New bill aims to have county officers spend more time working than campaigning

LACONIA — Representatives from Belknap County were asked to consider legislation to increase the length of terms for certain elected officials, the county's Statehouse delegation learned at their meeting last week. 

HB 1105 establishes a four-year term of office for the Belknap County attorney, sheriff, treasurer, register of deeds and register of probate, beginning with those selected in the 2026 General Election. 

The bill is co-sponsored by state Reps. Glen Aldrich (R-Gilford), Steven Bogert (R-Laconia), Mike Bordes (R-Laconia), Lisa Freeman (R-Tilton), Juliet Harvey-Bolia (R-Tilton), Sheri Minor (R-Laconia) and Douglas Trottier (R-Belmont), along with state Sens. Timothy Lang (R-Sanbornton) and Howard Pearl (R-Loudon). 

“As the prime sponsor of House Bill 1105, I’m looking to give our county the opportunity to have certain elected officials in the county to serve a four-year term instead of a two,” Trottier said during the Dec. 9 meeting. “A couple years ago I believe it was, Rockingham County went to this, and I believe Coos County. It’s my understanding that there might be another county or two that will be heard in the House this year to do the same thing.”

The bill is pending, and scheduled to be introduced and referred to the House Municipal and County Government committee on Jan. 7. It’s due out of that committee on March 5. Similar legislation is already in effect in Coos and Rockingham counties.

Trottier told his fellow representatives that, with regards to newly-elected sheriffs, registers and attorneys, they spend the first year learning the ropes, then the second gearing up for the next election campaign. 

“I figure with at least a four-year term, the first year they’re learning. It gives them a good two years to basically be able to run their departments or build their departments,” Trottier said. “Then the fourth year, halfway through or so, they’re going to start campaigning again.”

Bordes told fellow representatives the first year of a two-year term is spent learning how to do the job, and then the candidate immediately turns around into campaign-mode. Changing the length of terms for these discrete positions would improve efficiency and efficacy. 

“You’re not being fully effective or efficient doing that job,” Bordes said. “I think this gives us an opportunity to give our newly-elected officials a chance to actually perform their job and, come four years later when they’re up for re-election, if they’re not performing that job, they get voted out. If they’re doing a great job, they get reelected.”

Bordes is mayor-elect for the City of Laconia, and Bogert was recently reelected to the city council, representing Ward 5.

Rep. Barbara Comtois (R-Barnstead) said the county has a longstanding tradition of low turnover in certain offices, like the register of deeds, sheriff and county attorney. 

“The reason we have two-year elections is there is no way to recall somebody if they’re not doing a good job. Ensuring that elections are held every two years ensures that you have the appropriate person in there, and therefore, I cannot support this bill,” Comtois said. 

Rep. Paul Terry (R-Alton) was also hesitant to signal his support for the bill, owing to the same concerns regarding the lack of a mechanism to recall an elected official. 

“Whereas two years is a relatively short period of time, four years is twice as long, and voters really do not have the opportunity to hold the elected official accountable until four years have expired, without the opportunity for recall that continues not to exist in New Hampshire,” Terry said.

Rep. Charlie St. Clair (D-Laconia), mayor of Laconia, said he’s asked constituents about this bill, and hasn’t found one who supports it. He also said he agrees these particular jobs don’t turnover often in Belknap County. 

“The response I get is, 'Why isn’t this being done for all elected officials?' And I really don’t have an answer for that,” he said.