County Dems charge budget vote illegal By BEA LEWIS blewis@citizen LACONIA — Five members of the Belknap County Convention have filed a lawsuit asking a judge to declare the vote that scuttled passage of the budget proposed by the County Commissioners illegal, claiming the balloting violated the Right-to-Know law. In a four-page complaint filed Monday in Belknap County Superior Court, State Representatives Ruth Gulick of New Hampton, Beth Arsenault of Laconia, Lisa DiMartino of Gilford, Ian Raymond of Sanbornton and David Huot of Laconia are seeking a judgment invalidating the 7-7 tie vote defeating the adoption of a $26,570,997 county budget. The suit, which names Convention Chairman Colette Worsman of Meredith and Convention Clerk Jane Cormier of Alton as defendants, is expected to further strain relations between opposing party members. The suit was brought by all five Democratic members of the convention against two Republicans. The complaint focuses on the convention’s Feb. 18 meeting, which took place during a storm that dumped nearly a foot of snow on the area in a six-hour period. Following a half-hour wait for a needed quorum of at least 10 of the 18 members to arrive, Worsman proposed recessing the meeting. But after the number present rose to 13, members voted to proceed and Worsman allowed Rep. Guy Comtois (R-Barnstead), who was working to shore-up a failing roof, to join via telephone. On a motion by Arsenault seconded by DiMartino to approve the budget as submitted by the County Commissioners, all five Democrats — along with Republicans Don Flanders and Bob Luther of Laconia — voted in favor. Rep. Richard Burchell (R-Gilmanton), Rep. Frank Tilton (R-Laconia), Rep. Herb Vadney, (R-Meredith), Vice Chairman Bob Greemore (R-Meredith), Rep. Michael Sylvia (R-Belmont), Comtois and Worsman voted against the budget, which the convention majority had already cut by $850,000. Rep. Dennis Fields (R-Sanbornton), Rep. Charles Fink (R-Belmont), Rep. Stephen Holmes (R-Alton) and Cormier were absent.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 04:50:27 +0000
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