REMINDER
Pittsfield Youth Baseball/Softball Sign-Ups
Wednesday March 8, 2017 from 5:30-8 and Saturday March 11, 2017 from
10am-1pm at the Community Center.
The
Merrimack County Stamp Collectors will hold its monthly meeting at
the Bow Mills United Methodist Church, 505 South St., Bow, on March
21st beginning at 1 pm. All who are interested in
stamp collecting are welcome to attend Meet other
collectors and learn more about their hobby and varied interests in
Philatelic resources and issues. For more information call Dan
Day at 603-228-1154.
Letter To The Editor SB2 will not save us money!
I
attended the selectmen’s public hearing on SB2. I heard over
and over how it how it would reduce our taxes.
Epsom,
Gilmanton, and Northwood are all SB2 communities. So, I went to the
NH Dept. of Revenue Administration website to compare some tax
history.
From
2009 to 2015, all four towns lost assessed value. Pittsfield
about 63 million, Epsom 41 million, Gilmanton 29 million and
Northwood 104 million dollars. In that same time frame,
Pittsfield reduced the amount of money spent to operate the town by
$278,067, while the other three towns went up. Epsom is up
$1,219,929, Gilmanton is up $398,649, and Northwood is up $347,930.
How is
this going to save us money? Vote NO for SB2 for both the town
and the school. Please get out and vote and attend the School
District Meeting, as well as the Town Meeting.
Mike
Wolfe
Letter To The Editor Vote Yes on SB2
The
school board letter and ad against SB2 in the March 1 SUN prompted a
reply. My experience of politics in Pittsfield does not come close
to the nirvana expressed by the school board in their letter
supporting the traditional town meeting. Anyone who believes that
meetings are a place “..where we respect the opinions of others,
where we can express our own opinions in a civil process.” has not
been to a selectboard meeting this fall and definitely did not
attend the February 8 budget hearing. I find that politics are tough
in Pittsfield and the traditional meetings have done much to
disenfranchise voters. But the traditional meeting has been very
good for the school board - they always get what they ask for.
The
school board does not want “uniformed voters making decisions for
us.” I find this argument very insulting and disturbing. If you
google “uninformed voters” you will find many hits as an excuse by
political groups not getting their way. Who is to judge who is
uninformed? The school board would like you to believe that a
discussion by a few individuals without any fact checking rather
than a month for open discussion from both sides of the issue with
fact checking is “informed.”
Please
vote for SB2 for both the town and school. SB2 has the potential to
have the best of the town meeting as well as the best of the
flexible, private vote. We can transfer the school board’s
“neighborliness and warmth” (their description of the traditional
meetings) to the SB2 deliberative sessions.
Clayton
Wood
Letter To The Editor
Don’t
like being intimidated, then vote Yes on SB2. Have you ever
gone to the town meeting and been afraid to vote yes or no
because of fear of repercussions? Some are saying that the old way
of doing things is the best way to be informed, I don’t believe this
is so. You can still go to the school board meetings and be informed
and still vote in private. Be intimidated no more, Vote Yes on SB2.
Scott
Jackson
Letter To The Editor VOTE YES - SB2
I find
the arguments against SB2 unconvincing. The age-old
‘uninformed voter’ argument is frankly an insult to fellow
residents. I believe those who take the time to vote annually
on the second Tuesday of March know exactly what they’re doing.
Uninformed??? As if to say that an ‘uninformed voter’ will
attend the current town/school meetings and become sufficiently
educated to correctly vote on the spot, as opposed to attending the
SB2 deliberative session?? At least the uninformed voter,
after attending the SB2 session, can review the facts at home BEFORE
voting!! At least those who cannot attend can research the
facts BEFORE voting.
