|
GOP senators pick Bragdon as leader
by Kevin Landrigan, The Nashua Telegraph
Bragdon reportedly started the day with five of 10 firm
commitments and secured the sixth and pivotal supporter a few hours before the meeting to unseat two-term leader Ted Gatsas,
of Manchester.
The Telegraph confirmed Sen. Robert Letourneau, R-Derry, was the swing backer.
Letourneau's
endorsement joined other Bragdon supporters Sens. Michael Downing, of Salem, and Robert Odell, of Lempster; and Sens.-elect
Sharon Carson, of Londonderry, and Bill Denley, of Wakefield.
Gatsas, 58, then dropped out and the vote for Bragdon
as the new leader became unanimous.
Bragdon stressed it will be a friendly transition.
"We will all work together
as a team. Ted will become an important part of that team," Bragdon said.
"I think my style is different than Ted's;
it's neither good nor bad. I like to find solutions and Ted does too. We try to do it in different ways."
Gatsas said
he did not feel double-crossed by Bragdon's election.
"I'm just stepping back and will see what my opportunities are,"
Gatsas said.
"This will allow me to spend more time on the budget because we are in some very drastic times."
During
an interview, Bragdon, 45, said he had time to devote to the new role because The Milford Observer, the weekly newspaper he
started two years ago, had become profitable.
"I tend to try and be structured and efficient and organized," Bragdon
said.
"Maybe we will make everyone's life more efficient."
Downing said Bragdon offers the right skill set
for the "new direction" of the Senate GOP.
"It was the caucus's feeling that we needed a new direction, a new focus
especially with the budget problems we face, and that we needed to open up the channels of communication between the minority
and the majority and the governor's office," Downing said.
Publicly, Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, stayed out of this
fight, but Bragdon supported some Lynch initiatives including the 10-state plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mandate
that all insurers offer wellness incentives in their plans for health coverage.
Odell said Bragdon's work ethic and
willingness to compromise was key.
"I respect greatly his willingness to work hard, to build consensus and those will
be skills that will be important over the next two years," Odell said.
A Manchester native, Bragdon grew a technology
software company, Achieve!, from a start-up in the mid-1980s to an Inc. 500 firm before selling it in 1996.
Bragdon
spent seven years chairing the Milford School Board and first won a seat in the House in 2002 before moving to the Senate
two years later.
Senate supporters urged Bragdon to craft a two-year blueprint for eventual takeover of the 24-person
Senate with more robust fundraising that targets winnable races.
Some felt Gatsas miscalculated, placing too much
emphasis on the defeat of Sens. Betsi DeVries, D-Manchester, and Kathleen Sgambati, D-Tilton, and not doing enough to promote
Paul LaFlamme, R-Nashua, who lost to Sen.-Elect Peggy Gilmore, D-Hollis, and Andy Sanborn, R-Henniker, who lost to Sen. Harold
Janeway, D-Webster.
Last week, the voters did not make any change in the state Senate, keeping it controlled by Democrats,
14-10.
Bragdon won re-election to a third term, and two days after the vote, a fellow GOP senator urged him to think
about replacing Gatsas.
"I did not have any aspirations. It really started with a phone call from a colleague that
said, 'You know, I think the votes are there for you if you are interested,' " Bragdon said.
He met privately with
Senate President Sylvia Larsen, D-Concord, after the vote and wants Gatsas more involved in reviewing state finances over
the next two years.
"I think that's his expertise, and it would make sense to involve him in that area," Bragdon said.
"I think you'll be seeing as much of Ted as you did the past two years."
Gatsas is not at all likely to become a member
of the Senate Finance Committee, legislative sources confirmed Monday.
The organization of staff, office space and
committee seats are all issues that will take up his attention, Bragdon added.
On Monday, Senate Minority Director
Erin Haas left her GOP job to join the lobbying firm of Michael Dennehy, Dick and Jim Bouley.
The 2009 session will
be dominated by the troubled state budget and continued reform of the state retirement system, Bragdon added.
"It's
good to have only two issues that we all know will be the focus next year," Bragdon said.
Rating |
Enter supporting content here
|
