By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – A New Hampshire House Democrat resigned Monday due to what she called the “mishandling of this legislative session.”
Stephanie Hyland, D-Francestown, sent an email to House Speaker Sherman Packard, Gov. Chris Sununu and colleagues in the House to resign from her elected post.
In her email, she blamed the House Republican leadership which has refused to allow the 400 members to vote remotely at committee meetings and the first session where there was a “mask optional” area in a convention center in Manchester.
An attempt to get a comment on the resignation from Speaker Packard went without an immediate response.
By late afternoon, her name was deleted from the official House roster and her Facebook and Twitter accounts were down.
Hyland wrote in the email to Packard and other leaders, “The mishandling of this legislative session has made it unachievable to safely and morally perform the duties of this post.”
An attempt to get further comment from Hyland Monday was unsuccessful.
She thanked her constituents in Hillsborough District 38 for their support in her email.
Hyland was first elected in 2020 and had posted this about herself on Ballotpedia: “As a Special Education teacher for adjudicated youth just outside of Baltimore, Maryland, the students taught me more about empathy and patience than any formal education. I carried this understanding of human development to Milestones Day School in Waltham, MA where I worked as a Science teacher for years before meeting my husband, Andrew. We settled in Francestown, NH to reconnect with the natural world. I was building a welcoming yoga studio in Epping, NH when COVID-19 hit our nation. Transitioning the business online allowed time to put more action behind my growing passion to mend our government and modernize our communities. Though my job title may change, my life goals have not. I am committed to helping others learn the value of their own voices and preserving our environment through 21st century technology.”
Before her resignation this week, there were 185 Democrats and 207 Republicans in the 400-member House, for whom compensation is $200 each term plus travel expenses.