I met both Alderman Tyler Gouveia and Senator-elect Victoria Sullivan four years ago while doing volunteer work in Steve Negron’s office. Little did I know then that both of them would later take down a 9′ monster with the impeccable marksmanship of a little shepherd boy. The following year, it was city election time, and it was otherwise just another routine train wreck in Nashua, except for one bright spot. Young Tyler had unseated the infamous Alderman Jan Schmidt. Unless you’re new to the Grok community, she needs no introduction. However, I’ll furnish a link for a particular rep, former rep, and sympathizer of the latter because some people seemingly get offended when I encourage readers to do their homework. They know who they are, but let’s move on to another hero in the larger city.
Despite the very similar spelling of the words VICTORY and VICTORIA, three losses over the next 3 years would have to occur first. Victoria ran for mayor twice against incumbent Joyce Craig and also for alderman in a special election following the surprise death of Barbara Shaw. Her loss pattern was akin to mine as mine was rep, rep, and alderman. Hers was mayor, mayor, and alderman. Despite what you or anyone else think of Kelly Ayotte, her victory over the ex-mayor of Donna Soucy’s constituents only sweetens Victoria’s victory for those particular victims of the 6-year Joyce Craig regime.
Though I’m not a political scientist by any stretch of the imagination, I enjoy playing armchair pundit and offering some thoughts and prognostications to consider. Let’s look at some possible dynamics of our next senate, but first, give thanks for its improvement from 14-10 to 16-8. If math was never your thing, I’ll play the grade school teacher of fractions and least common denominator. We now have a 2/3 senate! I haven’t yet seen the final numbers for the House, and there will undoubtedly be some recounts, but wouldn’t it be nice if we get a 2/3 House to go with that 2/3 Senate? (Insert daydreaming emoji here.) I can think of four bills that could be shoved down Governor Ayotte’s throat while she’s hog-tied by such a legislature. School mask policy and women’s safe spaces were vetoed by the Damn Emperor, and his family saw to it that Ayotte would be installed to carry on his bidding. The other two bills died in the House so the red blood of His Excellency’s pen is technically not on his hands. They were the Parental Bill of Rights and the Gunstock audit.
Moving on to senate dynamics, the question is, who will be raised up by the enemy camp to take Donna Soucy’s place? That person will move into her office, which I’ve been told was the original Corner Office in 1819, and choose what committees her ilk will be members of. Most senate committees have five members with a 3:2 ratio in membership. Will some or all of them go to a 4:1 ratio? Another thing about picking up two new seats is that it provides more cushion against wrong-way votes. Denise voting for welfare school lunch and Queen Sharon voting for union crap come to mind, but what about that perennial plant/issue, which is pot? Everyone gets so bent out of shape about pot bills, and Donna Soucy wanted pot. Victoria voting from Donna’s seat is NOT the only change to consider in any prognostications because D’Allesandro was against pot, and there are several incoming freshmen on both sides of the aisle.
Tell us who you think will become the next enemy camp queen bee while we also wonder who will take Queen Sharon’s place as she presumptively inherits the gavel. And I’ll leave you with one last question. Who will move into D’Allesandro’s office?
