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MANCHESTER A rupture in the ranks of Democrats could spill into the party's endorsement of a candidate for the 12th House District.

The discord heading into the May 20 convention centers on the board of directors' consideration of a compromise that Republican and board Minority Leader Cheri Pelletier offered.

Prompted by the expected resignation of Mayor Leo Diana, Pelletier proposed that Republican board members would back Democrat Jay Moran as mayor if Democrats supported Republican board member Tim Devanney as deputy mayor.

Democratic Town Committee Chairman Mike Pohl was adamantly opposed to the deal, saying Pelletier had people "buffaloed" into believing a political power play was a compromise. But at a special meeting Tuesday after Diana's resignation, enough Democrats, including Moran, joined Republican board members to elevate Moran to the mayor's seat and Devanney to deputy.

At the meeting, Pelletier criticized Pohl and other Democratic leaders while praising Moran as "a man who puts his community first, who takes his leadership role seriously and who leads by the courage of his convictions."

"I know your town committee is not happy with your decision," Pelletier said. "I know they engaged in some reprehensible behavior... I am also acutely aware of a few characters on your side of the aisle that are now demanding that Attorney [John] Sullivan's name be removed from consideration of the 12th District's state representative's race because he dared to build consensus towards our compromise."

Sullivan, an assistant town attorney, is one of three Democrats who have maintained interest in the 12th District seat. The others are Kelly Luxenberg, former school board member and wife of the current district representative, and Robert Shanbaum, a business owner and chairman of the Cheney Brothers National Historic Landmark District Commission.

Sullivan said Wednesday that Pohl had initially backed him for the seat. In fact, Pohl approached him to run after current state Rep. Geoff Luxenberg, D-Manchester, announced in March that he would not seek re-election, Sullivan said.

But Sullivan also supported Pelletier's proposal on board of directors leadership, and he acknowledged Wednesday that Pohl was not pleased.

Pohl is now publicly backing Kelly Luxenberg for the 12th House seat. Asked Thursday why he was no longer supporting Sullivan, Pohl wrote in an email, "Both John Sullivan and Robert Shanbaum are great people who have worked for the town and the party.

Excerpt from:
Manchester Democrats Squabble Heading Into 12 t h House Convention