|
 Michael Zona, 23, donned the costume at a parade on Saturday in
the town of Londonderry, while holding a sign reading: "Jeanne
Shaheen too chicken for town halls."
Democratic U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Governor Maggie Hassan,
also a Democrat, were marching in the parade.
Police say Zona harassed the politicians and refused several
requests to cease flapping his wings.
He was charged with one count of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.
 The stunt was meant to draw attention to the state Republican
Party's charge that Shaheen is avoiding town hall-style events,
where she would have to offer unscripted responses to questions and
comments from voters.
The criticism has been lobbed most frequently by the campaign of
Scott Brown, the presumed Republican front-runner in the Senate
race. Brown, a former U.S. senator from Massachusetts, has struggled
to gain traction against the popular Shaheen.
In a statement released Tuesday by the state Republican Party, Zona
said he was exercising his First Amendment rights.
[to top of second column] |
"I wasn't disturbing anyone," he said. "In fact, I got a good deal
of encouragement from people along the parade route."
A spokeswoman for the state Democratic Party accused the Republicans
of wasting "taxpayer resources and local law enforcement time with
these juvenile antics when we should be discussing critical issues
that matter," such as raising the minimum wage and protecting Social
Security.
Zona is scheduled to appear in court on the charge on Sept. 8.
(Editing by Frank McGurty and Eric Walsh)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
