Yesterday was Organizational Day in NH, that is, the
day the New Hampshire Legislature convenes to
organize, and elect its leaders, staff, and in
addition, the Secretary of State and State Treasurer.
There was little suspense after the organizational
caucuses, knowing that Terie Norelli and Sylvia Larsen
would be elected as Speaker of the House and Senate
President, respectively. NH has no Lt. Governor, so
Ms. Larsen is now effectively second in command to
Dem. Gov. John Lynch, re-elected by a huge margin as
governor for a second two-year term.
Many states elect their Treasurer and Secretary of
State in a statewide election. In keeping with its
Yankee frugality, the Treasurer and Secretary of State
are elected by the Legislators themselves for 2-year
term. Very few officials get the benefit of a term
over 4-years in NH, unless you are a judge where you
are appointed to a term up to 70 years of age. We
like to turn over executives and legislators, but
judges are held quite sacred. Their actions,
historically, have earned this free pass. Citizens
have routinely rejected 4 year terms for Governor and
others when it has been proposed. We NH Yankees prefer
shorter terms so we can hold our elected officials
accountable, more frequently than can often be
justified..
So what about the job of State Treasurer? Besides
Maine and NH, that elect the job every 2 years by its
Legislature, most states have made it a statewide
elected position with a 4-year term. Are we better
governed with a 4-yr statewide elected treasurer?
My argument is NO... we are no better off by electing a
statewide politician to a well-paid job at taxpayer
expense, independent of who is our governor. How does
the average citizen makes this choice? Those more
connected than I tell me that the treasurer is " our
face with the financial community, ensuring bond
houses give us the best possible consideration. Darn...
as a citizen, how do I know I made a good choice for
my State for four more years?
When I was a young freshman Representative in NH back
in 1984, my first votes on Organization Day were for
Secretary of State and State Treasurer. I was only 21
years old, unsure of my political footing, but what I
did know was that the current Secretary was a man of
honor and integrity (still Bill Gardner!), and the
current power play of the Republican State Chair to
take the SOS role was inconsistent with my values for
fair play and non-partisanship. On the job of State
Treasurer, I likely had less insight, except that my
Mom had worked in the Treasurer’s office for some
years, and I knew that she had strong feelings against
the Deputy Treasurer running for the top job (I recall
she told me she was a bitch and treated many employees
badly). The challenger had no financial credentials,
but my mom didn’t have any issues with her. The 81 year
old Rep sitting beside me in the House that day was
likely in advanced Alzheimers’ but he looked to me to
help him vote for Treasurer on that day. I shared with
him my mother’s concerns and he easily acquiesced when
he cast his secret ballot. Georgie Thomas (the
daughter of an influential State Senator) was elected
state treasurer that day by 11 votes.
I share this story today not to commend or chastise
the actions of the NH General Court today, but rather
to simply point out that, regardless of Cathy
Provencher's win, our elected officials have made
their choice, and I am certain that our good Gov.
Lynch will govern well despite Anthony Steven's loss today.
Is it a big stretch to suggest that perhaps future
governors can appoint their own Treasurer, or are my
mother’s position the critical factor? If it is,
then the right candidate won again this year.