‘Nepotism begins right in Speaker O’Brien’s office’

Last week, the Department of Employment Security Commissioner resigned and Deputy Commissioner was suspended following allegations that they improperly hired and fired family members.

On behalf of “enraged representatives and their constituents,” House Speaker Bill O’Brien pounced. In a letter to all state commissioners and deputy commissioners, O’Brien demanded they notify the House if they have family members working for them. 

“The recent incidents of nepotism validate the underlying belief of many that government is corrupt and geared toward enriching those who hold power. The furtherance of this presumption through the acts of high-ranking state leaders is corrosive to public confidence and is something that we all have a vested interest in eliminating as quickly and thoroughly as possible.”

GOP Rep. Steve Vaillancourt pointed out that before O’Brien tries to ride herd on the state agencies, he should get “his own House in order.”

We may not know how many employees are on the payroll in agencies, but we know for a fact that O’Brien has one employee under his very nose who is there due to nepotism.

Shannon Bettencourt, who according to House records is paid $45,458.27 a year as House media relations and constituent service specialist, is not only the wife of disgraced former Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt, of Salem, she is also pregnant with DJ’s child.

Nepotism?

You better believe there’s nepotism in New Hampshire state government, and it begins right in Speaker O’Brien’s office.

Bill O’Brien’s ‘asinine and immature act of stupidity’

Yesterday, in a fit of pique, state House Speaker Bill O’Brien barred two Concord Monitor reporters from attending a State House press conference.

O’Brien’s spokesperson Shannon Bettencourt explained that the action was retaliation for a political cartoon that had depicted O’Brien with an Adolph Hitler mustache. The Monitor published the cartoon in May following GOP Rep. Steve Vaillancourt’s infamous “Sieg Heil” salute on the House floor.

Bettencourt called the cartoon “one example of irresponsible choices made by the Monitor.”

“When the Concord Monitor proves they have chosen to become a responsible media outlet,” she declared, “we’ll be happy to invite them to future media events.”

GOP Rep. Lee Quandt was embarrassed by the whole episode:

This asinine and immature act of stupidity was caught on camera…. Bully and his leadership team are acting like little kids who refuse to invite other kids to their birthday party so they can hurt their feelings.

If anyone knows Ann Marie Timmons who is a political reporter for the Concord Monitor, she is like the Mary Poppins of the press corps, just a kind, super fine person and to be treated this way in public is an absolute disgrace to the O’Brien speakers office and an embarrassment to the hard working State Reps and staff who work at the state house.