Last week was the Democrat National Convention and on Wednesday the featured speaker was my old boss, President Bill Clinton, who many consider the best political orator in the country today. We first met, in Claremont during the fall of 1991, when he came to “test the waters” regarding the NH Primary & running for president. We did a walk thru downtown Claremont and I remember being impressed by this tall, chatty and affable southerner. Noticeably even then, he demonstrated this ability to grow ideas and explain complex issues in everyday language, in a way you never thought he was talking down to you, but deep down you knew he was the smartest guy in the room. Our paths have crossed a few times since he left office and I’ve always been amazed by his ability to recall minor details from events long ago. The last time we spoke was when he came to Claremont a few years ago while campaigning for his wife who was running for president. We were at Stevens High and he leaned over the rope line and said something like when this is all over let’s go back through the downtown and show me what’s new! We retraced our route along Pleasant Street and ended up at the Java Cup – unfortunately unlike ’91, where we had strolled up the street flanked by empty storefronts and few people, this time he was mobbed with fans and well wishers. However, being the consummate politico – President Clinton enjoyed meeting everyone. So watching him last Wednesday in Charlotte – I thought who else could talk for 52 minutes on national television – ad lib half the speech – and keep the nation’s attention talking about economics and government policy! Amazing!
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This Tuesday - September 11 is primary day in New Hampshire, so everyone needs to get out and vote for their candidate. Republicans have primary races for Executive Council, Governor, and the new State Senate District 5. The republican candidates for Governor are Ovide Lamontagne and Kevin Smith, however long time Executive Councilor Raymond Burton is facing a serious challenge from Jerry Thibodeau who has close ties with the Tea Party faction of the GOP. The State Senate District 5 race has Joe Osgood and Cynthia Coolidge Howard vying for the nomination and opportunity to face off against the democrats in November. Howard is tight with the Tea Party crowd. Among the Democrats, there are three active candidates for governor; Jackie Cilley, Maggie Hassan and Bill Kennedy. They all seem to be good people, however Bill Kennedy may have gotten into the race too late and it seems between Cilley & Hassan. Interestingly, the only contested senate race in New Hampshire, on the democrat side, is here in the Connecticut River Valley between Representative David Pierce & former Rep Sandy Harris. The Charlestown Dems sponsored a forum last week that was very informative. Sharon Francis, a Charlestown resident, served as moderator and did a fantastic job keeping matters focused and positive. The result was a civil, substantive and informative discussion.
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On Thursday, The County Delegation held a public hearing and special meeting regarding establishing a reserve fund. As Sullivan County’s legislative arm, the thirteen member delegation serves as the “guardian of the county purse,” so our thought was to establish a county reserve fund that would serve as a special fund to assist in capital improvements and avoid any sudden unforeseen spikes/surprises in local property taxes. Basically it would be a rainy day fund for capital projects in Sullivan County where by law, we could add to on a yearly basis. All but one of the delegation’s members supported its creation.
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Sullivan County lost a good man last week with the death of Francis Edes – former lawyer, judge, legislator, WW2 Vet, musician, activist and most important someone who always looked out for the least among us. I first met Frank in 1980, as a young state employee tasked with establishing alcohol social detox sites around the state. Not only was I an inexperienced kid, but without a clue as what to do! Thankfully, it was guys like Frank who lent their gravitas and made the program a success.
New Hampshire had received federal money to de-criminalize public alcohol intoxication; and the thought was we’d recruit a cadre of unpaid volunteers who we’d train as special EMT’s to provide custodial care and be the first point of contact to turn around lives dependent on alcohol. Not only was I to create these sites, but I was to recruit people to staff them on a nightly basis – 7 days a week – for free! The hotshots in Concord told me to go out and recruit people in recovery, unfortunately my supervisors had forgotten that the second letter of AA stands for anonymous and a non-recovering 20 something (me) didn’t really have much credibility in that world. Here’s where Frank came into play – not only was he willing to go public as someone in recovery, he was willing to reach out to the AA community in the Connecticut River Valley and convince them that the chubby “kid” (me) was OK! FYI – Frank’s obit mentioned how he had 54 years of sobriety! Over the years, I continued to cross paths with Frank usually at various progressive political events and always marveled at his ability to be so gregarious and kind to everyone he met, although he didn’t suffer fools & phony’s lightly. It didn’t matter if you were President Clinton or someone who lived in a box under a bridge – you were treated with the same kindness. While he possessed a multitude of skills, his greatest talent was being an advocate for those most needy amongst us! His stories, laughter and kindness will be missed – RIP.
