Board of Aldermen 06-08-2021 Page 20
Derry and Dover. So the Mayor is incorrect at FB 52 is written just to cause trouble for Nashua. And also the
spending cap didn’t just drop out of the sky on to the Mayor’s head. It was passed by the voters of Nashua.
And that seemed like it came out of nowhere and doesn’t reply to him and this Board of Aldermen but the City
residents voted for it and it was never rescinded and this Bill just repairs what was broken by a previous Bill.
And also for Pride Month | wanted to let the Mayor know that Save Women’s Sports is still a very serious
concern of mine. He took down my flag and Alderman Schmidt helped him in that. | wanted to let him know
that according to Mary Higgins in South Carolina they now have full transgender cycling women’s teams that
go to these races. When girls line up they are lining up with 5 men; 5 men in a biking race and those 5 men
crush the women. This is what you, Alderman Schmidt and Mayor Donchess, are supporting. And then from
Beth (inaudible) Save Women’s Sports she says, these women call me a warrior for being in this spot today
and | gladly take that title because my words are my sword, the truth is my shield and today this room feels like
a battle to protect reality. So forgive my sharpness of my sword. | would rather by rude than a liar, despite
death threats, | stand here today because there is great power in that truth. Simply put identities don’t play
sports, bodies play sports. Set a precedence that tells women and girls they matter. We are women here
saying no, why is that not enough? Thank you.
President Wilshire
Alesha Houston?
Alesha Houston Thank you so much. | want to appreciate the entire Board of Aldermen for taking a moment. |
am at 139 Westwood Drive in Nashua. | wanted to speak in opposition to the changes to the Commission that
are being suggested for our Nashua Police Department. | want to remind all of the Board of Aldermen that are
here this evening, that our Police Department is one of the most recognized and successful Police
Departments with their training and all of the pieces that make them our Nashua Police Department and that is
recognized nationally. | just feel like if everyone could just take a moment and think that if it's not broken, why
would we try to fix it. | don’t see that adding additional Commissioners to this is going to change anything. | see
that the people that are the most qualified for these positions, and | am saying this as a female, the people that
are the most qualified for these positions should be the ones that we receive these positions. | know that there
is a lot of division in Nashua right now. And | would just welcome everyone to come together and look at what
Nashua looks like right now and let’s focus on the areas of opportunity and one of those areas of opportunity is
not the Police Commission. Let’s leave them the way that they are and lets them continue to protect and serve
our City. Thank you.
President Wilshire
Steven Scaer.
Steven Scaer Hi, | am Steven Scaer, 111 East Hobart Street. Since this is June | wanted to ask the City to
consider honoring fathers for Father's Day. May was Mental Health Awareness Day and we know that
fatherlessness is a leading cause of mental health disorders in children. We know that children who don’t have
their dads at home are twice as likely to commit suicide, 32 times as likely to run away from home, 9 times as
likely to drop out of school, 20 times as likely to exhibit symptoms of mental health behavioral disorders, 10
times as likely to end up in a chemical abuse center, more likely to face abuse and neglect at home and 4
times as likely to live in poverty.
| appreciate everything the City and the State does for young people suffering from mental health problems,
but no amount of money spent on extra hospital beds for the State or therapists or on-line therapies can ever
compensate for the crisis of not having a dad at home. Four out of ten children right now are being born out of
wedlock and black communities have been especially hard hit as Barack Obama noted in 2008 with now 7 out
of 10 black children being born out of wedlock. What real social justice would mean is providing each child
with his or her dad in the home and nothing else makes up for that. So with so many children suffering from
not having fathers at home, I’d ask that this Board considering honoring the fathers that have stood through the
trials and temptations of being a modern dad to raise their own children by recognizing Father’s Day.
