This month we elect a member of the Executive Council. Members of the Executive Council have much more power over state finances and high level employees and judicial appointments than most people realize. It is important to understand what your Executive Councilor believes and supports.

The following is taken from the New Hampshire Executive Council Web site at NH.gov/council/about-us.

The Executive Council performs many valuable tasks that are of major importance to our fiscally conservative, very open government. Some of their more noteworthy duties and responsibilities are:

• All major executive branch business is conducted in public with the press present.
• All state departments and agencies must seek approval of both receipt and expenditures of state and federal funds, budgetary transfers within the department, all personal service contracts with a value of $10,000, and all contracts with a value of $25,000.
• The Executive Council approves the spending of a major portion of the approximately $5.2 billion that is appropriated annually by the legislature.
• Executive Councilors serve as watchdogs of the state treasury to ensure state departments do not spend more than was authorized by the legislature, nor allocate funds for items or services which the legislature has not sanctioned.
• The Executive Council approves the appointments of judges, commissioners, notary publics, justices of the peace, and commissioners of deeds and hears pardon requests.
• The Executive Council plays a vital role in improving the state’s infrastructure, especially roads and bridges, via management and oversight of the state’s 10-year highway plan.
• Executive Councilors make certain that those appointed to the executive branch of state government, whether commissioners, department heads, or citizen members of the myriad of regulatory boards, agencies, and commissions are all responsible to the citizens of New Hampshire and not to special interests.
• More importantly, Executive Councilors are the constituent’s eyes and ears in Concord. They ensure the executive branch of state government is fiscally conservative and above reproach.
• Each biennium, the Governor and Executive Council appoint more than 300 citizens to serve on various state agencies, boards, and commissions. The Governor nominates and the Executive Council confirms unclassified state employees including commissioners, deputy commissioners, and assistant commissioners. They also confirm District, Superior, and Supreme Court justices; medical referees; and military officers.
• Councilors are elected every two years to serve as advocates for the people.

Floterial District

You will notice on the ballot that Andover has two state representatives – one elected in District 1 and one elected in District 25. District 25 is a floterial district that is actually a combination of Merrimack County District 1 and District 7.

The basic purpose of a floterial district is to make sure that all areas of the state are adequately represented. A floterial district is created when a district has more than the number of people to create one district but not enough to create a second district.

The excess numbers of people in each district are added together to form a new district. District 1 includes Andover, Danbury, and Salisbury; District 7 includes Warner and Webster. Floterial District 25 includes Andover, Danbury, Salisbury, Warner, and Webster. This method provides Andover with two State Representatives instead of one.

Voting Districts are formed every 10 years using census data. The New Hampshire Constitution requires no fewer than 375 representatives and no more than 400.