erception counts for a whole lot in politics.
So even though Republican Tom Eaton of Keene won the District 10 state Senate race last week by just 100 votes, the fact is the job had been held by a Democrat, the late Clesson ''Junie'' Blaisdell, for 29 years. The state Democratic Party, including Governor Jeanne Shaheen, had weighed in big time for Eaton's opponent, former Keene mayor Bill Lynch, and he lost. And, the symbol of power that the Democrats savored -- their slim, 13-11 advantage in the state Senate - is gone. It's now a 12-12 tie.
So there was plenty of reason for state's Republican Party chairman, Steve Duprey, to engage in some crowing -- which he did. The Democrats, Duprey told reporters, lost a ''referendum on their leadership.'' A more modest Eaton, a funeral home director whose father, Charles C. Eaton, held the same Senate seat in the 1960s, said the whole experience had been ''overwhelming.''
''Eight weeks ago when this campaign began, I had no idea what I was doing,'' said Eaton, 50, who had never run for office before.
At a press conference, Eaton thanked the people of Cheshire County and described himself as ''very nonpartisan,'' which had been a campaign theme. ''In the tradition of my father,'' Eaton continued, but then he began to struggle with his composure. Duprey gave him a supportive pat on the back. ''He was beyond reproach,'' Eaton finally said quietly. ''I hope to do that too.''
Democratic Party chairman Kathy Sullivan said it was clear early on that the race would be close. A poll five weeks ago showed Eaton with a 71 percent favorability rating in the district, she said. Lynch also was a popular candidate, but some think he may have suffered from a divisive primary in November when Lynch defeated Blaisdell's son, Peter, for the Senate nomination. Lynch won the city of Keene by just 208 votes, which Eaton was able to make up in nine towns that complete the district. Eaton will have to run again in the November 2000 general election for a full two-year Senate term.
One of Eaton's soon-to-be colleagues, state Senator Ned Gordon, a Bristol Republican, said Lynch was viewed ''as an old-time party politician,'' while Eaton was ''a fresh face, a new message.'' Gordon says party affiliations don't matter sometimes.
When it comes down to voting on issues, Gordon said, ''what you're finding is alliances in the Senate that have nothing to do with party distinctions.'' But, Gordon said, now that the sides are in balance, his own party will have equal responsibility for trying to solve problems.
''Now they don't have anybody to blame,'' Gordon said.
Eaton will be sworn in this week. ''I think I'm going to be doing a lot of studying,'' he said.
Streeter intends to be full-time mayor
In another unusually close race, Executive Councilor Bernard Streeter upset incumbent Don Davidson last week, winning by just 318 votes in a runoff race for mayor of Nashua. Streeter said he will remain on the council until his term is completed in January 2001, but he will not seek reelection to that post, which he has held for 30 years.
During his four-year term in office, Davidson had survived a recall election centered on critics' claims that he had violated a cap on city spending. But Davidson's sometimes edgy personality was also an issue, and Streeter thinks that may have been decisive, especially after Streeter disclosed at the end of the campaign that Davidson had spent thousands of dollars of city money on what Streeter described as a ''personality coach.'' Davidson said the money was a legitimate expense for ''professional development.''
Streeter said he thought the voters responded to a difference in style. ''We stressed arrogance versus respect,'' Streeter said in an interview. He attributed his win to unhappiness with events in City Hall and ''the winds of change.'' Streeter said he will resign from his job as a vice president at the Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in order to serve full time as mayor. He said his plans in office include working closely with city neighborhoods and establishing a ''liaison office'' for the city's rapidly growing minority population.
Voters choose 2 to join the House
There are two new members of the New Hampshire House as a result of special elections last week. In Merrimack County, Democrat Jay Rosenfeld of New London defeated Republican George Edmunds of Sutton; in Rockingham County, the GOP's Bill Kelley of Raymond beat Dorothy Montoya, a Democrat who is also from Raymond.
Humphrey recoups after slipup on name
At a dinner and forum the other night for presidential candidates sponsored by Gun Owners of New Hampshire, the moderator, former US Senator Gordon Humphrey, was about to say something about former UN ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick when, oops, he just about got the name wrong. ''Ambassador Jeanne Sha ...'' Humphrey said before stopping himself short, amused at his own misstep as the crowd of about 400 began to laugh. Wishful thinking? It's no secret Humphrey is after the GOP nomination for governor. ''I think Jeanne Shaheen should be an ambassador and the sooner the better,'' Humphrey quipped in a fast recovery. ''Get her out of this country.''
Smile when you say that about Franklin
The newly elected mayor of Franklin, Republican Tony Giunta, was among those introduced to the guests at the Gun Owners dinner and he told us he wants people to know that he is getting around. And he says there's going to be a new attitude about his long-beleaguered city, if he has anything to say about it.
''When someone talks down the city of Franklin, they talk down us,'' said Giunta, who moved to Franklin from Dedham, Mass., in 1986. ''I want that to stop,'' he said. He said local residents have to be convinced as well ''to defend the city where they live.''
Franklin is perhaps best known as one of the five ''property-poor'' cities that brought the landmark lawsuit that forced a change in the way New Hampshire pays for public schools. Franklin will get about $6 million in state school aid as a result. But Giunta, a School Board member, says he wasn't around when the lawsuit was agreed upon, and he doesn't think it's the right solution. He wants Franklin to build for the future when it can stand on its own feet.
''We intend to be independent,'' Giunta said. ''We are working hard to get out from under having to depend on money from Concord,'' he added. Giunta, who is administrator of the state's Water Quality Engineering Bureau, will be sworn in Jan. 3.
GOP feels welcome at women's forum
Short takes: Hudson's Bea Francoeur may have trouble getting Democrats to speak at the New Hampshire Women's Forum, which she insists is a bipartisan group. But, she's got no problem with the GOP, it seems. Francoeur, whose husband is state Senator Gary Francoeur, snagged Texas Governor George W. Bush, no less, to be the guest speaker at the Forum's Holiday dinner on Dec. 20. The dinner is a benefit for the Nashua Children's Home ... At an informal gathering with reporters last week, US Senator Bob Smith, comfortably back in the Republican fold after a fling as an independent, said he intends to run for reelection in 2002, but he has made no official announcement.
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