By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – The majority of the state’s Executive Council tabled a record 21 contracts brought by Gov. Kelly Ayotte Wednesday, including ones to fund a child advocacy center and another to repair an important bridge in Charlestown, which is down to one lane.
Led by Republican Executive Councilor David Wheeler of Milford, fellow Republican councilors Joe Kenney of Wakefield and John Stephen of Manchester voted as a block to hold off on agreeing to a variety of contracts Ayotte was asking for, stating a lack of data available within the contract which would help them decide whether to support them.
Wheeler said the missing data includes things like certificates of insurance, who the principals of companies are and what the previous contracts looked like.
He said that used to be part of the package, but not under Ayotte, who is pushing to go pretty much paperless, which he opposes.
Wheeler said he would be happy to revisit the contracts in a special meeting or in several weeks when they next meet provided the information was available all in one place and to the public, which can help identify problems or issues.
Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill, D-Lebanon, who voted against tabling, told Wheeler and the others they were messing with an important contract to fix the Route 12 bridge in Charlestown, which is down to one lane before winter.
“I am deeply disappointed,” Liot Hill said.
The matter came after Wheeler confronted Ayotte about the process at an Oct. 1 meeting and said it has been going on since she took office in January.
Ayotte said she is disappointed that the contracts were tabled due to “paperwork” and that her goal is to put all information online and reduce the amount of paper and time that state police are taking to drive huge baskets full of contracts to the councilors’ homes before each meeting.
Wheeler wants the state to continue to use paper, noting that he sometimes works at places which are not tied to the internet and wants to be able to read the documents then or when his wife is driving.
But Ayotte said “we’re down 57 troopers,” and they spent six weeks of troopers’ time a year driving to the five councilors’ homes before each meeting to deliver the papers.
“I think the whole system is dysfunctional now,” Ayotte told reporters following the meeting.
“We’re going to improve this process,” Ayotte said.
At the breakfast meeting held at Bridges House, the governor’s mansion in East Concord, Ayotte held a presentation with department heads about the process of modernizing the council agenda to make it more efficient, effective and transparent.
The council approves most government contracts in the state and she controls the agenda.
The current process has not substantially changed since the advent of the internet and involves 1.3 million printed pages of paper per year, 240 hours a year of state trooper time for delivering the buckets of paper to each councilors’ home before each meeting and $3 million in taxpayer money spent over the past 10 years.
She said by digitizing document submissions to be available online could save money, time and improve transparency and perhaps even get the public information sooner than they do now.
Some councilors, like Wheeler, said they prefer to have both a printed and an electronic document.
Charlie Arlinghaus, commissioner for the Department of Administrative Services, said he has thought about providing printers for each councilor so that they could print whatever documents they want.
Warning that the children, businesses and residents of Charlestown are “suffering” with the Route 12 bridge down to one lane, Councilor Liot Hill admonished councilors for tabling a $708,000 contract for a slope rebuild.
Liot Hill said this is a major road and the delay is “making people’s lives harder.”
She suggested that Wheeler was holding them hostage over a dispute he is having with Ayotte over paper and online documents.
Ayotte concluded the discussion by saying, “I know change is hard. But we are going to have change.”
GOVERNOR ON HANTZ MARCONI
At the press briefing after the meeting, Ayotte was asked her reaction to state Supreme Court Associate Justice Barbara Hantz Marconi returning to the bench after pleading no contest and being convicted of a misdemeanor charge last week, paying a $1,200 fine and no jail time. The misdemeanor charge involved Hantz Marconi approaching then-Gov. Chris Sununu about her husband, Ports Director Geno Marconi’s criminal investigation.
Ayotte said she is “looking forward to February when I can replace her.” That will be when Hantz Marconi reaches mandatory retirement age.
Geno Marconi, 74, will stand trial in Rockingham County Superior Court next month. He has pleaded not guilty to falsifying physical evidence by deleting a voicemail/and or voicemails from a phone on April 22, 2024. He was also indicted for allegedly retaliating against Pease Development Authority Board Vice Chairman Neil Levesque by providing confidential motor vehicle records pertaining to Levesque to Bradley Cook, in violation of the Driver Privacy Act.
