Donna Soucy steps up: And away from her commitment

Published Mar 18, 2013 at 3:00 am (Updated Mar 17, 2013)

Donna Soucy, in her fourth term on Manchester's Board of School Committee, used that seat as a stepping stone to the state Senate, to which she was elected last fall. There is nothing wrong with that. But apparently she has found that she no longer needs the school board. The stone had already been stepped. Last Monday she resigned her seat.

Soucy cited as a reason for her resignation the pressing demands of being a state senator. Could the demands of serving simultaneously in both positions be any greater than those felt by Mayor Ted Gatsas when he served as a senator and an alderman?

When Frank Guinta was a state representative and an alderman from Manchester, he resigned his House seat after newly elected U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley offered him a job. The same thing? No. More than a month after the election, Guinta was offered a position that required him, under federal law, to resign his House seat. He kept his aldermanic seat. Soucy simply chose to keep other commitments.

Soucy might have given up some other duties so she could continue serving the people of Ward 6. Her position as chief financial officer of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, perhaps. But no, she is keeping the commitment to her party and dropping the commitment to her city constituents. What could say more about her priorities than that?

Soucy resigned abruptly, leaving Ward 6 without representation on the school board during a critical time. The search for a superintendent is under way. The board will have to vote on a replacement for retiring Superintendent Thomas Brennan sometime fairly soon. As Ward 6 Alderman Garth Corriveau said, "It's hard to imagine a more important vote that the school board might be taking this year. I want our Ward 6 represented on that."

The voters of Ward 6 surely want the same thing. It is too bad that Soucy left them without their elected representative during this process.

To improve the chance of seeing your comment posted here or published in the New Hampshire Union Leader:

Note: Comments are the opinion of the respective poster and not of the publisher.

Bob Jean said:

Donna Soucy is serving her community and her communities' education including her local school system in the State Senate. The notion that citizens in NH should be punished in an editorial because they adjust to different voluntary commitments really is a silly partisan whack job. Shame on the UL. The school board a stepping stone? That's as silly as it gets. The school board is never a political stepping stone. It's as selfless a volunteer job as the State Senate. The UL simply wants Republicans in the State Senate so that a real commitment to education can be avoided. It's the UL who advocates against the State keeping its educational commitments, not Soucy. Donna Soucy favors keeping the educational commitments the State has and it's that commitment she maintains that drives the UL and Republicans as crazy as this editorial.
(Report Abuse)

Spike said:

The editors are not above criticizing a Democrat for occupying multiple offices at once. It is adaptability to also be able to criticize a Democrat for not occupying multiple offices, or for not quitting the job so as to most severely injure her Party. The editors would reverse this spin to support a Republican just as swiftly as Bob Jean would assemble baloney to attack him. The reality is that most of New Hampshire's political offices, including the entire legislature, are essentially volunteer work, and there is exactly one forum to properly decide whether Ms. Soucy is a mere opportunist, or has been able to perform with competence all the jobs she has elected to keep, including adequate attendance at Senate roll calls: the next election.
(Report Abuse)

Mike Pelletier said:

there has been 'bad blood' between the UL and "The Soucy's" for many years. Recall the late 1990's where there was a certain front page headline, in pretty big bold block letters, regarding a certain 'issue' in Ward 6 (why bother with history?). And, yes, the State Sentate is one more rung in the ladder- there are a few more rungs that will be stepped on and that is the nature of the game. The UL and GOP should be mad but not at its opponents that win - it needs to look inside of itself. But, not all the world is Ward 6 or East Manchester.... been there, done that.... and as Cartman says, "you know what guys, blank you, I'm going home".
(Report Abuse)

Trent Palmer said:

This seems incredibly petty even for the Union Leader. Maybe tomorrow they can take a partisan swipe at the local dog catcher?
(Report Abuse)

Richard L. Fortin said:

What a waste of newsprint and ink. This is just little Drew Cline waaaaahing for lack of something constructive to do with his time like his boss he is a Doofus. The Useless Leader has had it in for the Soucy family because they do not dance to it's tune. I'm not a supporter of Donna Soucy in any office that she seeks but this is just a childish temper tantrum of the Drewboy.
(Report Abuse)

Home » Opinion » Editorials

Donna Soucy steps up: And away from her commitment

Comments

Post a comment