Windham Man Tells Of Angry Encounter With Epping State Rep. Vose

By Nancy West, InDepth NH

A Windham man said he received similar angry treatment from Rep. Michael Vose as Rep. Wendy Thomas described to InDepthNH.org while he was waiting to testify last year in front of the House Science, Technology and Energy Committee, which Vose, R-Epping, chairs.

Thomas, D-Merrimack, learned Wednesday that she has definitely been removed from that committee and why, after being told last month that she was removed, but not given a reason. She said part of the reason stated was because she asked to be called by her full name and title during committee meetings because there is another member with the same last name. This prompted Vose to "act in a threatening manner to me in the hallway about the request," Thomas said.

John Gage of Windham emailed InDepthNH.org and Thomas a photo of an incident that happened Jan. 28, 2025, at a House Science, Technology, and Energy Committee, in which he encountered Vose, who Gage said had misread a letter to the editor he had written to the Concord Monitor.

"I received similar treatment by Rep. Vose to that you described in your recent article: https://indepthnh.org/2026/04/01/state-rep-thomas-committee-chair-acted-in-threatening-manner-to-her/," Gage said.

"As I sat waiting for an STE Committee hearing to begin, (Vose) approached me and accused me of calling him a liar. I had not. During a tense exchange—he was visibly angry, red-faced, and shaking, and presented a confrontational demeanor—I clarified that my criticism in my letter to the editor was that he and others on the committee were demonstrating willful ignorance of climate science and were relying on misinformation promoted by out-of-state fossil fuel interests," Gage said.

Thomas said Thursday, "Vose has a history of being aggressive, this is exactly what he did to me in the hallway." She called out House Speaker Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry, for not removing Republicans from various legislative committees despite uncivil behavior, but removing her because of her "attitude."

Thomas said in an email to Gage: "I am appalled and so sorry that it happened (and even more upset that there was no resolution.)"

Thomas described her encounter with Vose: “He hovered over me and was spitting mad. He kept pointing his finger at my chest and saying ‘you’re on notice, you’re on notice.’ He said that my insisting (on) self-identify as Representative Wendy Thomas was wasting ‘valuable seconds of the committee’s time.’ He huffed away from the conversation saying that I was ‘a piece of work.'”

Rep. Vose and Speaker Packard have not responded to requests for comment from InDepthNH.org about this matter.

Gage, 62, is an active volunteer who left his job as a software systems architect at Oracle to be a fulltime volunteer with Citizens Climate Lobby, a national nonpartisan grassroots climate solutions organization. He occasionally testifies at state legislative committees on climate-related bills.

In a phone interview, Gage said he felt badly and agreed to speak publicly because he sat through hearings in which Thomas asked to be identified as Rep. Wendy Thomas, but was refused.

"It seemed like a simple request," Gage said. "I cant believe it blew up into such a big thing."

Gage said he wonders if the basic disagreement between Democrats and Republicans on the committee regarding climate science was also a factor.

Gage said the photo of his encounter with Vose was taken by a bystander who approached him afterward to offer sympathy. "We only knew of each other indirectly and had not coordinated in any way. We were just independent members of the public waiting for the hearing to begin, and they were shocked by what they had witnessed," Gage said, calling the incident "inappropriate and unresolved."

Gage said he was able to calm Vose that day who said he would address one of his concerns. "But he has not followed through, even after more than a year has passed," Gage said, adding he is dissatisfied with Vose's response.

"For several years, I have testified on energy and climate legislation before New Hampshire legislative committees, often before the Science, Technology, and Energy (STE) Committee. I share my perspective based on a B.S. in Biology from Boston College, decades of reading non-fiction science to deepen my understanding across a variety of fields and climate change in particular, and ten years of volunteer work with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, where I learn from scientists and economists and keep up to date on the progress toward a national cash-back carbon fee on fossil fuels," Gage said.

He said he always tries to follow CCL’s methodology of respect, appreciation, and patience in working with elected officials to advance bipartisan state and federal climate legislation that works for people and business.

"However, after years of observing a pattern of disregard for established science by some long-serving STE members, and the influence of fossil fuel–funded front groups on their positions, I became more direct in calling out what I believe are consistently misinformed opinions.

"The legislative decisions that result from those opinions are contributing to higher energy costs for New Hampshire residents and businesses, increased vulnerability to fossil fuel price shocks, and inadequate response to pollution risks," Gage said.

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.