BY MICHELLE KIM
The Executive Council voted to grant a special election date to fill the District 7 state representative vacancy, which represents Weare and Goffstown, on March 11, with a primary on Feb. 5.
The vacancy was created by the death of Rep. Bruce Hunter in September. He had been a state representative for three terms.
The Goffstown Board of Selectmen had initially requested a special election at the earliest possible date of Jan. 22. Weare’s Board of Selectmen had voted to request holding the special election along with another vote, such as the March 11 town vote or presidential primary, to deflect the cost of having a separate special election, which could run upwards of $5,000. This would put a strain on the town’s already tight budget, according to Weare Town Administrator Fred Ventresco.
Weare wrote a letter to the Goffstown selectmen expressing these concerns.
“We want to fill that seat but do it so that it’s fiscally prudent on our part,” said Weare Selectman Heleen Kurk.
Goffstown’s selectmen then revoted, 4-1, on Monday, Oct. 29, to change the requested date to coincide with the Town Meeting. Selectman Phil D’Avanza expressed concern that the towns would miss out on the committees the late Rep. Bruce Hunter had served on and voted no. Selectmen Nick Campasano said he would be willing to present a united front with Weare, and Selectman Scott Gross said the shortage of one representative for the initial six-and-a-half weeks of the 2008 session would not be so bad considering there are seven other representatives.
John Caprio, chairman of the Goffstown Board of Selectmen, and Kurk both appeared before the Executive Council on Monday, Oct. 31. The governor asked if the two selectmen were in agreement and thanked them for working it out between the towns, according to Kurk.
While there will be some expense associated with holding the Feb. 5 primary, Weare is looking to do so as minimally as possible, according to Town Clerk Evelyn Connor. She said she expects a low turnout for the special election primary.
Candidates may file Dec. 24 to Dec. 31 with the town clerk’s office during normal business hours or at the Secretary of State’s office until 4 p.m. More information is available on Secretary of State’s Web site at www.sos.nh.gov/goffstown.htm.