President’s Message continued…

For years, not only were New Hampshire voters first – but they were right. And for large measure, that is because Granite State voters took their responsibility seriously. They have the knack of looking the candidates square in the eye and asking the tough questions. Along the way, it has had the effect of separating the men from the boys if you will.

The late Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy’s surprise victory in 1968 over incumbent President Lyndon Johnson lead to Johnson’s withdrawal from the race and changed the Presidential landscape of the day.

And Ronald Reagan’s claim that “I paid for this microphone Mr. Green” helped ensure his New Hampshire Primary victory over a then surging George H.W. Bush in 1979.

And surely, New Hampshire’s entry into the Presidential Primary waters, with a 1952 write-in victory of Dwight Eisenhower over the established and recognized front runner, Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson, set the mark for future New Hampshire Primaries.

Today, efforts are underway at the national level to front load the political process with larger, regional primaries. This would be a sad day were it to come to be. The argument seems to be that New Hampshire’s population is not a diverse representation of the country’s population. And by the numbers, that is true enough.

But what would be lost in such a change in the political landscape is the retail nature of the New Hampshire primary. As I have said in a number of State Capital remarks to CPM audiences, government & politics in New Hampshire is not a spectator sport. It is real and personal. And Presidential campaigns are treated in just that manner. Candidates for the highest office in the land can’t come to New Hampshire and run strictly a media campaign, with brief appearances on airport tarmacs offering that day’s sound bite, before rushing off to the next state. Candidates have to campaign among the voters. Hold Town Meetings. Speak to the local service clubs. Shake hands on the street. Meet with groups of voters for house coffees. Wander the country fairs. Stop at the roadside diners. And all the rest.

In short, they have to meet the people, discuss the issues, answer their questions and earn their trust. It is time consuming, and can’t be done in states like California, Texas, New York, Illinois or Michigan. And when the process has a bunch of states holding elections the same day, it can’t be done at all.

The New Hampshire Primary, as well as the Iowa Caucuses, are worthy institutions of being saved. While I admit I have a parochial bias, my belief is rooted in the notion that New Hampshire preserves the adage that any boy or girl can grow up to be President.

In an earlier career as a newspaper reporter, I can recall the Presidential election of 1976. I specifically have memories of a then unknown Georgia Governor who would be thrilled to stop any three folks on the sidewalks of Manchester and ask for their votes. The Georgia Governor was Jimmy Carter. If it weren’t for the New Hampshire Primary and his winning it, Jimmy Carter would have never made it to the White House. I believe the same can be said for Bill Clinton. Although he didn’t win the New Hampshire Primary, his strong second place position after being written off as politically dead propelled him to the forefront.

Bill Gardner proudly told his CPM audience last September of New Hampshire’s history in the Presidential Primary waters. And his efforts to protect that First-in-the-Nation jewel have never been as strongly tested as it is being tested today. History is in the making for the upcoming Presidential election…and those in attendance at last year’s AACPM Professional Development Conference had a front-row seat for the beginning of the action.

* * * * * * *

I’d also like to take this opportunity to recognize the special individual who currently leads our sister organization…the National CPM Consortium. Imelda Roberts of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is the current Chair of the National CPM Consortium and will be among the recipients of the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor was presented last month.

In 1984, Imelda left a career as the head of the Testing and Sourcing Unit, Human Resources Division-Recruitment Department of San Miguel Corporation (SMC), the Philippines largest private corporation, and the number one publicly traded company in the entire Southeast Asia employing over 30 thousand employees, at the time she migrated to the United States.

Despite her education having been completed through a full scholarship, and previous professional success, Imelda did not deter from starting all over again in America. From a humble beginning of being a maid, babysitter and a domestic assistant to the Ambassador of the Embassy of Australia, she is now a successful executive assuming critical roles in the government sector in the Washington, DC region and an executive officer in various regional and national organizations. Beyond her role with the Consortium, her day job is as Director of Human Resources for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, a regional council serving 19 member local jurisdictions, members of the Maryland and Virginia legislatures, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives.

In April 2006, her book, “Barefooted Soul”, was launched at the Philippines Embassy in Washington, DC, followed by book tours in the West Coast, Italy and the Philippines. The book contains forty stories she wrote in forty nights highlighting how she reached the pinnacle of her career and personal triumph despite enormous challenges and adversities.

The Ellis Island Medal of Honor ranks among this country’s most prestigious awards, having been officially recognized by the United States Senate and the House of Representatives. Its recipients are listed in the Congressional Record and include among the best our country has to offer including five U.S. Presidents, Colin Powell, Walter Cronkite, Muhammad Ali, Madeleine Albright, Rudolph Giuliani, Rosa Parks and Bob Hope.

Imelda will be featured at the 18th Annual Professional Development Conference in Louisville, Kentucky this September. She is our keynote presenter for Tuesday morning, September 12th.

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