Graham, Donna
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From: Vicki Chesterley Qiagen een
Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 20271 6:05 PM
To: Board of Aldermen
Subject: Nashua Police Commission
CAUTION: This email came from outside of the organization. Do not click links/open attachments if source is
unknown.
Victoria Chesterley
14 [_utheran Drive
Nashua, NIT 03063
603-579-6998
July 5, 2021
To the Board of Aldermen:
I have been a resident of Nashua since 1952 and | ain writing to express my strong opposition to the
proposal that Nashua Police Commissioners be appointed by the Mayor and the president of the
Board of Aldermen.
This proposal was put forth in order to increase transparency and local control. While increasing
transparency is a laudable goal, the Police Commission needs to be as separate from local influences
as possible. The members of the Commission need to be able to make decisions independently and in
the best interests of the police department. Nashua has benefited greatly from having one of the best
small town police departments in the country. This is partly due to having police commissioners
owing no political favors to local office holders.
As the process exists now, the members of the Executive Council vote on the candidates for the
Nashua Police Commission. There is already an element of local control in this system as one of the
Executive Councilors represents the Nashua area. The other Councilors provide the checks and
balances that ensure that political favoritism is not part of the equation.
My father, James Chesterley, was a member of the Nashua Police Commission for thirteen years as
well as an executive (Vice President, Corporate Staff) at Sanders Associates. I know that he felt that
