After Spending Her Career Under The State House Dome, Senate Clerk Tammy Wright Is Retiring

By PAULA TRACY, InDepth NH

CONCORD, NH — New Hampshire State Senate Clerk Tammy Wright has served 16 senate presidents and 163 senators in 37 years, but now the Concord native is turning the page to enjoy teaching yoga, traveling and spending more time with her children and grandchildren.

She said she will retire after an entire career under the State House dome. Her last day of work will be this coming Friday.

“I have loved this job and I take with me the many wonderful relationships,” she said Monday.

Wright was praised by Senate leaders on both sides of the aisle for her professionalism, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to the institution.

“I have learned there is always more than one way to accomplish good work,” she said in an interview.

She said she began the job when she was elected unanimously by the members of the Senate to serve as 1999-2005 Assistant Clerk and later from 2005-2026 as Clerk of the Senate. Every two years she has been unanimously re-elected by the 24-member body.

State Senate President Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry announced the retirement of Wright last Friday.

“I am deeply appreciative of the hard work and dedication of our Senate Clerk Tammy Wright. Her exceptional career with the Senate spanned over three decades. In that time, she served in the Clerk’s Office as an office aide, Calendar Clerk, Assistant Clerk and was elected to serve as our Senate Clerk in 2006. Since then, she has seen many changes in staff and leadership and despite this has managed the Senate floor and all legislative business seamlessly,” Carson wrote in a statement.“She has earned the respect of her colleagues and legislators, both former and current, through deep, personal relationships. We are grateful for her and what she has accomplished here in the General Court. On behalf of the Senate and our Joint Staff, I want to wish Tammy the best and thank her for her mentorship, friendship, and professionalism.”

Senate Minority Leader Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, D-Portsmouth, said Monday that “Tammy has always been a true public servant – kind, professional, and putting the needs of the institution front and center. In today’s increasingly partisan environment, the Senate requires each and every one of us to maintain it, and Tammy has always been a huge part of that. She will undoubtedly be greatly missed, by myself and so many others.”

Meeting at her office Monday Wright explained the role of clerk includes the proper handling, preservation, and retention of all official Senate legislation and records. The clerk reads the titles of the bills to be voted on before the chamber acts and advises Senate leadership on parliamentary procedure. The job also required her to prepare procedural scripts, ensure the orderly conduct of Senate business, and safeguard the traditions and rules that allow the legislative process to function fairly and efficiently. She noted the role demands deep knowledge of state government and legislative procedure, sound judgment, and “absolute impartiality.”

Over the years, Wright said she has seen lots of changes in the chamber.

“When I began working for the Senate in 1989, the workplace looked very different. There were no sophisticated computer systems, no email, and every telephone call was answered by a person. Over the years, she witnessed—and helped guide—the Senate through remarkable technological and procedural changes while remaining committed to providing outstanding service to senators, staff, and the public,” she said.

She said the first Senate President she worked under was Senator William Bartlett, a Republican and she concluded her career under the leadership of another Republican, Senator Carson.

Wright noted among the many leaders she served, Senator Chuck Morse and Senator Jeb Bradley stand out for their long tenures. She said all Senate presidents provided her an opportunity to grow professionally. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wright said she worked closely with Senate President Donna Soucy, D-Manchester, whom she had known as a House member. Wright was credited for helping the upper chamber navigate through one of the most challenging periods in the Senate’s history during those early years of this decade during the pandemic. Together with her staff, they developed new procedures and adapted quickly to ensure the Senate could continue conducting the people’s business safely and effectively.

She said that remains one of the accomplishments for which she is most proud. Importantly, she said she was able to earn a reputation for serving both political parties with fairness and professionalism. She said her focus was never on politics but on the process of the institution and she said she has always been mindful to show respect, guidance, and support to all members of the 24-member chamber.

Wright has worked at the national level and hosted clerks from across the nation in the Granite State two years ago for the annual meeting of the American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries. She said one of the most meaningful roles in her job has been the opportunity to mentor generations of Senate staff who were sending her texts and emails during the interview wishing her a happy retirement.

“I have great pride in helping young professionals learn the legislative process, develop their careers, and build the confidence to succeed,” she said.

“Watching so many former staff members go on to successful careers has been one of the greatest rewards of service,” Wright added.

As retirement begins, Wright said she sees herself traveling, spending more time practicing and teaching yoga and most importantly, enjoying the company of her family and friends. A replacement for Wright as Senate Clerk is one that has to be voted on by the Senate membership. Wright concluded the interview by expressing that it has been an honor to serve the state she grew up in and has loved and that she is thankful for the wonderful friendships developed among the Senate, particularly noting its current leadership from both Senators Carson and Perkins-Kwoka.

“It has been an honor of a lifetime and I will carry my deep respect for the individuals and the institution who serve the state so well,” she said.

(Editor’s note. InDepthNH.org reporter Paula Tracy, who covers the Senate, is a longtime personal friend of Tammy Wright)

This story was originally published by InDepth NH.