Manchester Democrats Top "No Show Rep" List

For the 2012 session, the average attendance among the 400 Reps State Reps was 82 percent; the average Rep was present for 237 of 289 roll call votes.  Let's use that as a base-line as we explore the concecpt of NO SHOW REPS.

At the State House last this week, a lobbyist approached me to ask what I think an acceptable number of absences is for a State Representative.

I'm glad he asked me that question; and I would challenge all members of the media to ask the same question and to publish attendance records of incumbent Reps in their reading area prior to November 6.

In the Manchester area, I've made it easy for the Union Leader, the Hippo, and The Herald (which I began to write for with the issue out today).  I've listed all Manchester Reps from best to worst, noting their ward and party alongside. 

The data is readily available from the House Clerk's office (the Concord Monitor wrote a story a month or so ago about the most chronic offenders statewide).  There was such a large number of roll calls (289) in 2012 that we can use percentages, and there should be no excuse by a Rep that he or she was marked down due to missing a certain day.  Roll calls were frequent almost every day.

My answer to the lobbyist is quite simple.  I would judge a Representative the way we would judge a child in the classroom.  A percentage of 90-100 rates an A; 80-89 a B; 70-79 a C; 60-69 a D; and anything below 60 an F--as in a failing grade. Certainly no voter should ever vote for anyone with less than a 50 percent attendance (except in the rare case of an extended illness).  Being away on business is no excuse because the Rep should have known he would be busy when he or she decided to run; and besides, he or she most likely will be away again come next year.

When I first run for office, I promised to be there all the time; you can't help govern if you don't bother to show up.  Basically, I've kept my promise, missing only one day in 16 years (boy, was I sick that day; it was during Benson's tenure in office).  My attendance is usually 100 percent, but it slipped to 99 percent this year.

To be kind to Reps who really don't deserve such kindness, let's define NO SHOW REP as one who misses more than half (50%) of roll calls.  Technically speaking, half attendance would make him or her a half show Rep, but for the sake of journalistic shorthand, let's use that standard as a No Show Rep (or derelict) and see what we get.  I've actually run a screen for all incumbent New Hampshire Reps who are seeking re-election, and I'll post the results in a separate blog.  I've come up with 16 (11 Republicans and 5 Democrats) who meet the definition.  Since Republicans elected 298 to only 102 Democrats in 2010, we would expect nearly three times as many Republicans to come up in the screen, so this number makes sense.

However, the purpose of the exercise today was to get material together for the Manchester area.

Incredibly, four out of the five Democrats (who missed more than 50 percent of votes) are from Manchesther (Jean Jeudy, Ward 3,  who has an extended illness as an excuse; Tom Katsiantonis from my own Ward 8; Ward 7, bar room brawler Pat Garrity; Ward 1 Palace Theater entrepreneur Peter Ramsey)   That's an incredible total of 80 percent of Democratic derelicts from Manchester!.  Two of the four (Katsiantonis and Jeudy) actually missed more than 75 percent of the votes!  No Manchester Republicans (who missed more than 50 percent of votes) are seeking re-election.  Thus, of the 16 statewide derelicts, four are from Manchester.  That's an incredible 20 percent from a city which has about 7 percent of the population.  This is more than a statistical anomaly.  Manchester Democrats have a shameful attendance.

Were I ever to have attendance below 60 (let alone 50), I would hang my head in shame; certainly not seek re-election.  How such derelicts as these four from Manchester could even think of putting themselves forward for re-election is beyond me, but I fully suspect at least one of them will be returned to office..

I will be offering this list  to all media, not because I am tops in Manchester attendance and one of my opponents is near the bottom, but because voters have a right to know whom their NO SHOW REPS prior to Nov. 6.  It will also be offered on my TV show The Liberty Express (Monday at 10 p.m.; Thursday at 9 p.m.; Sunday at 6 a.m. and noon and always available at vimeo.com/channels/libertyx).

The R or D indicates party, followed by ward number.  The most interesting thing about this is that no editorial comment is needed; the numbers speak for themselves.

From top to bottom (based on 289 roll calls):

Steve Vaillancourt--R8--286 votes--99 %

Tammy Simmons--R10--283 votes--98%

Win Hutchinson--R2--283 votes--98%

Ben Baroody--D6--276 votes--96%

Cathy Cusson-Cail--Not Running--R7--274 votes--95%

Peter Sullivan--(only in office half year)--D3--180 of 189 votes--95 %

Jerry Bergevin (defeated in primary)--R10--269 votes--93 %

Irene Messier--R10--261 votes--90

Barbara Shaw--9D--261 votes--90 %

Gail Barry (running for Senate)--R9--256 votes--89 %

Maurice Pilotte--Not Running--D9--256 votes-- 89 %

Connie Soucy--Not Running--R12--255 votes--88 percent

John Gimas--Not Running--D5--251 votes--87 percent

Larry Gagne--R6--251 votes--87%

Mike Ball--R2--246 votes--85%

Jeff Goley--D1--242 votes--84 %

Dan Sullivan--D1--241 votes--83%

Mark Proulx--R8--233 votes--81 %

Phil Greazzo--Running for Senate--R10--217 votes--75%

Matthew Swant--R10--216 votes--75%

Pat Long--D3--205 votes--71%

Ross Terrio--R7--202 votes--70%

Kathy Souza--R4--198 votes--69%

Ted Rokas--D5--190 votes--66%

Will Infantine (Labor Committee Vice Chair!)--R6--181 votes--63%

Nick Levasseur--D4--160 votes--55 %

Cam DeJong--Not Running--R2--144 votes--50%

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peter Ramsey--D1--133 Votes--46%

Pat Garrity--D7--01 Votes--32%

Norma Champagne--Not Running--R5--76 Votes--26 percent

Tom Katsiantonis--D8--68 Votes--24%

Jean Jeudy (ill)--D3--66 Vote--23%

Tom Beattie--Not Running--R10--41 Votes--14%