Swearing In Ceremony in Washington, DC for Congressman-Elect Charlie Bass

oin Us For The Swearing In of Congressman-Elect Charlie Bass!

Please join us on January 5, 2011 in Washington, D.C. as Congressman-Elect Charlie Bass is officially sworn into the 112th Congress. Thank you for all of your efforts throughout the campaign, and we hope that you can be a part of this special day.

Schedule of Events

11am-5pm: Please visit the new office for New Hampshire’s Second District, 2350 Rayburn House Office Building.

12pm-2pm: The official swearing-in ceremony of the 112th Congress will take place on the House floor. The ceremony can be viewed in the office of Congressman Charlie Bass – 2350 RHOB.

*No House gallery passes are available for this event*

5pm-7pm: A Granite State reception hosted by Congressmen Charlie Bass and Frank Guinta.

The Capitol Hill Club – 300 First Street, SE
Please email rsvp@votebass.com or call (603) 226-6000 for more information or to rsvp.

We look forward to seeing you on the 5th! 

CHARLIE BASS NAMES DISTRICT DIRECTOR: MATT HAGERTY

Experienced Aide to Oversee State Offices and Constituent Service for

Republican Congressman-Elect in New Hampshire’s 2^nd District

Concord, NH- New Hampshire’s 2^nd District Congressman-elect Charlie Bass has announced that Matt G. Hagerty will serve as District Director.  Hagerty, who grew up in Keene, New Hampshire, and graduated from Colby-Sawyer College in New London, previously managed Bass’ re-election campaigns in 2004 and 2006.  He also worked in Bass' District and Washington offices as a Legislative Assistant, providing guidance on district projects and issues such as ethics reform, welfare, and general government, while assisting the Legislative Director on communications, energy, and environmental initiatives.

“Matt Hagerty is the ideal person to lead our efforts in New Hampshire,” said Bass.  “He knows all corners of the Second District extremely well, and he understands how to effectively communicate with our constituents, so we can best represent them in Washington.” 

Hagerty has extensive experience organizing and implementing political, business development, and issue advocacy campaigns for both For-Profit and Non-Profit entities across New England.  From June through November of this year, he served as the Principal of Newbury Global Consulting.  Providing services to both domestic and international clients in the political, educational, and grassroots advocacy arenas, Newbury Global consulted on Bass’ 2010 campaign, successfully managing event scheduling and logistics, web and social media platforms, field operations and Get-Out-the-Vote efforts.  From July 2008, through May 2010, Hagerty served as Vice President for Community and Strategic Relations at Montagne Communications in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Hagerty will also be leaving Rook Energy Solutions, based in Newbury, New Hampshire and Portland, Maine, where is he is currently a co-owner. Established in early 2009, Rook Energy specializes in Energy Audit and Weatherization Services for residential and small business clients. Hagerty will relinquish ownership in both Rook Energy and Newbury Global as of December 15, 2010.

Hagerty received his Bachelor-of-Arts degree in Communications, with a Minor in Business Administration, from Colby-Sawyer College in 2002.  He currently sits on the Colby-Sawyer College President’s Alumni Advisory Council.  Matt lives with his wife and son in Newbury, New Hampshire.

CHARLIE BASS TO VETERANS: THANK YOU FOR SERVING AMERICA

Concord, NH- New Hampshire’s 2^nd District Congressman-elect Charlie Bass issued the following statement today:

“Veterans Day is a time to honor the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much to ensure our safety and freedom throughout our nation's history.  I thank those that have served America bravely and selflessly.  It is humbling to consider all the sacrifices that military members and their families make on a daily basis to protect each and every one of us.  Especially in this time of war, we thank all the heroic men and women that are currently serving in our military both home and abroad.  I will proudly support our veterans and military personnel in Washington in any way that I can to ensure they continue to receive the gratitude, respect and benefits that they have earned and deserve.” 

NHDP - Charlie Bass's First Congressional Hire: A DC Lobbyist

Concord - Charlie Bass hasn't even been sworn in yet, but already he is going back to his old D.C. insider ways and has hired a Washington lobbyist to run his office.  Earlier this afternoon, Bass announced the hiring of John Billings as his Congressional Chief of Staff . 

"For someone who claimed he wanted to 'change America' hiring a Washington lobbyist is an awful way to start," said Harrell Kirstein, press secretary for the New Hampshire Democratic Party.  "Apparently now that the election is over Bass is going back to his old Washington ways, putting special interests and his relatives' companies before the needs of New Hampshire citizens."

John Billings has spent the past several years working as a Washington lobbyist for the Food Marketing Institute.  FMI lobbies on behalf of food manufacturers, and recently has been fighting to limit the Food and Drug Administration's requirements for placing nutritional information on food packaging.  (The Atlantic, 10/29/2010)  In this afternoon's release, Bass called Billings, "a seasoned Capitol Hill veteran."

"Apparently Congressman Bass is confused.  He should be fighting for New Hampshire Veterans, not Capitol Hill veterans," continued Kirstein.  "This is exactly like the last time Bass was in Congress when he voted to slash Veterans' benefits while simultaneously voting to raise his own pay eight times."



REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN-ELECT CHARLIE BASS ANNOUNCES CHIEF OF STAFF: JOHN W. BILLINGS

Concord, NH- New Hampshire’s 2^nd District Congressman-elect Charlie Bass has announced that John W. Billings will serve as Chief of Staff.  Billings, a New Milford Connecticut native and Dartmouth College graduate (2000), first worked for Bass from 2002-2006 as Legislative Director.   He also served as a Policy Advisor to U.S. Senator-elect Mark Kirk in 2006, and most recently as a public policy advocate for the Food Marketing Institute in Washington D.C.

“I am thrilled to be working with John Billings again, and to have him lead our team in Washington,” said Bass.  “He is a seasoned Capitol Hill veteran with years of experience fighting for New Hampshire’s interests in Congress.   We will hit the ground running for New Hampshire in Washington.” 

Bass was first elected to Congress in 1994 when he defeated incumbent Democrat Dick Swett.   There he represented New Hampshire’s 2^nd District until 2006.  For the last four years, he has served as an alternative energy consultant to various companies throughout New England.   Bass defeated Democrat Anne McLane Kuster in the November 2, 2010 General Election.

As Director of Government Relations for the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), which conducts programs in public affairs, food safety, research, and education on behalf of its 1,500 member companies, Billings represented a membership with a combined annual sales volume of $680 billion, or three quarters of all retail food store sales in the United States.