Al Posnack: Argument that reps are not county officers has no merit

To The Daily Sun,

You can’t make this stuff up. Our Belknap County Delegation leaders (Reps. Norm Silber and Mike Sylvia) incurred close to $50,000 in legal bills, after a maximum of $20,000 voted on.

“No problem”, they say. “The legal issues were not our fault, so let's have Gunstock pay these bills." 

Actually, there is a problem. When Silber and Sylvia committed unlimited tax dollars to a law firm in excess of any authorization, they violated RSA 24:15 (I). They also violated RSA 643:1, by knowingly committing an unauthorized act. Having broken the law, they should be prosecuted. 

And there is more: A citizen petition, allowable under RSA 24:16, sought the ouster of Silber and Sylvia for their misdeeds. The Belknap County Board of Commissioners reviewed the petition and forwarded it to the delegation for hearing. The delegation cannot now sweep it under the rug, but must conduct a hearing as required by law. Further, the claim by Silber and Sylvia that they are not county officers has no merit, as the entire statutory section is entitled “County Conventions”. The petition clearly applies to them in their role as members of the County Convention.

The targets of this petition want the delegation to ignore it. They would prefer to act as judge, jury, and executioner on this matter. Our representatives can do better. The people are watching and listening.

Al Posnack

Alton Bay