Long-Time Concord State Rep., Councilor, Attorney Succumbs To Cancer

CONCORD, NH — A long-time elected official and attorney in Concord, known for dedication to friends and public policy beliefs and a rough-and-tumble candidate, too, when it came to politics, has died.

State Rep. Katherine Rogers, 67, passed away on Sunday after a long battle with cancer.

Rogers, a native of the city, who lived on the Concord Heights for many decades, served as a city councilor representing Ward 9 between 1991 and 2007 as well as a state representative twice, most recently, in one of the city’s floterial districts, representing Wards 8, 9, and 10. She was county commissioner for a number of terms and also served as single term as county attorney. Rogers also worked as a prosecutor for the Allenstown Police Department for eight years.

“Kathi’s heroic battle with cancer is now over,” Ray Buckley, the New Hampshire Democratic Party chairman, said on Monday. “Right up to the end, she was working hard on legislation. She never gave up the fight.”

Buckley called Rogers “brilliant, skilled, and tenacious in everything she did,” as well as being loyal to her friends, who she considered family.

“Throughout her life, Kathi's underlying concern was protecting those from abuse; animals, children, women, and all disenfranchised peoples,” he said. “She has left a lasting legacy in Concord, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, and the Democratic Party. Our hearts are broken; we will keep our promise to continue her fight.”

House Democratic Leaders state Rep. David Cote (D-Nashua) called Rogers “the epitome of a conscientious public servant” who had known and admired for four decades.

“This commitment was such that she commanded the respect of all who knew her, irrespective of party affiliation or passing disagreement,” he said. “She was a pillar of our Caucus, and she will be greatly and continuously missed.”

Democrats were not the only ones offering praise for Rogers on Monday.

Senate President Chuck Morse (R-Salem) said the body mourned her passing.

“Her dedication to public service was only matched by her brave fight against cancer,” he said. “She will be missed, but her legacy will surely live on.”

House Speaker Sherm Packard (R-Londonderry) called Rogers “well-respected” and said she would be “remembered for her dedication to her constituents and for being an advocate for those who needed a voice.” He added, “Her absence will be felt by many. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends at this time.”

Accolades on Monday also came from a long-time friend and colleague, state Sen. Donna Soucy (D-Manchester), who also serves as the Democrat’s leader in the body, calling her “a fierce defender of those most vulnerable and a fearless voice for those who were disenfranchised.”

Soucy said Rogers “was passionate in her work on behalf of women, children, and animals and was steadfast in her advocacy for a safer, more inclusive state.” She commended her sense of humor and courage, too, up until the end.

“Her commitment to her Concord community, her advocacy, and her passion for justice and fairness will never be forgotten and will live on in all those whose lives she touched,” she said.

Long Legacy Of Work

It is unknown exactly how many bills Rogers worked on during her time in the Legislature, but it would be easy to assume it was hundreds of bills.

Despite being sick, she sponsored nine bills this session — including a proposal for a drop-in mental health center, the creation of a task force on medicine and biomarker testing, a law prohibiting declawing cats, and background checks on any commercial firearm sale, amongst others.

While more often than not a fierce partisan, especially when it came to issues like gun control, Rogers did work across the aisle when mutual issues could be found.

She worked with Republican state Rep. Al Baldasaro (R-Londonderry) on bills to promote stiffer penalties on gun theft charges, as one example. They also worked on a K-9 Veterans Bill signed into law by then-Gov. Maggie Hassan (D-Exeter).

Her love of animals, including owning a number of pugs over the years, was often on display during doggie socials at her home on the Heights.

Loyal To Friends, Fierce To Enemies

Supporting friends was something Rogers always did, and that friendship was also offered back, too. But she also had a few scuffles with political counterparts who were sometimes of the same party.

When the late-Dick Patten, another Democrat, then serving as a Concord city councilor, was investigated and denounced for questioning a police officer handing out a traffic summons to a friend after an illegal left-hand turn in December 2011, Rogers agreed to represent him before the city council Rules Committee. The meeting was contentious with charges and counter-charges between then-City Councilor Dan St. Hillaire, who is now a state judge, and then-state Rep. Rick Watrous (D-Concord), who accused councilors of going after people they did not like instead of those they did like who were acting unethically.