Another
argument involves the potential takeover of the deliberative
meetings by ‘special interest groups.’ We all know that
special interest groups are already alive and well-entrenched in
Pittsfield. Their influence is felt all year long at monthly
meetings and the annual town/school meetings. In fact, the
current low-voter turnout at these meetings is largely a result of
the harsh tactics of some interest groups. It WILL, however,
be important to have balanced voter representation at the SB2
deliberative sessions – voters ARE encouraged to participate in the
SB2 sessions.
Since
first introduced in 1995, the number of SB2 town/school districts is
growing - not shrinking. As of 2015, there were 70 SB2 towns
and 79 SB2 school districts. It’s very difficult to find a
town or school that has rescinded SB2. I’ve only found one.
Modifications are constantly being made to improve SB2, not
eliminate it.
A 60%
majority is required to pass SB2 on the town ballot and also on the
school ballot. Please vote on March 14th in favor of SB2 on
BOTH BALLOTS.
We are
way past some feel-good nostalgic attachment to a town meeting
format. Voters have a right to a private ballot.
God
Bless Our Troops Rachel Wood
Pastor’s Corner Submitted By Mike Mavity, Grace Capital
Church
We are
all familiar with Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke
10:25-37). A lawyer approached Jesus asking him what it takes to
have eternal life. Jesus then asked him a question, “What does the
law say?” The lawyer gave the right answer; loving God with all our
hearts, soul, strength, and mind and loving your neighbor as
yourself. Jesus affirmed that the lawyer’s answer was correct and
told him to ‘do this and you will live’.
Then,
the story takes a different turn and says that the lawyer, wanting
to justify himself, asked a follow up question. “Who is my
neighbor?” It’s interesting to note that the lawyer asked this in
order to justify himself. Justify himself for what? There must have
been some thought or action that the lawyer did or wanted to do that
he wanted Jesus to justify. Maybe he had created in his mind a
category of people who he didn’t want to love. It seems he was
wanting Jesus to give him the answer he was looking for so he could
feel justified. He wanted to know exactly who it was he should call
neighbor and who it was he should love.
It’s
here that Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. The story of
the despised Samaritan who helped out this poor man who was beaten
and robbed on the roadside. Jesus then asks the lawyer, “which of
these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among
thieves?” Of course, the lawyer answered that it was he who showed
mercy on him (notice the lawyer wouldn’t even utter the word
“Samaritan”). Jesus tells the lawyer to go and do likewise.
In this
story, Jesus never told the lawyer who his neighbor was. However, he
did show the lawyer how to be a good neighbor. Jesus didn’t tell the
lawyer who he should love but he did tell him how to love. Maybe the
point of this Good Samaritan story isn’t just that we should help
folks in need. Maybe the point is that instead of justifying
ourselves by having a narrow list of folks we should call neighbor,
we could go and be the good neighbor. Maybe instead of asking God
who we ‘have’ to love, we ask God how we can love better.
Too
many times we try to justify ourselves by creating categories of
people who we think don’t deserve to be our neighbors and don’t
deserve our love. If we can only turn the question around from ‘who
is my neighbor’ to ‘how do I become the best neighbor’ then I think
we can see neighborhoods, towns, cities, and countries changed for
the better.
Letter
Dear
Pittsfield Voters, Because of an unexpected personal matter, I
must withdraw from the race for the one year seat on the Zoning
Board of Adjustment. I give my best wishes to my opponent,
Philip Boncer.
Thank
you, John Buatti
Letter To The Editor SB2
Like I
said last week - breaking town meeting into a discussion/work
session and a private voting time is a good thing for Pittsfield.
Lots of time to research and get informed on the issues and then
come out and vote. This allows more voters, more time to consider
matters and truly understand them and all implications without the
pressures and rushing that happen at Town Meeting.
We have
everything to gain with SB2. All who like the traditional meeting
will still get the discussion time on all articles. The only
difference is we can then vote in the privacy of the voting booth -
the American way! The “purest form of democracy” folks still have
their way and we add a component to the mix that allows the rest of
us something important - private voting. I really like that and hope
you do too.
Vote
yes on #7 March 14th.
