Special Election Victories

The board is proud to announce that the three candidates endorsed by the NHLA won in each of their special elections. We extend our congratulations to:

• Kenneth Weyler in Rockingham District 8 who defeated Norman Hurley in the general election for State Representative by a vote count of 1,005 to 287;
• Steve Cunningham in Sullivan District 2 who defeated Arthur Jillette in the general election for State Representative by a vote count of 616 to 319; and
• Representative David Boutin in State Senate District 16 who defeated Terry Pfaff in the primary election by a vote count of 1,670 to 857. The general election for this race is February 16^th when Rep. Boutin will face Representative Jeff Goley to determine who will fill Ted Gatsas’s senate seat. Joseph “JR” Hoell, who was running as an independent in this race and who scored a 100% score on the NHLA candidate survey, was unable to fulfill the required number of signatures to be on the ballot.

There is one more special election that will take place in Coös County District 2 (Carrol, Dalton, Jefferson, Kilkenny, Lancaster, Northumberland, Randolph, Stark, Stratford, Whitefield) for State Representative.

The primary election for this race is on February 2nd.

Republican voters will chose between NHLA-endorsed Eric S. Catman, Sr. of Stark, who scored a 100% score on the NHLA candidate survey, and former State Representative John E. Tholl, Jr. of Whitefield, who ran unsuccessfully in 2008 and has NHLA Liberty Rating grades for years served of: 2005 D+, 2006 C, 2007 C+, 2008 B.

The NHLA is a Gold Sponsor at this year’s New Hampshire Liberty Forum, to be held in Nashua, March 18-21. You don’t want to miss this celebration of liberty activists, new media, politics, philosophy, and freedom fellowship.

As a sponsor, the NHLA has access to Liberty Forum registration discounts. For a LIMITED TIME ONLY, we have a special deal on three full-event* tickets for only $190 each (regular price $219.00). Contact chair@nhliberty.org to purchase your ticket at this special discounted rate.

ATTENTION: Liberty-minded folks thinking about running for office this year

Please join us for candidate/campaign training on Saturday, Feb. 6th, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.

Sponsored by the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance.

Hosted by former State Rep. Don Gorman and political activist Denis Goddard.

Getting to know your state constitution...

Keynote: Honorable Representative Daniel C. Itse

When: Friday Evening, January 15, 2010
6:30PM to 7:00PM Reception with Light Appetizers
7:00PM to 9:00PM Keynote Address

Venue: The New Hampshire Institute of Politics (NHIOP)
St. Anselm's College, Manchester, NH
Directions at: http://www.anselm.edu/nhiop/

There is no charge for this event. It is free.

WHAT: State House training session: Jury Nullification! Parents’ Rights!
WHERE & WHEN: Thursday, 2010-01-07. Meet at 09:00 in the State House Cafeteria

New Hampshire is unique—the legislative process is open to the average citizen. You can help determine which bills pass, and which are defeated, but only if you know how the process works.

There are two high-impact bills open for public hearing on Thursday, Jan 7. The NHLA is using this opportunity to train new people in the ways of the pro-liberty citizen lobby, and to get experienced lobbyists to the State House to support this legislation.

Meet at 9:00 AM in the State House Cafeteria, located in the basement of the big gold-domed building. Take the stairs near the elevator, or ask anyone you see in the building.

There are three specials elections on January 12, 2010. The NHLA board of directors has endorsed some of the candidates. We encourage you to support these pro-liberty candidates.

GENERAL ELECTION - Rockingham District 8 (Kingston, Hampstead, and Plaistow) for State Representative. Voters will choose between Democrat Norman R. Hurley of Kingston and **NHLA-endorsed Republican Kenneth L. Weyler** of Kingston to fill an empty House seat.

Bill Review System and Training

Thank you to all who attended the first two Bill Review training sessions this month. There were over 35 people who participated—our volunteer base, and your influence in Concord, are growing!

There are two more Bill Review training events currently scheduled. The next training/refresher session will be on Sunday, December 27 in Epsom at the home of Dan and Carol McGuire, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Denis Goddard will host a training session in Hopkinton on Sunday, January 10 at 1:00 p.m.

Veteran reviewers and first-timers alike are encouraged to attend. It is advisable to attend more than one class if possible. Email chair@nhliberty.org for more details or to sign up for one of these (free) training sessions.

More classes may be added; check the NHLA calendar periodically (http://calendar.nhliberty.org/).

Kudos and thanks to Jeremy Olson for his efforts in updating the Bill Review System on our website.

At the December 10th NHLA board meeting, a motion to amend article 7.1 of the NHLA Bylaws was made, seconded, and passed by the board. This change does not become effective until the board has an opportunity to vote on the amendment for a second time. If the proposed amendment is passed at the next board meeting as worded, the updated article will be enacted immediately and the bylaws will be amended. The proposed bylaw change is in quotation marks:

7.1 These Bylaws may be amended with the approval of four-fifths of the Directors, provided

Great news: The NHLA Bill Review system has been updated—new legislation for 2010 is now loaded on our website for your review.

There are currently over 650 bills awaiting review from our volunteers, including 138 retained from the 2009 session. Of these, 40+ amendments have been added in the interim since last June. That is always worrisome; some of these amendments may be anti-liberty and need to be vetted by NHLA volunteers.