Patten later apologized for making the phone call.

In this instance, Watrous and Rogers were on the same side. But that was not always the case.

Watrous was the former executive director of Concord Community Television, now ConcordTV, who resigned from his position but spent many years after being critical of activities at the nonprofit, believing he was held to a different standard than others who were more connected politically. Rogers had a show on cable access and often assisted others in fending off Watrous’s criticism, including a job created for an at-large city councilor. Watrous called the cable access a private club rife with conflicts while officials tended to ignore him or tried to ignore him.

At one point, toward the end of her last term as the Ward 9 city councilor, Rogers requested Concord police investigate Watrous for having a document she did not believe he should have. The information turned out to be a public document.

Watrous and others were rightfully incensed Rogers would not only use police time going after him for having a public document but that no one would go after her for her clear abuse of power — while the same councilors went after Patten, years later, for questioning a traffic ticket.

Later, Rogers ran for mayor, which was an open seat, against Jim Bouley, another Democrat and the Ward 10 city councilor at the time, who sat right next to her in the council chambers for many years before.

The 2007 campaign was a brawling affair, like nothing the city had seen in a long time. Thousands of dollars were spent on mailers with both connected pols jockeying for polling position. Rogers lined up the police and firefighter unions, while Bouley had the support of many city and business leaders. Bouley was also able to land 10 of their colleagues to endorse him as well as the outgoing mayor at the time, Mike Donovan.

The only councilor backing Rogers was then-Ward 2 City Councilor Bill Stetson — a former firefighter who was also a former board member of the cable access center and a close friend of Rogers’.

Bouley won the seat by more than 1,700 votes and has been elected repeatedly since, becoming the longest-serving mayor in the history of Concord.

"I am deeply saddened at the passing of state Rep. Katherine Rogers yesterday, after a heroic battle with cancer," Bouley said. "I had the privilege of knowing and working alongside Kathi for many years and always admired her tenacity and her passion for her community and neighbors. She worked tirelessly representing her constituents and the city of Concord and she leaves an indelible mark on our community and on the countless lives she touched."

Rogers, however, mounted a comeback of sorts, being elected county attorney in 2008. She lost re-election during the 2010 red wave.

An incident during a recount after the 2016 election also led to a criminal charge against Rogers.

During a recount for the District 7 state Senate seat, held at the state archives building on South Fruit Street, Rogers put her arm around well-known gun rights activist Susan Olsen, a former state representative candidate from Warner, as if to hug her and then struck her on the side of the head with a semi-closed right hand. Olsen warned Rogers that she'd have her arrested if she touched her again. Rogers then countered, in a low and mocking whisper, “Hit me. I know you want to. Go ahead. Hit me,” according to an investigation.

Rogers was charged with assault in August 2017. In December 2017, she pleaded guilty to assaulting Olsen, and avoided jail time and a fine by agreeing to attend anger management classes while staying out of trouble.

Despite Democrats regularly calling for the resignation of Republicans who had been accused of crimes before even being found guilty or sentenced, they were mostly silent when it came to requesting Rogers' resignation. There was a move a month or two later, after the plea, to have her removed from the House due to her refusal to resign. But it was quashed by then-Minority Leader Steve Shurtleff (D-Penacook), another friend and colleague, despite his repeated calls in the past to remove Republicans only accused of misbehavior not having admitted to it. The effort was requested after more than 700 people signed an online petition calling for her removal. Some wore pins that said “No Hitting” on them.

Shurtleff called Rogers’ behavior “indefensible” but requested members not go down the “slippery slope of every time a member of the other party does something, that the party opposite gets up and (calls for an investigation and removal).”

He added, "That's not why the people of New Hampshire sent us here … We're not Washington, DC … we're Concord, NH … please don't send us down that slippery slope of gotcha." After that, the house voted to reject the proposal, and Rogers remained seated. She was re-elected in 2018 and 2020, besting Andrew Georgevits (R-Concord).

Georgevits said he was sorry to hear about her passing.

“Any battle with cancer is difficult,” he said. “Kathy served the community till the end.”

Arrangements will be announced soon, Buckley said.

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