Most
sincerely, Sharon Matras
Letter To The Editor
To The
Editor, Suncook Sun,
I write
in favor of Eric R. Nilsson for Selectman.
Some
here may recall my stint as Interim Town Administrator. In that
role, I was the selectboard’s day to day representative of the Town.
As we all know, we have five (count ‘em, Five!) selectmen. But only
one came into the office on a near daily basis to check on things,
and that was Eric Nilsson.
This
struck me. We then had this one selectman who was always on top of
things, another who showed up two or three times a week (but knew
his stuff), one who came in maybe twice a week, and two others who
only seemed to show up Tuesday late afternoon, just before the
meeting, to ask what’s up.
Eric is
not a man of few words. He has opinions and is not hesitant to
express them. I, for one, would much rather have such a mind on my
selectboard, fully knowledgeable on the issues and prepared to work
hard on resolving them, than the half-informed and half-interested
souls I’ve sometimes seen behind the nameplates.
The
Town of Pittsfield is a $4 plus Million Dollar corporation. If you
were on the Board of Directors of a $4 Million Dollar corporation,
you’d be sure to hire someone who knew what they were doing. In Eric
Nilsson, you have such a person.
Respectfully Submitted, Earle “Sandy” Wingate
On
Tuesday, January 31st 2017, Pittsfield Middle High School’s Chapter
of the National Honor Society inducted ten new members bringing the
total membership to twenty-one students. Congratulations to the new
and existing members for your outstanding achievement! Back row left
to right: Emily Fisher, Jessica Rainville, Emily Dunagin, Colby
Wolfe, Gabe Anthony, Noah MacGlashing, Fred Pantis, Tucker Wolfe,
Cam Darrah, Mackenzie Desilets, Casey Clark, Sydney Booth, Emma
Smith, and Kaylee Brooks. Front row left to right: Brie Hill, Jordyn
Pinto, Lindsey Massey, Savannah Godin, Meredith Smith, Katie
Rollins, and Alyssa Sullivan.
VA
Study Highlights Benefits Of Enhanced Aspirin In Preventing Certain
Cancers Submitted Via Merrill Vaughan
WASHINGTON — Researchers
know of aspirin’s benefits in preventing certain ailments — from
cardiovascular disease to most recently colorectal cancer. But while
the link to those two conditions was made, researchers also
questioned how and if this “wonder drug” could work to ward off
other types of cancers.
Thanks to a team led by Dr. Vinod
Vijayan at the DeBakey Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in
Houston and Dr. Lenard Lichtenberger of the University of Texas
Health Sciences Center, new studies verify their theory of
cancer-prevention benefits based on aspirin’s effects on
platelets—blood cells that form clots to stop bleeding. The findings
appear in the February 2017 issue of Cancer Prevention Research
journal.
“Along with clotting, platelets also play a role in
forming new blood vessels,” Vijayan said. “That action is normally
beneficial, such as when a new clot forms after a wound, and new
vessels are needed to redirect blood flow. But the same action can
help tumors grow. It’s this process that aspirin can interrupt.”
Their lab tests showed how aspirin blocked the interaction between
platelets and cancer cells by shutting down the enzyme COX-1,
thereby curbing the number of circulating platelets and their level
of activity.
Some of their experiments used regular aspirin from
a local drug store. In another phase, the researchers used a special
preparation of aspirin combined with phosphatidylcholine, a type of
lipid, or fat molecule. The molecule is a main ingredient in soy
lecithin. The product, known as Aspirin-PC/PL2200, is designed to
ease the gastrointestinal risk associated with standard aspirin.
The enhanced aspirin complex was even stronger against cancer than
the regular aspirin. Summarizing their findings, the researchers
wrote: “These results suggest that aspirin’s chemopreventive effects
may be due, in part, to the drug blocking the proneoplastic
[supporting new, abnormal growth, as in cancer] action of platelets
and [they support] the potential use of Aspirin-PC/PL2200 as an
effective and safer chemopreventive agent for colorectal cancer and
possibly other cancers.”
