An update to the post where little birdies told me that Ray Burton, long time district 1 Exec. Councilor had decided to endorse a Democrat over a Republican (and NH GOP Chair Wayne MacDonald publicly took a walk on it) – someone finally sent me a copy of the news item: (“And Burton, a North Country force, made clear that he would back Cryans over Sharp, despite the party labels.“).
And look – Ray Burton is approving of the fact that the guy he’s endorsing voted his own non-profit monies from the county budget?
I think that is cronyism at best and a complete conflict of interest for both Cryans AND Burton. And Burton wonders why Jerry Thibodeau is starting to get noticed in his attempt to unseat him? Is this a case where it is just time for Burton to be retired for the sake of better government?
Sharp to Run For County Commission
Lebanon — Former Register of Deeds Bill Sharp yesterday made a last-minute switch and opted not to run for his old seat, instead filing to run as a Republican for Grafton County commissioner, challenging Hanover Democrat Mike Cryans.
“I can bring my fiscal responsibility to a county budget that has gone wild,” said Sharp, a 70-year-old Lebanon resident who served a colorful four years running the county Deeds office before losing his seat in a Democratic primary in 2010.
With Littleton Republican Tyler Drummond also running for the Deeds office against Democratic incumbent Kelley Monahan, Sharp said he had been in discussions with Grafton County GOP officials about what seat he might instead run for.
The county commissioner district is heavily Democratic, representing the towns of Hanover, Lebanon and Enfield, and Cryans is a 16-year-incumbent. Cryans, 61, also has served as the chairman of the three-member Board of Commissioners for eight years.
Sharp was a Democrat who won his Register of Deeds seat in 2006 without campaigning, thanks to a Democratic wave that year. While he modernized the office, he also made news by taking catnaps in his office, which he later attributed to sleep apnea.
Sharp, along with Grafton County Republican Chairman Bruce Perlo, criticized the proposed $37.6 million fiscal year 2013 county budget, which would mark a 4.8 percent increase in spending and just under an 8.8 percent increase in the amount to be raised in taxes if approved by county lawmakers later this month.
“He’s a Republican,” Perlo said of Sharp, “and I think the commissioners’ office needs someone to scrutinize the expenses a little better.”
But Cryans defended the proposed budget, noting that almost all of the increases are driven by the new county jail that just opened.
“I think we have a remarkable budget in this environment,” Cryans said. “In my mind, you can’t open that new jail without paying for it, staffing it and heating it.”
The proposed budget was supported by Cryans and Commissioner Ray Burton, a Bath Republican, but opposed by Commissioner Omer Ahern Jr., a Plymouth Republican.
Perlo and Sharp both indicated that they may try to make a campaign issue out of the fact that Cryans also voted for a little under $600,000 in funding for social service agencies in the budget, including $24,000 for Headrest, the Lebanon-based nonprofit.
Cryans is executive director of the agency, which provides addiction and crisis support services, including a phone hotline. He said the county funding represented “a little over 3 percent” of Headrest’s overall budget. Cryans said the funding levels are proposed by an independent contractor hired by the county to analyze the requests and also noted that lawmakers have the final say on such spending.
And Burton, a North Country force, made clear that he would back Cryans over Sharp, despite the party labels.
“I don’t abandon friendships for politics,” said Burton, who has known Cryans for decades since they both started out as teachers in northern Grafton County. “Mike has been a very effective county commissioners for many years now. He’s respected by many Republicans and Democrats and all those who have touched Grafton County government.”
Burton also dismissed any suggestion that voting for Headrest funding would mark a conflict of interest by Cryans. “If there was a conflict, it would have surfaced years ago,” Burton said. “Headrest is one of the oldest go-to agencies in the Upper Valley.”
Once again, I also point out that not only Jerry Thibodeau deserve a look from voters because of his background and financial accumen, but also Omer Ahern who is in Burton’s gun sights only because Omer believes that taxpayer money belongs to , well, taxpayers. Burton, on the other hand, says the same thing , but seemingly operates if it is his right to dispense as he pleases.
