Board of Aldermen 6-23-2020 Page 46
So Madam President, thank you for —| could not say this because — and let me clearly say if | had my
chance to vote | would have voted for that contract. It was duly negotiated and fairly by the City and the
Local. By due to my son, the reason is that my son is on the Fire Department and because of - | challenge
and | will challenge the future of my vote because | got elected to vote. And | feel that Charter needs to be
changed that we all vote.
Some of us have other things that we are close ties. Many members of this Board were on the School
Department, yet they strongly support the School Department, | do as well. But to say that where you were
on the School Board, does that affect you and your way of thinking. | think right now the Charter is a little bit
too tight and too restrictive on that. And | do have the common sense in my 35 years of experience of
firefighting to make an informed decision on what we qualify is adequate fire protection for the City.
Unfortunately, the Charter did not allow me to express my opinion. So Madam President, thank you for this
opportunity to speak, thank you.
President Wilshire
You bet. Alderman Klee.
Alderman Klee
Thank you, Madam President. | wanted to make a comment that actually has little to do with this, our
meeting today and yet in some respects does. Last night the county met and we did our Budget for the
County and | am really happy to say that we passed a budget that is increased but there will be no tax
increase. So nothing will be coming down to the residents here in Nashua or actually anywhere in our
County anyways. We were able to do a zero increase on the tax rate so that’s one tiny little bit of help for
our taxpayers, thank you.
Alderman Lopez
So | guess first | just want to comment that | agree with Alderman O’Brien, | wish | had some of the
information that he has in the conversation. | think | was one who started the parity aspect because |
understood some of the earlier comments to be saying that there were goals that the firefighters were trying
to reach. But | don’t know what those are, | am not aware of a strategic funding plan or anything like that.
So | did not have all of the information that | needed in that particular area, so | think set everybody off on a
wild goose chase. My impression was that there was an understanding that there’s certain levels the
firefighters were trying to reach and that they were potentially able to work somewhere else and | did not
understand exactly what was being referred to. So | apologize, the only information that | really had to work
with was Alderman Jette’s numbers. | appreciate the work that he did in researching it and | had no doubt
when they were brought up that he would have them sitting on the desk.
So there is plenty of good information that was shared, although | don’t think | had a complete picture. So |
have received plenty of letters and e-mails regarding how important it is for the firefighters to be
compensated in Nashua and the importance of their job and even some stories of people that | Know being
pulled out of fires. But | didn’t hear that part; the goals and what they are trying to do and how this might
affect their cost of living and that kind of stuff. So! would appreciate that being sent in my direction so that
whatever negotiation process happens between the Fire Commission and the Union, | am able to approve
it. Because as far as | am concerned, | am not in the negotiation process; | get whatever their agreement is
sent here. | don’t think the Mayor was particularly in favor of it, he made some reasonable points about
funding. | never really disagreed over whether the Fire Department deserved a certain level of pay; my
concern was whether we would literally have it if other issues started to come up over the next couple of
months that we can’t anticipate.
So | don’t know when that’s going to happen, | do know that the negotiation can continue at least in the
appeals format. So | would like to see that come back and figure out what to do with it when that does. |
would like to make some comments to the public.