In collaboration with researchers at MD
Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the group said they plan to test
the lipid-aspirin complex for safety and efficacy in people at high
risk for colorectal cancer. Meanwhile, they said their results, so
far, “support the use of low-dose aspirin for chemoprevention.” They
added that Aspirin-PC/PL2200 has “similar chemopreventive actions to
low-dose aspirin and may be more effective.”
The research study
was supported by the National Institutes of Health. For more
information about VA research on cancer, visit
www.research.va.gov/topics/cancer.
Lichtenberger is a professor of integrative biology and pharmacology
at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center. Vijayan, an
expert in platelet biology, is with the Center for Translational
Research on Inflammatory Diseases at the DeBakey VA Medical Center.
He is also an associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine.
Letter
To The Editor
To the Editor, Citizens of Pittsfield, please
vote no on SB2. This is not the answer to lowering our property tax
burden. I am confident that Selectman Anderson and the other members
of the Board of Selectmen have shaved the budget as much as they can
without crippling needed services to our Town. Likewise, the School
Board has lessened its tax impact by cutting a number of positions
that we in the past have approved. To further scrutinize these
budgets, our Budget Committee (a diverse group of fellow citizens)
has studied and questioned the Town and School Budgets for the last
three or four months. The Budget Committee’s recommendations are
made with thoughtful study, consultation with the Town and School
officials and public input.
I believe that the traditional Town
and School District meetings give each of us a greater sense of
community. If we feel that we need to decide a question by secret
ballot, it only takes the request of five voters to make that
happen.
Our property taxes are not just the result of our
spending habits. Our local property taxes have increased by the
State imposing a state education property tax. They have increased
because the State no longer has revenue sharing. They have increased
because the State has reduced the local share of the rooms and meals
tax. Voting on Tuesday in a voting booth will not allow us to
decrease this portion of our local property tax burden.
Enacting
SB2 will cause us to lose much more than we will gain. Please vote
NO on SB2.
Art Morse
Medicaid Expansion’s Positive Impact Is Real And Shouldn’t Be
Repealed By Senator Maggie Hassan
As the President delivered
his address to a joint session of Congress, I was honored to have a
guest – Ashley Hurteau from Dover – who is living proof of the
positive impact the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion are
having for tens of thousands of people across New Hampshire.
I first met Ashley at the Farnum Center in Manchester, and I
have been inspired by her story ever since. Ashley struggled for
nearly a decade with heroin addiction, in which time she was
arrested, her husband overdosed, and she lost the custody of her
child.
Ashley’s story, however, is one of progress. She has been
in recovery for over a year now. She’s employed, has moved to
employer-sponsored insurance coverage, and is working to rebuild her
life. All of this was made possible because of her hard work and
perseverance and because she received treatment for her substance
use disorder under coverage through New Hampshire’s bipartisan
Medicaid expansion plan.
From the stories I’ve heard from the
Granite Staters like Ashley, to the experiences I’ve had as the
mother of a son who experiences severe disabilities, I’ve seen the
strengths and flaws of our health care system firsthand. And I am
committed to strengthening our health care system so that it works
for all Americans.
As Governor, I was proud that we came together
to pass and reauthorize a bipartisan Medicaid expansion plan that’s
providing coverage, including coverage for behavioral health
services and substance use disorder services, to over 50,000
hard-working Granite Staters.
The business community – including
the Business and Industry Association – strongly supported this
bipartisan Medicaid expansion plan because it is critical to our
state’s budget and economy. And Medicaid expansion is reducing
cost-shifting onto our families and businesses and helping make our
workforce healthier and more productive.
