Board of Aldermen 03-27-2018 Page 2
The national trends are that overdoses and deaths were up significantly between 2016 and 2017 that
was not the case in Nashua. Thank God we were able to hold stable numbers as opposed to going up
like much of the nation. The Fire Department and Harbor Homes are continuing to get inquiries from
around the country regarding the program and asking advice and how other cities from Florida to
Rhode Island and other places could start and initiate a program. So | think it has gained an important
reputation and so | believe and | know we are doing the right thing. | wanted to update you and say |
appreciate all your support with respect to our on-going efforts.
This past weekend, we had the March for Our Lives staged by some of our High School students, Ben
Telerski and others. Alderwoman Shoshanna Kelly was very active in organizing that and it was a great
event. We had 500 or 600 people out in front of City Hall, the biggest rally | have ever witnessed. |
think people were inspired and the leadership by the young people, the high school students, was
extremely impressive and | have to think that over time this will have an effect in helping to bring
meaningful reform to our gun laws and reduce the rates of gun fatalities. So | wanted to congratulate
everybody who was involved in that effort.
Finally we also had the Meri Goyette Lunch on Sunday the 5™ Annual Meri Goyette Arts Lunch. A
number of you attended, Alderman McCarthy, Alderwoman Melizzi-Golja, Alderman Ken Gidge and
probably others. We raised some money for the endowment for the Performing Arts Center. We had
some great winners. The winners of the awards were Paul Shea, Michael Buckley, PRG Store right
next door and some of the Picker Artists who were able to successfully move from the Picker Building
to elsewhere in the Millyard. So overall, the event was really fun and we had a great turn out and | think
it's a wonderful event for the City and I’m glad at least some of the Board members were able to attend.
That’s all | have Mr. President.
RESPONSE TO REMARKS OF THE MAYOR
President McCarthy
Any responses to the remarks of the Mayor.
Alderwoman Melizzi-Golja
| would just like to join him in congratulating Ben and Alderwoman Kelly in organizing the March; | heard
it was very successful. | think that the parents of our students should be proud of the leadership they
are demonstrating. | would just add to the Mayor's comments about the luncheon that we also
celebrated Meri’s birthday, but | won't tell you how old she is, you'll have to ask her.
Alderwoman Kelly
| just want to respond as well. | think the leadership of the students was just so inspiring. But just also
the help that we had along the way from the City. The Police Department was incredible; people in the
City Clerk’s office just really came together and helped to get that off the ground. So | appreciate
everything.
Alderman Klee
| was unable to attend the march but | heard it was incredible and that you did a wonderful job. The
other thing is | wanted to mention about the Awareness March that the Mayor had spoken about. l’ve
spoken to Darlene and | really do think it’s important for as many of us that can go should go. It’s an
awareness, it’s healing and it’s to help break down walls to show that it’s not something we have to be
ashamed of. It’s something we have to bring out in the open and we have to talk and it takes a lot of
brave people to do that. And | went last year in the pouring rain and it was absolutely amazing to see
these people carrying pictures of their families and literally telling their stories. And this year they are
