By Laura A. Kiernan, Globe Staff, 08/08/99

Snapshots from the campaign trail: When former vice president Dan Quayle 's small plane got held up last weekend near Long Island, where he had been celebrating his wife Marilyn's 50th birthday, his scheduled arrival in New Hampshire was delayed for more than an hour. So Quayle's state director, Gordon MacDonald, dutifully cooling his heels at the Lebanon Airport, dispatched state Representative Fran Wendelboe of New Hampton to entertain the waiting crowd at the Mason's Hall in Orford. Wendelboe, Quayle's North Country field marshal, was off to the rescue aboard the ''Quaylemobile'' - a 37-foot Overland motor home on loan for the day from Bill and Elledra Presby of Lisbon. Bill is part owner of the Mount Washington Hotel and the Cog Railroad.

When Wendelboe got to the hall, she discovered that former state senator Jim Rubens(yes, he is everywhere) and state Representative John Alger of Rumney were already warming up the crowd with a discussion on legislative issues. So she joined in. When Quayle arrived (no showy entourage, just Quayle and some local media), he gave a brief speech, signed autographs, took questions and, according to the Union Leader, was declared by one man in the audience to be better looking than Robert Redford.

Then it was off to The Barge Inn in Woodsville, a popular local restaurant and meeting place for ''The Good Ole Boys Club,'' which has lunch every month to chew the fat. The ''boys'' club also includes women. GOP activist, auto dealer and club member Jim Walker arranged the packed event, which drew about 150 people. Testimony to his political loyalty: Walker gave up his Red Sox-Yankees tickets to be there.

The Quaylemobile and the candidate then stopped at the Bath General Store, which is said to be America's oldest, visited with the women who work at the Irving Station in Lisbon (Bill Presby's favorite spot for local gossip) and looked in on Littleton veterinarian Richard ''Doc'' Hill, a retired GOP state lawmaker. Quayle once slept at his house.

It was a ''really cramped day,'' said Wendelboe, who commented to Quayle at one point that she was exhausted.

''You should try doing this seven days a week,'' Quayle said.

Candidate calls

winner at the fair

The highlight of the day may have come at the North Haverhill Fair, when the former vice president called out the numbers at the Lions Club bingo tent. ''He jumped right up, sat right down and started calling,'' said bingo chairman Barry Bigelow, who had invited Quayle to take over. Quayle called the numbers as they popped out of an air ball machine until one woman called ''BINGO!'' She won $3 and was reportedly thrilled (with the caller more than the prize).

Sometimes, just

try the old ways

Memo to other campaigns: If there's a crisis in the North Country, solve it the old-fashioned way. Quayle's state director, MacDonald, tried to connect with someone at the Masons Hall by cellular phone to alert them about the delay, but was caught in the mobile phone dead-zone between Lebanon and Orford. Wendelboe, knowing how things really work in these parts, grabbed a telephone book, called the Orford Post Office and asked if the next customer who passed through could please walk down the street to the Masons Hall and tell them Quayle would be late. And they did.

Keene mayor gets

choice appointment

Looks like Keene Mayor Pat Russell, a longtime Democratic activist and close friend of Governor Jeanne Shaheen, will get a chance to see how things work from a seat inside state government, and to earn a whole lot more money. Shaheen has nominated Russell to a six-year term on the State Liquor Commission, which is essentially the board of directors of one of the state's biggest money-makers. Russell currently earns $2,000 a year as mayor, largely a ceremonial job. The two current liquor commissioners earn $63,600 each annually; the chairman gets $72,200.

If she is confirmed by the Executive Council, Russell would replace Libertarian Party member Miriam Luce, who was appointed by former governor Stephen Merrill. Luce's term expired in July, and she did not seek reappointment (more on that later).

According to the Liquor Commission's 1998 annual report, it was a record-breaking year, with sales of $254 million and net profit of $66 million. According to the report, wine is the boom side of the liquor business, with sales increasing 48 percent here since 1995; the hot liquor store is Hampton-North, with $14.3 million in sales; and, since it was founded 64 years ago, the commission has racked up $5.1 billion in sales for $1.1 billion in profit.

The council will consider Russell's nomination on Aug. 18. Russell has been making courtesy telephone calls to the council members and, although she has known four of the five for 25 years, she is taking nothing for granted. ''It ain't over 'til it's over,'' Russell said.

Luce still sees need

for privatization

Meanwhile, Miriam Luce's take on the Liquor Commission remains unchanged after six years on the job. ''It's a socialist enterprise that needs to be privatized,'' she said in a recent interview. But she admits she got nowhere with that idea. Luce, who ran for governor against Merrill in 1992 on the Libertarian ticket, says she doesn't think Merrill was ever seriously interested in her privatization ideas. So does she buy into the theory that she got to be a commissioner because there were already two Republicans on the three-member commission (the maximum is two from one party) and Merrill didn't want to appoint a Democrat? And that he didn't want her in the race again in 1994?

''If he used me, I used him,'' Luce said, ''I had a chance to do something I wouldn't have had a chance to do.''

Luce says she's going back to the private sector and will also cochair the ''College Convention 2000'' in January at the Center of New Hampshire in Manchester. All the presidential primary hopefuls have been invited. Others chairing the event are former gubernatorial candidates Arnie Arnesen, Fred Bramante and Al Rubega.

Don't rush things,

says Reform Party

The Reform Party, once of Ross Perot and now of Minnesota's Jesse Ventura, is at work in New Hampshire, trying to collect the required signatures (about 9,800) by August 2000 so it can get on the ballot in the general election and field candidates for federal and state elections. Until that work is done, state chairman Daron Libby of Londonderry says, there's no reason to start talking about whom the Reform party might choose as its presidential candidate.

''We want to reform the way campaigns are run, and one key to that is shortening the election cycle,'' Libby said. ''I don't think it's healthy to be focusing on candidates yet.''

The state Reform Party supporters will hold their annual meeting Sept. 25 at the Manchester Public Library.

One's not running;

another's advising

Short takes: Former attorney general, GOP activist and political analyst Tom Rath says despite some talk to the contrary he is not thinking about running for governor ... And former Union Leader editorial writer Richard Lessner has gone off to the Washington, D.C., area to work as a senior campaign adviser to GOP presidential hopeful Gary Bauer. Lessner says he expects to spend considerable time working for the candidate in New Hampshire. What he likes about Bauer, Lessner said, is that ''he can deliver a very conservative message without scaring people.'' Bauer will be back in New Hampshire on Labor Day weekend.

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