Unfortunately,
instead of working across party lines as we have in New Hampshire to
promote healthy communities and a stronger economy, many in
Washington are focused on a partisan agenda of repealing the
Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion – an agenda that would
pull us backward. There’s also been talk of turning the traditional
Medicaid program into a block grant or instituting per capita caps –
which is really just code for a massive cut to the federal support
New Hampshire’s Medicaid program receives. These dangerous cuts
would shift costs to states, forcing them to cut eligibility,
services, and provider payments. And the cuts featured in proposals
to cap Medicaid spending would worsen over time, inflicting even
more damage down the road.
We can’t afford to slash federal
support for Medicaid or undo the progress the Granite State has made
due to our bipartisan Medicaid expansion. And we can’t go back to
the days before the Affordable Care Act when insurance companies
could deny coverage to people because of pre-existing conditions,
charge women more based on their gender, or refuse to let parents
keep their kids on their plans up to age 26.
We all agree that
there is work to do to improve our health care system and build on
the Affordable Care Act, but repeal is not the answer, and neither
is cutting and capping the Medicaid program.
As Ashley’s story
demonstrates, repealing the Affordable Care Act would set back our
efforts to combat the heroin, opioid, and fentanyl crisis, and
threaten the thousands of people in our state who are benefitting
from coverage that includes substance use disorder and behavioral
health services. It would also create chaos and uncertainty in our
insurance markets and for our business community.
I have joined
with many of my colleagues in calling for common-sense changes to
improve affordability and access, while protecting the parts of the
law that have enabled Granite States to access critically needed
care. And to help keep health care costs down, I’ve co-sponsored
legislation to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, as rising
prices are leading to increased health care spending and
out-of-pocket costs for Granite Staters.
We know that there are
areas for constructive, bipartisan solutions, and I am ready and
willing to work with anyone who is serious about making health care
more affordable and accessible.
This isn’t about partisan
politics, it’s about the lives of people like Ashley and millions of
others across New Hampshire and America. These are the stories I
carry with me every day – and the reason we cannot stand by and
allow a partisan agenda to pull us backward.
Scott
Partridge (left), owner of Main Street Grill and Bar, 32 Main
Street, Pittsfield, consults with Mike Hobson, director of
Pittsfield Players’ “Eat Your Heart Out,” on menu selections in
preparation for their opening night special at the restaurant.
To tie in with the play’s restaurant theme, a special “dinner and
show” deal (three course dinner at Main Street Grill plus ticket for
the show after dinner at $35) will be offered for the play’s opening
night, March 24. Performance
Letter
Vote NO on SB2
Dear Pittsfield Voters: I DO NOT support SB2.
I understand the lure of the SB2 voting method – voting for town and
school candidates, both budgets and all warrant articles in the
voting booth instead of at the traditional school and town meetings,
but I do not think it is right for our town of Pittsfield.
I am
not convinced that most people will take the time to attend the
deliberative session or to research the issues, budgets or warrant
articles ahead of time and they will vote without really
understanding what they are voting on.
At the traditional school
and town meetings there is time to ask questions and more
importantly to hear other people’s opinions or ideas and then vote.
We may think we know everything about an issue until you hear the
other side of the story or see the facts. Secret ballots can
be done at Town meeting so your vote can be private.
Towns, states and our country were founded on this purest form of
democracy. I think the Town meeting format is an important
part of getting to know your neighbors and being a community.
I feel strongly that we should continue with the traditions of these
meetings and NOT support SB2.
Please vote NO on SB2. Andrea
Riel
Letter
To The Editor
To the Editor: Ready for another court fight
over public education funding in New Hampshire?
The Statehouse is
pushing property-poor communities into the same
inadequate-public-education hole that they started crawling out of a
generation ago.
Two decades ago, Pittsfield and several
property-poor communities sued the state over inequity in
public-education funding, which is drawn mainly from local property
taxes. The so-called Claremont lawsuit was fought to the N.H.
Supreme Court, which ruled in the property-poor communities’ favor.
The state’s highest court found taxpayers in property-poor
communities could not adequately fund public education for their
children and required state aid.