EMPLOYMENT COMMISSIONER COPADIS RETIRES, GOVERNOR NOMINATES LAVERS TO REPLACE
George Copadis of Manchester is retiring as the commissioner of the Department of Employment Security effective Nov. 17 after more than 13 years in that position.
Richard J. Lavers of Concord, his deputy commissioner, has been nominated by Ayotte as his replacement and if confirmed will receive a salary of about $140,000 a year for a term that would end in April, 2029.
At the State House in the Executive Council Chamber, Wednesday, Copadis was thanked for his work during the pandemic by Executive Councilor Janet Stevens, R-Rye, and the other four councilors.
“I am sorry to see you go,” Stevens said.
Liot Hill also offered her thanks and praise.
Councilor Stephen said Copadis is the epitome of public service who was there for people in times of need.
Kenney said Copadis responded every time. “This was the hardest working commissioner in COVID,” Kenney said.
Wheeler also said Copadis has done a great job.
“Thank you for all you did for the state of New Hampshire.”
Ayotte said she could not be more grateful to Copadis and thanked him for all of his help.
“It’s been a distinct pleasure to work with all of you,” Copadis said. “It has been a pleasure and honor….The department stands strong.”
“I will miss you,” he said.
Ayotte’s nomination of former Republican state Senator John Reagan of Deerfield to the board of chiropractic examiners was rejected with only Councilor Janet Stevens voting in support and Liot Hill abstaining.
Kenney said he never heard from Reagan as is customary of nominees.
$27.4M CONTRACT FOR ANTHEM APPROVED FOR STATE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Ayotte met Tuesday with company officials to iron out her previous concerns about a contract to provide health care to state employees and the council approved a $27,483,000 to authorize the Division of Risk and Benefits enter into an agreement with Anthem Health Plans of New Hampshire, Inc., d/b/a Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Manchester.
The contract is effective for the period January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026, with the option to extend for up to an additional two years.
Ayotte said this is an important contract for state employees and the state and said they have had issues on the retiree portion, which is in a separate contract and wanted to be sure those issues don’t come up again.
REACTION ON REPORT ON BERLIN MURDER-SUICIDE AND ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN
Meeting with the press in her office after the council proceedings, Ayotte said she read the report about the murder-suicide in Berlin this summer by Attorney General John Formella, which was issued Tuesday and raised questions and concerns and a number of good ideas to improve protections.
After reading the report she said she was “deeply disappointed…I think the system failed Marisol” at multiple points but was particularly distressed that Berlin Police took the word of her killer, estranged husband Michael Gleason Jr. who denied a report that he was thinking of killing himself and or his wife. Ayotte said they should have taken urgent action to find him and at least warn Marisol Fuentes Huaracha, given what police already knew about him and the case.
During the meeting Councilor Stevens asked why Marisol Fuentes Huaracha was not afforded full protection from domestic violence services.
“She had to move from residence to residence, fearful he was after her,” Stevens said. “She told the court she was fearful of him killing her.”
Attorney General John Formella said services for the woman were confidential and could not say if she had access to a safe house.
But he did say Berlin Police had done a Lethality Assessment, which is designed to help them understand the level of danger.
Formella said without an active criminal investigation (because it was a murder-suicide) he could not get that information, but a new committee formed to look at these cases may be able to shed some light on what happened there.
“I’m at a loss of words for why she was seeking refuge from friends, and not at a safe house,” Stevens said.
Liot Hill said part of what makes this so heartbreaking is that “Marisol did everything right,” and yet time and time again her pleas were not heard.
“She did not receive an appropriate response. Mr. Gleason was not managed appropriately despite everyone knowing he was a serious risk.
“There are people out there who are still living this daily and they need to know where to go…when the courts are not responding.”
Councilor Stephen said the Department of Justice report issued Tuesday on the July 6 Berlin murder suicide of Marisol Fuentes Huaracha at the hands of her estranged husband who was out on bail for raping her was “unprecedented” and included many steps the state can embrace for change.
One aspect of improvement, he said, would be making a uniform statewide VINE system which can tell victims information on the whereabouts of their perpetrator.
