While the media circus and social media were abuzz with comments of all varieties following the resignation of Gordon MacDonald and the scandal surrounding it, Luz Bay didn’t waste any time. She became the first nonincumbent executive council candidate to air her opinion. She said the following:
“Executive Councilors are elected to provide independent oversight and ask tough questions. It is clear my opponent failed to exercise the level of due diligence Granite Staters should expect from the people entrusted with confirming our state’s judges. I take that responsibility seriously, no matter who is sitting in the Governor’s Office or whose nomination comes before me. Granite Staters deserve Executive Councilors who will never treat their constitutional responsibility as a rubber stamp.”
Fellow enemy camp member Karen Liot Hill (KLH), an incumbent, said,
“It’s really important that we have transparency in our process, and that we make sure that we restore trust in the judiciary so people can have confidence that our judges are going to be impartial.”
As for other Dem EC candidates, it appears that Lisa Kennedy Sheldon already had a date with Mr. Marchand for a podcast just a few hours after the breaking news. That interview is at this link, which I haven’t watched, but it’s safe to guess Sheldon went on record with her thoughts.
A quick internet search for “Jim O’Connell+Gordon MacDonald” didn’t turn up anything current or relevant, even after I refined my search. Perhaps he couldn’t be reached for comment. Or maybe Sexton, Landrigan, and their colleagues are busy, and O’Connell isn’t at the top of their list of people to talk to.
“So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen,” as Chau Kelley is known to say, the words or absence of them from Dem candidates for executive council, in order of their districts, 1 through 4.
Let me be clear that I am NOT saving the best for last, just in case anyone is getting any ideas. Councilor Wheeler represents District 5, and his opponent and harsh critic is Ms. Melanie Levesque. She is usually quick to blame him for all kinds of things, even things outside his purview, and Wheeler did indeed vote for Gordon MacDonald. Therefore, I am really surprised that we are now 48 hours out from the breaking news of his resignation and she has been silent on that (to my knowledge as of this moment).
I will add that she previously posted that she wanted to NOMINATE judges to her liking (in other words, activist judges) who will submit to her will rather than respect the NH Constitution.
Yeah, she doesn’t just want to vote for bad judges; she wants to nominate them too!
So here we are with the highest judge, one that Wheeler voted for, resigning in disgrace. To Melanie, I say, “Penny for your thoughts; please make them known to all voters, just like your thoughts about your own voting record (for an income tax).”