As part of the remedy, the state
Legislature adopted “stabilization grant” aid money for
property-poor communities. Now, the stabilization grant aid is being
eliminated over a 25-year period.
Why should N.H. citizens care
about the stabilization grant rollback?
First, taxpayer-supported
public education has been a keystone of democracy and equality
nationwide for more than a century.
Second, if you live in a
property-poor community—like me—you are probably facing huge annual
tax hikes this year and beyond.
In Pittsfield, my family is
facing a tax increase of more than $600 this year. The biggest
portion of the proposed tax hike that will go before Town Meeting
next month is for the local schools. Part of the reason the school
district is seeking more local taxpayer dollars is this year’s
$86,000 cut to the town’s stabilization grant aid. If 86-grand does
not sound like a big town-budget hole, consider the gaping $2.15
million chasm in the town’s budget once the 25-year stabilization
grant rollback ends.
Pittsfield and the other property-poor
communities that joined forces to sue over public-education funding
two decades ago need to go back to the courts, now!
Christopher
Cheney Pittsfield
Pittsfield Senior Center News
There are a couple of events
happening at the Pittsfield Senior Center for the month of March.
These events are not only for seniors but are for everyone in the
community that wants to come. On Tuesday, March 14, at 10:30am Bill
Parker is back. Bill plays at a number of different venues across
southern NH that includes senior centers, senior homes, and
community events. Bill puts on a great show by playing the
harmonica, keyboard, and singing at the same time. He sings a wide
variety of music from the Great American songbook, the show is free,
so please come enjoy the show and stay for lunch. Please call
435-8482 to reserve your spot.
Come and celebrate St. Patrick’s
Day on Friday, March 17, at 1:00pm. The senior center is co-hosting
an event with the Josiah Carpenter Library with a returning
performance by Ramblin Richard. In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day,
he will be performing an Irish music and stories program. The
illustration will include songs, stories, and their relationship to
the Irish heritage. He sings the songs, while playing the guitar,
5-string banjo, and baritone ukulele. The presentation will be held
here at the center and is free. Please call 435-8482 to RSVP.
On
Wednesday, March 22, at 1:00 PM we are going to laugh our way in to
Spring here at the senior center with Laughter Yoga. As the saying
goes, “Laughter is the best Medicine” this is a great way to reduce
stress and anxiety in your life and feel happier. Marcia Wyman, a
certified Laughter Yoga instructor, will show you how to laugh your
way to better health. Laughter Yoga is a gentle mind body aerobic
exercise that promotes physical and emotional well-being while
discovering inner peace and joy. No Yoga poses are involved and the
cost is a donation of your choice. Please call 435-8482 so space can
be planned accordingly.
Letter
To The Editor
No Select Board meeting 2/28/17. The School Board
had a letter and an ad in this paper describing traditional Town and
School District meetings as “the purest form of democracy” (a
utopian phrase first coined hundreds of years ago) voicing their
opposition to a change to SB2, which would put all questions on a
secret ballot for election day.
Back in the 1700s, I suspect most
everyone attended Town and School meeting- perhaps looking forward
to a chance to talk amongst themselves and catch up after a long
winter. Before the days of social media, tv, and even a local
newspaper, the only chance you probably had to come to a conclusion
on how to vote was to listen to your neighbors at the annual
gathering. It would be nice if it all still applied today- but it
doesn’t. The problem? Darn few people show up. Consequently a small
handful of voters, who often attend specifically to achieve a goal
that wouldn’t stand up if put before an actual majority of
townspeople, are able to succeed in getting what they want.
The
school board’s ad asked “What kind of town do you wish Pittsfield to
be?” Well I’d like Pittsfield to be the kind of town where the
wishes of a TRUE majority of townspeople prevail- and that often
doesn’t happen at the Town and School meetings of today. A vocal few
can end up ruling. We should accept that it’s no longer the dark
ages and make a change to accomodate the busy lives of the people of
our community and give all voters a much better chance to be heard
without intimidation. To infer that voters who don’t attend town or
school meeting would be “uninformed” is inaccurate and unfair.
