leadership by taking an early and strong stance against amending the constitution. The Democratic Caucus would have overwhelmingly supported her. She would have defeated Governor Lynch in a head-to-head test of leadership and established herself as Lynch's heir apparent.
Instead the Democratic Caucus is divided and bitter. Terri will be lucky to survive as Speaker, let alone become Governor.
Great Call Wally!
"Terie Norelli
As it becomes apparent that House Democrats will not vote for the education funding amendment it suggests that House Speaker Norelli doesn't have power over her caucus and that she could lose her powerful position if Democrats lose the House on the Education Funding Amendment alone." Wally Edge -- Winners/Losers March 1
Great call Wally! If Terie had been listening to you, rather than her pathetic inner circle of advisers, she wouldn't be in such a pickle today.
House Leadership Changes
The rumor has it that there have been other leadership changes to enclude some chairs that have refused to apolizge to the other chairs and vice-chairs as demanded by the speaker, but those changes won't be made public until after the session.
There appears to be a fear that to do so would cause a total loss of faith by the backbenchers in the speaker and her leadership team.
The names made public were vice-chairs and most were not running for re-election anyway.
If the body was to discover that a number of chairs and vice chairs have already apolizged and have retained their positions all hell could break loose. The speaker and her team may make it to the end of June, but 2009 will be very intresting if the rumors in fact turn out to be turn.
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