He said while some counties have the resources, others do not. He said Strafford County has the best practice in its focus on victims.
Councilor Stephen said he sees a big gap and would like to see it available for pretrial cases, not just those that have been adjudicated.
Attorney General Formella said he would see what could be done.
The state’s highest law enforcement officer said one goal “out of this tragic case” is to make sure we have standard electronic monitoring services available regardless of the county and standardize practices throughout the state.
“The fact that it wasn’t even available in Coos County was a point,” he said from the investigation.
Formella said if the new bail law was in place, Michael Gleason Jr. would have likely been held pending trial rather than free on $5,000 bail.
The law was signed in March but did not go into effect in time to make a difference for the 25-year-old woman who had a domestic violence order protecting her from Gleason.
Formella said there is no question that she impacted a lot of people around her in the Berlin area and that she left a legacy “even though she was not able to be protected herself.”
Ayotte said these future efforts should be named in her honor. Formella said that is a really good point.
“We have decades of experience in that regard,” Formella said. “It’s not just about improving services, it’s about how we can assure victims that they will be protected.”
EPSOM OFFICER RECOGNIZED FOR HEROISM
Epsom Police Officer Joseph Mullins was honored by the governor and Executive Council for his actions recently responding to a large building fire.
Ayotte said he acted with extraordinary courage by entering a large building on fire, ripping a door from its frame and helping to save a stranded individual.
She said he represents the “highest ideals of public service.”
Attending the meeting were most members of the department and the town’s selectmen.
EXCEPTION TO FIRE BAN WILL ALLOW FOR BERLIN’S RIVER FIRE SATURDAY
The council approved an exception to the current state fire ban, which will allow for municipal fireworks to go on as planned throughout the state. Berlin has River Fire this weekend on the old boom peers in the Androscoggin River. The exception requires that fire officials be present and ready to suppress any fire.
This is the 21st year for the community event and it is the biggest event for the community, which brings in business, said Kenney.
He praised Patrick Hackley, director of the division of forests and lands for coming up with an exception.
Asked by Liot Hill if this could extend to a college gathering, he said yes if they can meet all the requirements.
He called the drought “unprecedented” and noted that there is now more fuel with down leaves to give a fire energy. He said right now the state is monitoring conditions and is encouraged by forecasts but the state is still a foot below normal. What we are looking for is multiple days of rain, he said.
FEDERAL SHUTDOWN IMPACT TO NH FEDERAL WORKERS ‘UNACCEPTABLE’
Liot Hill said it is her understanding about 500 people who work for the federal government including National Guard and military are going without pay but was told they did get paid for this period or 75 percent because the shutdown occurred in the middle of a pay period. The state is unsure if those federal workers will get paid.
Liot Hill said she finds it “unacceptable.”
“I find it unacceptable, too. If Washington could get its act together….” Ayotte said.
The governor said she is losing sleep concerned for those who have food insecurity and “Washington could end this now.”
She said she personally reached out to the federal Secretary of Education seeking continued funding for the TRIO program, which helps low-income youth with higher education costs but she has been told that the funding is no longer there.
This is something she said she disagrees with.
Liot Hill expressed concern about what could happen to children who receive SNAP food funding if the federal government shutdown continues.
Both the governor and Commissioner of Health and Human Services Lori Weaver said the state is working on temporary solutions.
FUNDING FOR TEMPORARY FENCING FOR FRANCONIA’S ARTIST BLUFF TABLED AFTER BEING SPENT
A request to spend $10,000 retroactively for temporary fencing during fall foliage around Artists Bluff in Franconia Notch state park was tabled.
Councilors said they lacked the information to approve the funding.
“This request is retroactive because the planning and request-for-bid process extended beyond the deadlines necessary for a timely submission to the Governor and Executive Council. The service is time sensitive in nature, as the pedestrian fencing is an essential element of the Artist Bluff pedestrian safety plan for the fall foliage season,” wrote Sarah Stewart commissioner of the state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
On August 18, 2025, Cannon Mountain Ski Area issued an invitation to submit bids for the fencing and received four bids, and Mobile Fencing Inc. was the lowest bidder.
The department has lost significant funding and staff due to the new state two-year budget.