By GLYNIS HART
[email protected]
CLAREMONT – Claremont’s two representatives to the state legislature, John J. O’Connor and Francis Gauthier, are among those with the worst attendance records.
O’Connor and Gauthier, both Repub-licans, were #7 and #8, respectively, of the most-often-absent legislators. Gauthier was not present for 68 percent of roll-call votes, or 121 out of 167, while O’Connor missed 104 roll-call votes.
The other top absentees – Nick Zaricki, Ryan Smith, Armand Forest, Eric Schleien, and Judd Bing, are not running for re-election. O’Connor and Gauthier are.
Gauthier spoke to the Eagle Times by phone Monday.
“All the bills that matter to my constituency were extinguished early,” he explained.
Gauthier, a retired electrician, and his wife are on a fixed income. The legislator pays its members a nominal stipend of $100 per year, and 54 cents per mile gas allowance. When the legislature is in session, it takes 50 to 60 hours a week. Gauthier also runs a home-based business fixing computers, and when work began demanding his time and attention, “I was running.”
“The money you get from [serving on the legislature] doesn’t cover the expense,” he said. “When you’re a person of meager income, it’s a real hardship.”
Gauthier said he intends to run again and serve again: “I’ll be making every single floor session, but not the committee work.”
O’Connor did not return phone calls by press time.
The only state that pays its legislators less than New Hampshire is New Mexico, which pays no salary at all but does provide $163 per day for expenses when the legislature is in session. Wyoming, third from the bottom, pays an annual salary of $6,000 to its legislators plus $150 per day.
States with the highest compensation for their legislators are are California, which tops the list at $104,115, Pennsylvania ($86,478) and New York ($79,500).
O’Connor left a message in response to an Eagle Times inquiry. He said the legislative sessions met erratically. “Sometimes they meet every week, and sometimes they do nothing for a week. Some days they go through 40 or 50 bills [votes] in a day.” He also said he was absent because of bronchitis and the flu this past winter.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.