Letter To The Editor
To the
Editor,
“Local
control”, a very dear topic to many of us in New Hampshire. It
brings the best and worst out of us. There is an onslaught of
attacks from a myriad of shadow quasi government groups attempting
to take local control away from the governing body and give it to
appointed officials. A governing body in Northwood would be such as
the School Board or the Board of Selectmen, both elected by you.
That is the key. I believe in a balance of power. That balance is
being tilted locally and nationally and that it bodes ill for all of
us.
Five of
us concerned citizens met with our Secretary of State Bill Gardner
and some of his Securities Division people last week. This issue was
my concern. A gentlemen, brought to the table by Bill Gardner,
really put things into perspective. One, it’s a massive assault to
take away the power of the voters. Two, paradoxically, you are
paying for your own demise. How? You are paying dues, tens of
thousands, through your School and Town budget to these shadow
agencies that are orchestrating the assault. For instance:
The
Health Trust who insures your Town and School Employees met last
Wednesday to change their bylaws. Each employer who belongs to
Health Trust has one vote at the annual meeting. They wanted to make
the default vote go to either the town administrator,
superintendent, or town manager. This is the outfit that was dragged
kicking and screaming all the way to the Supreme Court and had to
return 53 million dollars and counting back to its members. Despite
numerous public people like me and State officials testifying that
the default vote should go to the governing body, they did the
opposite. Death by a million cuts. To be continued.
Tim
Jandebeur
Northwood
Letter To The Editor
There
are some critically important issues at stake in the upcoming
election, from the continued inaction on the causes of climate
disruption to the very real assault on women’s lives and liberty.
New Hampshire is privileged to be represented by such able and
courageous women as Senator Shaheen, Governor Hassan,
Representatives Kuster and Shea-Porter, and my local Rep Maureen
Mann, all of whom are working diligently on our behalf.
The November election is so important -- make sure to get to the
polls on the 4th, and bring a neighbor too.
Meg
McGoldrick
Northwood
Letter To The Editor
You
know that piece of your property tax bill that says County? Do you
have any idea what that pays for and who administers those services?
Do you ever vote your ballot from the bottom up and make sure you
do your homework on those candidates? You should, because we have
some issues in Rockingham County!
NH
counties provide the county attorney, the nursing home, the county
jail, the sheriff’s department, the probate and district courts and
the registry of deeds.
The
commissioners are responsible, along with the legislative delegation
from county communities, for managing the finances. Unless you have
business with one of these, you probably don’t know much about our
county government. But you do pay for it with your property taxes.
For
many years the Republican party candidates have won these seats
easily, and too often unopposed. The recent scandal that led to the
suspension of County Attorney Jim Reams for a number of months and
his decision not to run again brought the issues in that office to
widespread attention in the last year.
There
are claims of sexual harassment and misuse of travel funds. He also
refused to save tax payer money by using veterans and drug courts to
provide treatment like other counties in NH do rather than much more
expensive incarceration. It’s obvious that a change is long overdue.
On November 4, we have the choice of electing a very qualified
candidate, Joe Plaia, or Mr. Reams’ long time deputy, Pat Conway.
The
bipartisan legislative delegation is considering a lawsuit against
Commissioners Katharin Pratt, Kevin Coyle and Thomas Tombarello for
spending funds without consulting them. Patrick Rivard is running
for County Commissioner in our district.
You can
read more about these issues here:
http://tinyurl.com/pjefm5m. Do your homework and vote November
4th!
Lucy
Edwards
Northwood
New
Northwood Business Directory
This
summer the Northwood Economic Development Committee created and
distributed a business directory aimed at people that were visiting
our Town. The bright pink brochure included a listing of all the
goods and services that visitors might ask for or need while in
town. They were distributed to the local businesses so they could
give them to their customers as an invitation to visit other
businesses while in town.
Since
the visitor’s edition was well received, the Northwood EDC is now
working on a new, comprehensive business directory that is for use
by the local residents. It will include all Northwood businesses
and is scheduled to be published early next year. The goal is to
have a printed version and a web version. Any Northwood businesses
that want to be included in this directory should confirm / update
their business information by November 30, 2014. Please go to the
Town web site or call Diane at 942 5716 to do so.
Letter
To The Editor
Your
Vote Matters
This is
a non-partisan appeal to all eligible voters: Thomas Jefferson told
us in the Declaration of Independence that a government’s “just
powers” are derived from the consent of the governed. We the People
give that consent with our votes, deciding who the specific winners
are in any election. But in a larger sense we also validate our
societal values and the rule of law in America, simply by voting.
The important thing is to participate in this basic process of
democratic governance, regardless of which party or candidate you
support. The more of us who vote in November, the harder it will be
for a small cabal of zealots to highjack the will of the people and
to impose a narrow, partisan agenda, as happened so dramatically in
2010. It’s your right -- get out and vote on November 4th!
Ted
Wilkinson
Northwood
Letter
To The Editor
An
Ounce of Prevention
Have
you noticed that pharmacies – whether Rite Aid, CVS or Hannaford –
are advertising free flu shots, or more precisely, free flu shots
with insurance? Aside from the fact that the flu season is
approaching, why is there this increase in flu-shot advertising?
We have
the Affordable Care Act to thank.
One
component of the ACA was the requirement that all health insurance
policies must offer a menu of preventative care benefits with no
co-pay or co-insurance, i.e., free. This includes flu shots.
