Board of Aldermen Page 7
September 27, 2016
Ms. Susan Farina, 11 Charles Street
| am a life-long Nashua resident and | am here with my son who is a future voter and my dear friend
Kushma Ganagari, a recent Nashua resident. We would like to support the original resolution and hope
you will do the right thing tonight.
Ms. Jennifer Hosking, 31 Twiss Lane, Hollis, Employee at the Nashua Public Library
| would like to read a letter on behalf of the public library in support of Mayor Donchess’ Welcoming
proclamation. This letter was written by Jen McCormack, Library Director, who wasn’t able to attend this
evening.
Dear Mayor Donchess,
RE: Welcoming America initiative
After attending the Personnel and Administrative Affairs committee meeting on Monday, September 18th
| wanted to share with you my own experience the Welcoming America initiative. As an organization the
library has acknowledged in the last several years that the city's population is becoming more diverse
and that we are not adequately reaching the newest residents with our services. Like you we have read
the data from the schools about their ELL programs and the data about the aging of NH's population and
the rapid influx of immigrants into our city and our state. We've also seen the turnout at large events like
Nashua Goes Back to School and seen the variety of faces in that crowd: the most compelling evidence
of the increased diversity of our city. In response to this the library has adopted "Become a Welcoming
Space" as one of our major strategic goals and we are implementing a variety of objectives and activities
toward reaching that goal. Through the Welcoming America initiative we have access to a network of
communities and agencies across the country engaged in the real work of ensuring that the systems,
policies and procedures in place are working to engage newcomers from anywhere in the world. Of
particular relevance to us as a library has been the work done in Nashville and Dayton, and | have been
able to connect directly to people from both of those communities by attending the Immigrant Integration
conference in both 2014 and 2015: a conference supported in part by affiliates of the Welcoming
America initiative. In both years | have returned from that conference energized and committed to
working with other agencies, organizations and individuals in the city who are working to making new
residents feel welcome and engaged in their new community. Joining the Welcoming America initiative
allows Nashua to do more than just state to ourselves how we feel about new comers, it publicly joins us
with the growing network of communities committed to implementing policy and procedural changes that
make our cities and towns are ready to do more than just accept immigrants but to offer them full
participation in every aspect of the life of the city.
Mr. Harvey Keefe, 4 Tamarack Place
Thank you for allowing me to address on the finest Board of Aldermen this city has ever seen. This is
the third time in the history of this country that a city called Nashua, New Hampshire, has been named
one of the best places in America to live to raise a family and they say why? In my opinion, two or three
or four of those reasons to be in the top 20 to be in the best places to live in work in America is first, it’s
outstanding leadership by an almost shy Mayor. The second is an intelligent, dynamic visionary,
community minded and inclusive Aldermanic counsel whose President, Brian McCarthy, not so shy, is a
cut above the rest in ability, trust and duty and human relations and has always welcomed differences
and changes. In the late 70’s or early 80’s | lived on Radcliffe Drive in Nashua, NH, and | got a knock on
my door late one morning and some guy named Brian McCarthy was there and | was loaded with
questions and his answered quickly with a New York accent and | knew he was a stranger just by that
accent but he stated his position so eloquently that | had no further questions. Ladies and gentlemen,
this man is still standing, standing tall in the most beautiful city in America and that’s Brian McCarthy.
First | am here because | love Nashua and | am urging you to join your President by passing the