Please vote YES on SB2.
Carl Anderson
Letter
Dear Pittsfield Voters, I would like to share my thoughts on SB2
with you.
SB2 was established so large municipalities such as
Manchester could help citizens participate in warrant article
voting. The problem being no facility could hold the crowd wanting
to attend.
SB2 creates a “Deliberative Session” in early February
where warrant articles are discussed and amended. All articles are
placed on the ballot for citizens to vote on in the voting booth.
An analysis of 27 of the towns that are under SB2 reveals:
Attendance at deliberative sessions has dramatically decreased
(23 towns have attendance of under 2% of voters). Note - Attendance
at Pittsfield’s Town and School District Meetings is 5-7%.
Pittsfield’s Town and School District meetings are the glue that
holds our town together. It isn’t just us voting on warrant
articles, it is a social gathering. Neighbors reacquainting
ourselves with one another and reaffirming our commitment to the
Town and each other. Without these meetings it is likely distance
between one another will grow. Civility, tolerance, sharing of
ideas/points of view will begin to erode away, making Pittsfield a
less friendly place.
Look at Washington, DC. Decades ago
lawmakers socialized with members of the other political parties.
Families got together for cook outs. Couples went to dinner and
concerts with political opponents. Lawmakers golfed together. There
was mutual respect that led to legislation compromise moving
America forward. They no longer get to know one another personally.
Civility? Gone. Everyone vilified. There is little compromise. I
don’t want to see that as a possibility for our Town.
The study
also shows NO appreciable change in budget expenditures (increase or
decrease).
I ask you to maintain Pittsfield’s Town and School
District Meetings and vote no on SB2.
Sincerely, Ted Mitchell
Letter
To all voters in the Town of Pittsfield, By state law (RSA 40:4,
I) the Moderator sets the rules and procedures of the meeting. We
will not follow Robert’s Rules of Order or any other complicated
rules of parliamentary procedure. Instead, we will follow my rules
in order to create a pleasant, productive, and efficient meeting. I
cannot promise to run a perfect meeting, but I will do my best to
run a fair meeting. Ultimately, though, this is your meeting. By
majority vote, you can change my rules, or overrule any decision I
make.
The Rules of Procedure for Town Meeting have been published
on the Town Website. Please take the time to read them. If everyone
is familiar with the rules before the meeting starts, we can make
the meeting flow better and get done earlier.
Fred Okrent,
Town Moderator
Letter
To The Editor Candidate Gerard J. Le Duc
Let me introduce
myself. My name is Gerard A. Le Duc. I am one of your selectmen
currently seeking your vote for another three year term.
I am a
lifelong resident of Pittsfield, where I have lived for 61
years. I am married to my wife, Jane. We have four adult children.
We also have six grandchildren. I served for two years in the US
Navy. I also served eight years in the US Naval Reserves.
Here
is an example of my service to our town of Pittsfield. I
started.with serving on Pittsfield’s Planning Board for nine years.
I served as the Planning Board’s Rep. to the Housing Standards
Agency for five years. I am currently serving in my second three
year term as your Selectman. I have served on four boards as the
Select Board’s Rep.
I am very proud to serve the citizens of the
Town of Pittsfield. I am asking you to re-elect me to another term
as your Selectman.
Gerard A. Le Duc Pittsfield
Statement Of Department Of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin
On Acting Deputy Secretary
We welcome Mr. Scott Blackburn, to
the role of Acting Deputy Secretary for the Department of Veterans
Affairs, effective February 26, 2017. He is currently the Executive
Director, MyVA Taskforce. Scott is a strong advocate for our
Veterans and VA employees.
