For Democrats' grand dame, a heck of a party

Long before John Lynch agreed to run for governor, Mary Louise Hancock had a plan: get him to enter the race, get him elected and get herself a sweet 85th birthday party at Bridges House.

After yesterday, she's three for three.

Hancock, the curmudgeonly grand dame of New Hampshire's Democratic Party and a former Concord state senator, entertained a massive receiving line from her wheelchair, accepting tidings from a pantheon of political figures: Manchester Sen. Lou D'Allesandro, Lynch and his wife, Susan, Concord Ward 4 City Councilor Jeff Bart and Cornish Sen. Peter Burling to name a few.

"You gonna write this up?" she asked when we paid our respects. "Well good. I hear they're a little short on news for Sunday."

This time last year, Hancock explained, she was getting ready to head north for her customary summer vacation in Maine. But Lynch begged her to stay. He'd just started his campaign. Hancock was thrilled. She had, after all, been politely pestering the guy to run for nearly a decade. That missed vacation, though, came at a price: Cake. Balloons. Bridges House.

"I had mistakenly thought it was out of issues with the environment or education or health care," Lynch said about Hancock's desire for him to run. "How wrong I was."

The invitations, sent by party-organizer Debby Butler, told guests not to bring gifts . . . unless it was chocolate, a check to the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund or a good bottle of Scotch.

Between burgers, barbecue chicken and thick slabs of rosy watermelon,

Hancock's closest friends praised her with sugary jabs. They described her as a woman who speaks her mind often, but seldom complains - unless, of course, President Bush is involved. Hancock got kudos from some of the many candidates and activists she's helped through the years, including Lynch and Howard Dean, the national Democratic party chairman.

"We both tell it like we see it, and we never back down from a fight,"Dean wrote in a letter to Hancock, which was read by Susan Lynch.

Shortly before belting out "Happy Birthday," the whole gang sang a ditty for Hancock, to the tune of "God Save the Queen":

". . . She loves a single malt

High cost is not her fault

Drink to the Queen!

She'll raise a glass with you

Get you elected too

And if you ever need a hand

She will stand by you..."

At one point during the afternoon, Gov. Lynch endeavored to show us that, despite the high concentration of liberals, the shindig was, in fact, a bipartisan event. About the same time Rep. Liz Hager, a Concord Republican, threaded her cherry red Mini into the parking lot, the guv flagged down former Republican senator Bucky Buchanan. Buchanan has known Hancock for decades. The two attended UNH at the same time and later served on the university's board of trustees together.

Lynch grinned at Buchanan. "We'll have your 90th here, okay?"

Buchanan nodded. "You've got to get yourself re-elected a couple of times first."

Patrolling for dollars

A bazillion bikers poured into the state last week, but New Hampshire also played host to several hundred administrators from motor vehicle agencies across the country. As host of the event, New Hampshire DMV Director Virginia Beecher wanted to make sure the guests received plenty of goodies. To help pay for the trinkets, Beecher had some of her highway patrol officers pound the pavement, soliciting cash from car dealerships and other local businesses.

When word of the roaming officers got to Lynch's office, he ordered Beecher to yank the patrolmen off the donation detail. We hear the guv felt it was inappropriate for patrol officers - who inspect and license auto dealerships - to ask the businesses for money.

In charge

Jo Ann Davidson, the newly elected co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, swung through New Hampshire last week to see what makes our swing state tick. (next page »)