Prior
to the ACA’s passage, bare-bones policies often required a co-pay
for or didn’t cover preventive services. Now all policies must
offer them. And pharmacies are looking for the additional business.
In some
cases, this requirement has resulted in the cost of policies
increasing somewhat, but now you will get what you pay for: health
care. And you will find this especially attractive if the
preventive procedure is a colonoscopy or a mammogram. Now free,
too.
The
other good news is that the ACA is providing the funding for 50,000
low-income NH-ites to buy health insurance through a plan worked out
by Governor Hassan and the legislature. Over 10,000 have done so
already. And if they get their free flu shot and you get your free
flu shot, we will all be healthier this flu season.
I got
mine because I know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
cure. And I will carry that wisdom into the Legislature, where too
often, doing things “on the cheap” has cost us more in the long run.
Tom
Chase
Northwood
Candidate for NH House of Representatives, Rockingham District 1
Letter
To The Editor
Voters
in NH Senate District 17, voting day is almost upon us. We’ve had
time to evaluate the “tax fighter” and decide if he is representing
most of us. Now it’s time to get ourselves a cheerful, smart,
polite, open-minded and caring State Senator who can help our state
build the infrastructure, economy and educational system we need for
the 21st century, instead of digging our state deeper into a hole.
Really,
another couple of years of “Reaganomics” a la NHGOP and this state
will be begging people to stop leaving. We are getting older and
older, the young do not stay or don’t want to move here because we
are fast becoming an unaffordable place to live for young families.
Businesses look at how we neglect our infrastructure, they look at
how expensive our higher educational system has become, they look
for affordable housing for their employees, and they pick someplace
else where the people of the state have chosen leaders who believe
in investing in the future.
I know
Nancy Fraher is the candidate our district needs. She has worked in
collaboration with others for over three decades as a teacher, a
school board member and a leader in making sure our teachers are
valued as the professionals they are and that our children get an
education that prepares them for a challenging future. She has
learned to listen to people of all ages and backgrounds. She is
even-tempered. She gets my vote on November 4th.
Lucy
Edwards
Northwood
Obituaries
Jean
Lane
Jean Lane, 89, of Northwood passed away Wednesday, October 15, 2014
after a period of declining health.
She was
the daughter of Douglas and Helen (Faulkner) Whitcomb, and a
graduate of Keene High School. She worked as a Lab Tech at Concord
Hospital until her retirement. She was active on many local
committees & organizations, local churches, and enjoyed attending
plays, musicals, and sports events at Coe-Brown Northwood Academy.
She was known for knitting mittens for the first grade classes at
Northwood School.
She was
predeceased by her parents, husband John Lane, and brother Jack
Whitcomb. She is survived by two daughters: Betsy Colburn and her
husband Jim of Northwood and their children Steve, Brian, & Lindsey;
and Peggy Riley and her husband Pat of San Antonio, Texas, and their
children Sean, Kyle, & Kevin; 11 great grandchildren, 13
nieces/nephews and her brother Douglas Whitcomb.
In lieu
of flowers, memorial donations in her memory may be made to the
Northwood Veterinary Hospital’s Masi Fund (for her love of cats) for
re-homing stray pets, 569 First NH Turnpike, Northwood, NH 03261;
or Coe-Brown Northwood Academy, Performing Arts Program, 902 First
NH Turnpike, Northwood, NH 03261.
A
Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at 1:00
pm at the Advent Christian Church, 113 School Street, Northwood, NH.
The
Bennett Funeral Home of Concord is handling arrangements.
Patrick
S. Gildea
Patrick
S. Gildea, 79, a longtime resident of Reading and Northwood, NH,
passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer on Sunday evening,
October 12. He was the beloved husband of Charlene (Rhodes) Gildea,
and they had been married for 46 years.
Born in
Newton and raised in Watertown, he was the son of the late P.
Sarsfield Gildea, and the late Myrtle E. (Thompson) Paluses.
Growing up, Patrick was known to his family and friends as “Sars,”
in reference to his middle name, Sarsfield. He was a United States
Marine Corps Veteran of the Korean War, earning his Honorable
Discharge in 1956 at the rank of Sergeant.
Patrick
was a graduate of Northeastern University, where he earned a degree
in Engineering. He worked as a contract engineer for many local
companies, before being hired by the Digital Corporation. He worked
for Digital for 13 years, before retiring in 1991.
Following retirement, Patrick took flying lessons. He flew Cessna
and Piper Cub airplanes out of Lawrence Municipal Airport, and
thoroughly enjoyed flying. He also took up cooking, and at age 70,
began to learn to play the piano.
Patrick
loved spending time with his family at their second home on Bow Lake
in Northwood, New Hampshire. He was a devoted and loving husband,
father, grandfather, and great grandfather.
In
addition to his wife Charlene, Patrick is survived by six sons and
daughters, Louis Gildea and his wife Gayle of Douglas, Sharon Drillo
and her husband Robert of Scituate, Linda Zanni and her husband
Gregory of Reading, Michael Gildea and his wife Brenda of Reading,
Stephen Gildea and his Fiancee Jacquelyn Desrochers of Shrewsbury,
and Jodie Lenti and her husband Jeffrey of Shrewsbury. He was also
the loving “Papa” of twelve grandchildren, and three great
grandchildren.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend visiting hours at the
Douglass, Edgerley & Bessom Funeral Home, 25 Sanborn St. (Cor. of
Woburn St.) in Reading on Thursday, October 16 from 4-8 pm;
concluding with Military Honors at 8:00 pm. The funeral and burial
will be private at a later date.
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