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MANCHESTER A rupture in the ranks of Democrats could spill into the party's endorsement of a candidate for the 12th House District.

The discord heading into the May 20 convention centers on the board of directors' consideration of a compromise that Republican and board Minority Leader Cheri Pelletier offered.

Prompted by the expected resignation of Mayor Leo Diana, Pelletier proposed that Republican board members would back Democrat Jay Moran as mayor if Democrats supported Republican board member Tim Devanney as deputy mayor.

Democratic Town Committee Chairman Mike Pohl was adamantly opposed to the deal, saying Pelletier had people "buffaloed" into believing a political power play was a compromise. But at a special meeting Tuesday after Diana's resignation, enough Democrats, including Moran, joined Republican board members to elevate Moran to the mayor's seat and Devanney to deputy.

At the meeting, Pelletier criticized Pohl and other Democratic leaders while praising Moran as "a man who puts his community first, who takes his leadership role seriously and who leads by the courage of his convictions."

"I know your town committee is not happy with your decision," Pelletier said. "I know they engaged in some reprehensible behavior... I am also acutely aware of a few characters on your side of the aisle that are now demanding that Attorney [John] Sullivan's name be removed from consideration of the 12th District's state representative's race because he dared to build consensus towards our compromise."

Sullivan, an assistant town attorney, is one of three Democrats who have maintained interest in the 12th District seat. The others are Kelly Luxenberg, former school board member and wife of the current district representative, and Robert Shanbaum, a business owner and chairman of the Cheney Brothers National Historic Landmark District Commission.

Sullivan said Wednesday that Pohl had initially backed him for the seat. In fact, Pohl approached him to run after current state Rep. Geoff Luxenberg, D-Manchester, announced in March that he would not seek re-election, Sullivan said.

But Sullivan also supported Pelletier's proposal on board of directors leadership, and he acknowledged Wednesday that Pohl was not pleased.

Pohl is now publicly backing Kelly Luxenberg for the 12th House seat. Asked Thursday why he was no longer supporting Sullivan, Pohl wrote in an email, "Both John Sullivan and Robert Shanbaum are great people who have worked for the town and the party.

Excerpt from:
Manchester Democrats Squabble Heading Into 12 t h House Convention

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FILE: March 8, 2012: Sen. Charles Schumer gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington.AP

Senate Democrats will vote this year on a constitutional amendment that would overturn two Supreme Court rulings on campaign contributions and expenditures, limiting the ability of federal candidates to raise and spend money.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday that the Senate would schedule a vote on the constitutional amendment proposed by Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M. The measure also would also limit the ability of super PACs to impact elections.

The Supreme Court is trying to take this country back to the days of the robber barons, allowing dark money to flood our elections, Schumer, who chairs the Senate Rules Committee, said at a hearing on campaign finance reform.

Recent Supreme Court rulings have permitted individuals and corporations to write unlimited checks to independent political committees, while other groups can accept cash and disclose the donors' identities months or years later, if ever.

Udall's amendment would not dictate specific policies or regulations, but would allow Congress to pass campaign finance reform legislation that "withstands constitutional challenges," Schumer's office said in a news release.

Changes to the Constitution are difficult and the vote was more political than practical. The vote, however, would force Republicans to either defend unlimited money in campaigns or put them in the awkward position of condemning their allies.

Free and fair elections are a founding principle of our democracy, but the Supreme Court's rulings have ensured that they are now for sale to the highest bidder," Udall said. "It's now crystal clear that we need a constitutional amendment to restore integrity in our election system."

Wednesday's Senate Rules Committee hearing was the first since the Supreme Court's ruling that lifted limits on how much total money individual donors can give to candidates. The court left in place a limit on how much individual candidates can take from each donor, but the justices cleared the way for donors to give the maximum amount to every candidate on the grounds that restrictions limit free speech rights.

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