Your friendly neighborhood tax-exempt, private corporation, 501(c )3 public charity - Granite Grok

Your friendly neighborhood tax-exempt, private corporation, 501(c )3 public charity

Who are those masked persons?
Who are those masked persons?

SB 102 would allow cities and towns to choose whether to elect or have appointed members of their conservation commission.  Sound reasonable – give voters the choice to elect the folks who have a rather substantial say in the manner in which town monies are appropriated and expended.

But no, seems as though the entire Municipal and County Government Committee of the NH House thinks ordinary people are too stupid to be trusted with such an election.  Writing for the Committee, Rep. Bruce L Tatro for Municipal and County Government says: “This bill would allow conservation commission members to be elected instead of appointed by the governing body. The committee concluded that conservation commission members need to have unique qualifications for the job and therefore should be appointed by the governing body.”  [Emphasis mine]  And the committee voted 14-0 ITL (Inexpedient to legislate) meaning the bill should die.

So who’s the governing body? Why, it’s the “board of selectmen in a town, the board of aldermen or council”…

Wait a minute…aren’t boards of selectmen, aldermen and councilors – gosh, even state representative and senators – elected by voters? Seems to me that New Hampshire statutes make no mention of someone having to have “Unique qualifications’ as a prerequisite for being elected to the governing body.  In fact, a person doesn’t need much than to be 18 years of age and have a pulse.

So riddle me this, how can such ordinary schlubs as selectmen et al be expected to understand – much less recognize – “Unique qualifications.”?  Or for that matter, the ordinary schlubs sitting on Municipal and County Government?  Some really uniquely qualified smart person must have told them…maybe The New Hampshire Association of Conservation Commissions, your friendly neighborhood tax-exempt, private corporation, 501(c )3 “public charity”.  Must be.  Found this on the public charity’s website: “NHACC is opposed to this legislation

Sounds more like the Secret Society of Conservation Commissions if you ask me and they only want hand-picked, group-think types on their special little committees.  The bill is on the Consent Calendar for Wednesday’s House session which means unless someone pulls it off and puts it on the Regular Calendar – and  open for discussion or amendment on the floor – it’s another slam dunk for Dems and Progressives.  Call your Rep…tell them to oppose the Committee ITL Recommendation and SUPPORT SB 102!

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