Politics

Cop-Hating Lawmaker Steps Down

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

January 3, 2001 / 4:29 PM EST / CBS

A freshman state lawmaker who stunned his constituents by revealing his support for the killing of police officers resigned Wednesday.

In a one-sentence letter to the Secretary of State and the House speaker, 41-year-old Republican Tom Alciere said he is quitting as of 11:59 PM.

Senate President Arthur Klemm said the Legislature now can move onto other business.

Assistant Secretary of State Karen Ladd said the Nashua board of aldermen will decide if they want to fill the spot. If they board does, then it can take steps leading to a primary as soon as March 13th, with a general election April 17th.

If only one person from each party files to run for the spot, the general election would be held on March 13th.

Alciere did not express his anti-police views during the campaign, which he won by 55 votes. Late last month, a newspaper connected him with hundreds of anti-police messages on Internet discussion groups.

"There is nothing wrong with slaughtering a cop. Just throw the carcass into the Dumpster with the rest of the garbage. Cops are nothing but vicious, brutal thugs anyway," said one message that Alciere acknowledged writing.

He has said his anger stems from reading and watching television about police misconduct, and his belief that many of the laws the police enforce are unjust.

"I was doing it to have fun," he said last week. "It's fun to get them going, to post things just to ruffle people's feathers."

During his campaign, he promised simply to oppose any bills that infringe on freedom. State Republican Chairman Steve Duprey later called on Alciere to renounce his views or resign, but the lawmaker stood his ground. The married father of one who inspects circuit boards at a factory denied misleading anyone, saying no one asked about his views.

Last week's calls for Alciere to be removed or step aside sparked comment from the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union. Claire Ebel, executive director of the civil rights organization, said then that the group would be willing to consider a request for help from Alciere, if he asked, just like any other citizen pursuing a freedom of speech case.

Ebel also used the case to reiterate the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union's demand for reform of the ballot system in that state. New Hampshire allows straight party line voting and also always puts the GOP candidate at the top of the ballot, advantages Ebel believes helped Alciere defeat the Democratic incumbent in his district.

"It is our duty to know the views of the candidates whom we would choose to lead us," said Ebel. "The straight party line ticket in essence absolves voters of that responsibility."