In 2014, Scott was inspired by the
call to action and joined VA to lead us in our transformation. As an
Operation Enduring Freedom Veteran and VA employee, he is committed
to our success. With his help, we will build upon the progress we
have already made together. Scott is a trusted leader and I know he
will do a fantastic job.
David J. Shulkin, M.D. Secretary,
Department of Veterans Affairs
Letter
Pittsfield Voters: I encourage Pittsfield voters to vote NO to
SB2 on Election Day, March 14. This will be question #4 on the
school district ballot.
SB2 is being supported by some as a
method of controlling spending. Supporters will have voters
believe that school district spending is out of control. This
is far from the truth.
The school district budget has increased a
mere 2.8% over the past ten years. This is far below the cost
of living increase over this same time period and added only
$1.05/thousand to our property tax rate over this ten-year period.
Across the state, the overall increase was 6.5% for these same
years, with many of our neighbors experience more significant
increases: 17.8% for Chichester, 20.4% for Barnstead, and
35.5% for Epsom, and Epsom is an SB2 district! (Doesn’t look
like SB2 saved many tax dollars there!)
SB2 is also supported by
some as a method to get more people to vote. However, without
the opportunity to discuss the issues and debate the numbers at
district meeting, voters will have less information, fewer facts
upon which to base their votes.
SB2 is finally supported by some
because it allows for private voting. District meeting
attendees will recall the set-up of voting booths for the meeting
and also recall taking private votes at the request of five voters;
private voting can be made for any vote at district meeting.
Let’s face it, the arguments for approving SB2 just don’t stand up
to close examination. That’s why SB2 has been rejected for the
voters of the school district four times already!
We don’t need
SB2. Vote NO on SB2 on the district election ballot on
Tuesday, March 14
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Bea Douglas Pittsfield School Board
Letter
Please Vote No On SB2
I question the idea that there will be more
time to “research” ballot questions between deliberative session and
voting day. What about the time between the Budget Public Hearing
and Town Meeting? It would appear there’s plenty of time already
built in for anyone to look further into the ballot questions.
What doesn’t exist in that time period within the constructs of SB2
is the opportunity to openly ask questions after the deliberative
session has adjourned, after you’ve done your research, before
you’re asked to cast a vote.
Many times our town’s registered
voters have looked to department heads from the floor of the Town
Meeting for insight/direction into what needs are immediate and what
needs can be shelved. We have seen budget committee members alter
their stance before the vote, alerting voters to alternate
approaches to meeting the needs of our town that have presented
themselves after the public hearing. None of these scenarios can be
played out in a voting booth on election day using SB2. You see,
with SB2 you only get a chance to vote yes or no. At traditional
Town Meeting you are able to amend to adjust to that newfound
information.
Town Meeting presents itself as the last
opportunity, for some, to ask the burning question, to challenge the
bottom line, to amend figures and lessen the burden on the property
owners. All done in an open forum, for all to hear and better
understand the “why?”
I don’t want to simply vote up or down
based on decisions made at the deliberative session. I’d rather
attend a Town Meeting and retain the opportunity to cast my vote
after hearing from my neighbors, department heads, those who have
done their research and made the amendments to serve our community’s
best interests.
Ross Morse
Letter
To The Editor Vote Jim Allard – Selectman
After being
appointed to fill a vacant selectman’s position in May of 2016, Jim
Allard has proven he was a worthy choice, and has been a valuable
addition to the current select board. Along with other board
members, he has been faithful at representing the wishes of the
people, reducing taxes and being fiscally responsible. Although
taxes will be rising again this year, most of this is due to
decisions made by former boards. As many of Pittsfield’s
residents have stated, we cannot sustain continual tax increases.
A vote for Jim will enable the current board to continue their good
work.
As a veteran of the US military, Jim served his country for
30 years, now he is serving his community. He is a property
tax paying citizen, a responsible, fair-minded man, with the best
interest of the taxpayer in mind, not the special interest groups.
Vote for Responsibility – Vote for Jim Allard!
Thank you,
Paula Belliveau
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