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Leadership and Experience

by: Dean Barker

Thu May 19, 2011 at 06:09:05 AM EDT
( These wannabe judges deserve the thumping they're getting.   - promoted by susanthe)

14 May:
House Speaker William O'Brien and Rich Lambert, executive administrator for the Legislative Ethics Committee, told Ingbretson he was not violating legislative ethics guidelines which define a conflict as a situation where a lawmaker or immediate family member would gain financially.

..."All Representative Ingbretson is doing is moderating a discussion to make sure it stays relevant and that everyone has an opportunity to be heard," said O'Brien, R-Mont Vernon.

20 May:
Rep. Paul Ingbretson, R-Pike, said he has stepped aside from hearings on a petition brought by a Londonderry man for whom he provided supervised visits in a child custody case.

...Ingbretson said he had decided Tuesday to remove himself. A letter from Howard Zibel, general counsel to the state Supreme Court and the judicial branch, also requested him to step aside.

...He said his lack of experience led to the controversy.

In a rare trifecta, three major New Hampshire newspapers have condemned Ingbretson's role on this kangaroo court.

When will House Republicans realize they have a Bill O'Brien problem?

(find me > 140 on birch paper; on Twitter < 140)
Dean Barker :: Leadership and Experience
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Leadership and Experience | 10 comments
When will House Republicans realize they have a Bill O'Brien problem? (4.00 / 6)
Probably never.  But those residents of the state who pay attention know that the state has a Bill O'Brien problem and it will be our job to show him the door in Nov. 2012.
What's the deal with Lambert? (4.00 / 1)
1. Is he a career employee or an O'Brien appointment?
2. Is it usual for a "committee administrator" to issue ethical advice / rulings?
3. Is it common practice for the Ethics Committee - by staff or membership - to issue before-the-fact advice? (That would seem to make the Committee unable to respond to later complaints.)
4. What other advice has the committee provided? Is it subject to Right to Know requests?
Right To Know Less n/t (0.00 / 0)


note to close readers: this might be sarcastic so think twice before reading to candidates for use in their attacks on each other
[ Parent ]
Mostly about money (4.00 / 2)
The Ethics Guidelines are limited in scope when it comes to legislators, and primarily involve financial situations.  A conflict of interest for legislators is a condition in which a legislator has a financial interest in any official activity. There  also is a prohibition against engaging in sexual harrassment. There is one category which includes revealing confidential information or  revealing information about state agencies that would not be disclosed to a member of the general public. But for the most part, only financial issues are considered a conflict of interest.

There is no requirement that legislators exercise good judgment.

The ethics committee itself may issue advisory opinions. With respect to staff issuing opinions, I sdon't find anything in the procedural rules providing for advisory opinions or informal advice by staff.  

That i all I can tell from reading the guidelines.  



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

[ Parent ]
Yes, personal ambition is not considered as creating a (4.00 / 1)
conflict either.  Which is why we now have a U.S. Senator who "made her bones" by seeking to put a witless cop killer to death.
"Follow the money" looks like an easy route, until one considers that pay-offs are easy to hide with triangular relationships.
A helping B and B helping C effectively hides that A is helping/indebted to C.
[ Parent ]
It must be hard to determine the financial stake (4.00 / 1)
when nobody seems to have any idea what the Committee on Redress of Grievances actually does.
[ Parent ]
if nothing else... (4.00 / 1)
Rep. Ingbretson performed a service for David Johnson which could have cost a significant sum of money.  Supervised visits at the local visitation center in Manchester cost at least $10/hour, and much more if the noncustodial parent has an income.  (The top of the sliding fee scale, for those making more than $40k/yr, is $75/hour.)


[ Parent ]
Lack of Experience (0.00 / 0)
I read the U.L. account today and it was the "lack of experience" excuse that caught my eye.

These people who now have power over our lives are finally admitting that they don't know what in Hell they are doing.

The problem is that they can't grasp how outrageous this is.

That's too complicated for the party of personal responsibility.

Thinking (0.00 / 0)
is apparently overrated.  
[ Parent ]
When? (4.00 / 3)
I predict they will realize it on November 7th, 2012.

Hope >> Fear





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