The Gang that Can't Shoot Straight Strikes [out] Again...
Curses. Foiled AGAIN!!
Following on the heels of the recent declaration by NH's DRA that Belknap County must indeed, as outlined by former Laconia Mayor Thomas A Tardif and yours truly, accept the default budget thanks to their mishandling of the process, there is yet more trouble for Belknap County...
From today's Citizen newspaper (Laconia):
County Postpones Thursday Meeting
LACONIA — The Belknap County legislative delegation was slated to vote on the salaries of elected officials on Thursday, but the meeting was canceled.
Some members of the County Convention said they were unaware of why the meeting was suddenly called off, but referred to a letter sent to Delegation Clerk Rep. David Russell, R-Gilmanton, earlier in the week by Doug Lambert and Tom Tardif. The letter demanded that the delegation cancel its meeting because they said it was noticed incorrectly.
Lambert and Tardif maintained that, contradictory to state law, the meeting was not posted seven days before it was slated to be held and they claimed that Russell should have been the noticing authority listed on the advertisement, rather than the delegation chair.
The document is the latest in a long line of challenges Lambert and Tardif have directed toward the way the delegation is handling its meeting and reads, "we are perplexed at the continual procedural failures".
Remember, the County Convention is comprised of the delegation of NH House members from Belknap County... the ones who make the law. How long will this continue?
Here is the full text of the letter we sent:
Attn: David Russell
Belknap County Convention, Clerk34 Country DriveLaconia, NH. 03246FROM: Douglas Lambert, and Thomas A. Tardif
SUBJECT: Convention Meeting notice for May 29, 2008
RE: Salaries for Elected Officials
DATE: 28 May 2008
Per RSA 24:9-d, the “Clerk” of the convention shall not only mail to each member of the Convention a notice stating the time, place and purpose of meetings at least 7 days before the day of the meeting, but shall also cause to be published a like notice at least 7 days before the day of the meeting in a newspaper of general circulation in the county.
The intended meeting noticing published in the May 28, 2008 Laconia Daily Sun is fatally flawed. Please allow us to explain:
1. The Chairman is not the noticing authority. By state statute, the “clerk” is responsible for noticing all meetings.
2. Failure to publish “a like notice at least 7 days before the day of the meeting in a newspaper of general circulation in the county.”
Accordingly, we are compelled, once again, to point out the convention’s failure to comply the applicable RSA’s. Moreover, considering the convention established a special committee to insure compliance with all RSAs, we are perplexed at the continual procedural failures. Clearly ignorance of the law cannot be the excuse.
We demand a “cancellation notice” to be posted in as many appropriate locations as feasible including newspapers of county circulation. The general public does not need to be inconvenienced by another false start, nor should the taxpayers again pay compensation for such.
Respectfully,
Douglas Lambert, and
Thomas A. Tardif
More here.
