As House lawmakers wrestle with the decision to expel former House Speaker Gene Chandler, supporters and critics held rallies at the statehouse Tuesday.
The House is expected to vote on the former House Speaker's fate tomorrow.
New Hampshire Public Radio's Dan Gorenstein has more.
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:08- everybody fall in close quarters, remember enough is enough...
That's Elaine Ryan one of the pro-Chandler organizers.
She and about 45 other residents from Chandler's district came to the capitol to voice their opposition to expel Chandler from the legislature.
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3:40 we came here today, to Concord, to bring a clear message to the members of the House of Representatives. The expulsion of Gene Chandler would be unjustified. It's in direct opposition to the wishes of the voters.
Last week, the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee unanimously recommended that Gene Chandler be expelled for the duration of this legislative session.
The House must vote the recommendation up or down.
At the rally, Ryan explained the genesis of how Chandler first came to host his annual corn roast fundraisers.
1:44 he could not afford to run again for the House. He was considering withdrawing. And we didn't want that. We wanted him to continue representing us. so a bunch of us got together and we said come to my house and figured out we were going to have to raise some funds.
But while the event at first brought in people from the district and personal friends, after Chandler became Speaker, the event grew.
And Chandler began collecting three and four digit checks from the likes of the New Hampshire Medical Society, and RJ Reynolds.
Groups that had business before the Legislature.
Elaine Ryan concedes there is a difference between friends and voters supporting Chandler and companies like Verizon and the Auto Dealers PAC.
4:40 when we got to that point, that maybe we should have said back off, but it was something we didn't quite think at the time. it moved gradually, it started with us in the living room, and it moved gradually, and in retrospect maybe we should have looked at that a lot close...but what is done is done.
But Representative Chandler doesn't distinguish who gave him money.
He says he could host a fundraiser for a personal or a political committee, but he would still have used the funds in the same way.
3:!5 the fact of whether they are giving it for this or that, I don't know that it has any more implications one way or the other. A lot of the same expenses that I paid for out of this campaign, I could have paid for out of a political campaign. I could have declared I was running for office and paid my car expenses and lots of things...personally I don't see a difference one way or the other. And as I've always said, if people don't like it, they should change the law. Until that, it's legal.
Chandler says he hopes that the House takes up his case this week.
He says he's gone through a tough 8 months, and is anxious to have the issue behind him.
The House Democratic leadership has called on House Speaker Doug Scamman to delay the vote until next week.
The Democrats say another week will help lawmakers be more clear how to vote on the expulsion recommendation.
But Scamman says he sees no sense in that.
1:41 one more week is not going to change a thing. If people think I am trying to rush something, they're wrong. I want to get it over and done with, b/c I think everybody knows how they feel about it. you might change two votes on each side between now and next week. They have the opportunity to read the report...as Speaker I want ot deal with the important calendar...we don't need to have this hanging over our heads.
To critics, like Representative Shawn Jasper, Scamman's attitude is just another example of lawmakers protecting their own, and sweeping the Chandler issue under the rug.
7:15 everyday we pass laws and say this is right, this is wrong, and here is the penalty. We do that without knowing who is going to break the law, so it's easy for us to do that. But how do we have the moral authority to continue to do that when we know this person and we know it's wrong, here is the law, but b/c we like him so much, b/c he's such a good guy, we are going to ignore our own laws. How is anyone going to have any respect for anything we do if that's the message we send?
A smaller second rally was held at the statehouse, urging the House to expel Chandler.
And while lawmakers and political observers frantically wonder and whisper about the fate of Gene Chandler, Pat from Epsom isn't expending so much mental energy.
1:56 they won't do anything with him. he's one of the good old boys. Nothing will happen...it's just business as usual, nothing will change. At least there are a few of us out here disgusted with what's going on.
For NHPR News, I'm DG.
