Scamman Elected Speaker
Republican Representative W. Douglas Scamman, Jr. was elected Speaker of the NH House of Representatives Wednesday afternoon. The process that put the gavel in his hand and made him one of the top elected figures in the state was certainly unique. To begin with, on Monday morning chances looked good that former speaker Gene Chandler would be re-elected. Then, that afternoon, the House Ethics Committee recommended that he be charged for failure to report fundraising activities. Suddenly there were four new candidates vying for the job. (Scamman, Chandler's Deputy Speaker Michael Whalley (R), Representative Kenneth Weyler (R), and Democratic Representative Jim Craig.) Following nomination speeches on Wednesday, Scamman received just 43 of a possible 384 votes from his fellow House members during the first ballot of the election. (Balloting continues until a candidate receives a simple majority of votes, a total of 193 in this case.) Mr. Whalley garnered 141 votes in the first round. Each candidate was given 3 minutes between balloting rounds to restate their case for being the next Speaker. Democrat Craig (146 first round votes), and conservative Republican Weyler (54 first round votes), used their time to ask their supporters to back Scamman in the second ballot. Most of them did, although Whalley also increased his vote count in round two. The vote count from round two was Scamman 224 and Whalley 160, creating the rare event, apparently, of a Republican being elected Speaker without the support of a majority of his own party. Which has been interpreted several different ways. Scamman supporters herald the vote as a victory for bipartisan cooperation. Others say the new Speaker may find it hard to work with a majority party that did not vote for him.
Wazzit Mean For NHBA?
The NHBA had a good working relationship with Speaker Scamman in the past and expects that situation to continue. The most common comments about Scamman are that he is approachable, a good listener and a fair leader. We concur. Scamman did say that he will appoint committee chairs and vice chairs based on capability, not on current position, seniority or political connection. That may mean significant leadership role changes are in the wind. Furthermore, the House Commerce Committee, where many bills of interest to the NHBA are reviewed, has already seen significant change. Committee Secretary Rep. Paul Spiess lost his primary re-election campaign and Vice Chairman Leo Fraser lost his general election battle. New faces, and ideas, may be coming.
Déjà vu I
Speaker Scamman has been here and done this before. He served in the House previously from 1969 to 1990, and was Speaker from 1986 to 1990. Clearly, no "on-the-job-training" will be required.
Déjà vu II
The Democratic Caucus had previously nominated Representative Jim Craig as their choice for party leader in the House of Representatives. Speaker Scamman's first job was to make that selection official by appointing Craig as Minority Leader. Scamman then pointed out that in 1957 his father was elected Speaker…and appointed Jim Craig's father as Minority Leader!
Carpool Pals?
It is traditional for the newly-elected speaker to be joined by their spouse as they make their acceptance speech. Representative Stella Scamman did not have far to go. It's a very short walk from her seat on the floor of the House to the rostrum where her husband will preside over the 400 member body. One might assume that they'd commute together from their Stratham dairy farm to the State House, but don't bet on it. Speaker Scamman is likely to be in Concord much more often and for longer hours than Representative Scamman.
New Hampshire Bankers Association 122 North Main Street P.O. Box 2586 Concord, New Hampshire 03302-2586 For more information on above items: call (603) 224-5373, fax (603) 224-3381 or E-Mail jlittle@nhbankers.com. |
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