Board of Aldermen 08-10-2021 Page 23
beginning | think was a reflection of that understanding of the tight timeline if this was going to be a viable proposal. I’m
hoping we as a community can continue to talk about this and come up with something that’s even stronger and get it on
the ballot in two years. Thank you.
Alderman Klee
Thank you Madam President. I'd like to first clear up something a comment that was made. Nobody was named but
when there was a comment made about an alderwoman had admitted to a hand in crafting the citizen’s petition. | guess
in some respects that kind of true but really only half of the story. I’m assuming that it was me as | helped work with the
original that is before us now which is what the citizens are using. | have had no crafting in the citizen’s petition per say
and the person who spoke has not had a conversation with me. I’m not quite sure. | know that! did not say that to him so
it could not have been misinterpreted.
The other comment about our CALEA accreditation. | think it’s wonderful that we have it. We are one of 13 with CALEA
accreditation throughout our State. If I’ve read the CALEA website right, we have Claremont, Dover, Durham, Goffstown,
Hollis, Hudson, Keene, Laconia, Manchester — much larger than Nashua, Pelham, Portsmouth, Strafford County Sheriff's
Department, and the UNH PD. There are six that are self-assessed: Bedford, Hanover, Londonderry, Newington, Salem,
and Stratham. Again most of those are much smaller than Nashua but Salem is quite up there as is Londonderry but they
are self-assessed.
The reason why | really felt that this was important and to the comments that were made about whether or not there was a
real need, an emergency, and so on, I’m not so sure that there’s an emergency with our current Commission or anything
of that nature but there is an emergency throughout this State. I’ve repeated that | sit on the Municipal and County
Government. We've had a lot of bills that have come through that are trying to take away more and more power from the
municipalities. One of them was defeated and that was what they called a “CACR”. That is basically a change to our
State Constitution and that would have changed drastically what Nashua would have the right to do. | don’t have it in front
of me, and I've tried looking and thought | had printed out, and | don’t have it with me. Basically what it said was that it
would strip the city or municipalities right to make any kind of changes for the well-being and health of its citizens. That
little provision that put in there — | know why they want to strip it out, it was because Nashua put in a mask mandate.
That’s one of the main reasons and that was talked about over, and over, and over again in the committee. That is just
one of many, many bills that are coming through.
So while | don’t see any structural maleficent of any kind of issue within our current Police Department or our current
Commission, | see horrible things coming down the road from Concord. That’s not a political statement. That’s just the
way that things run in the State of New Hampshire. When one group wants to make one change, then out comes another
group to make a change and we go back and forth and | call it the “ultimate tennis match with the citizens of New
Hampshire”. | don’t agree with it but it’s a way that it happens. When | saw that happen and being on the committee that
I’m on up in Concord, | really got nervous. | really got anxious. This was not the first time that | had brought up the
possibility of making this change. As | stated before when | became a freshman alderman, | brought it up. The word “no”
came out very quickly and being a freshman | was not going to basically buck the system sort to speak. | did not have
enough knowledge and I’m smart enough to know sit back, listen, and then ask a lot of questions. Well I’m in almost my
fourth year of being an alderman and my 5" year of being a State Rep. I’ve sat back. I’ve asked questions. While | have
apologized to the Chief for not having gone to him and spoken to him about this ahead of time, he is absolutely right. | did
not do that but | did mention it to the Board President as it was happening and not prior to it happening but as it was
happening this time around.
So for those that feel that | did not go and talk to them, | will publicly be on the record to apologize but | will not apologize
for putting this forward. | think it’s good. | think it’s important and | think based on what’s happening in Concord it is time.
It is scary times and | don't want to lose any more control. | want to get whatever control we can get. Someone said to
me, “Well why don't we get control of the school district, that’s run by Concord”. That’s run by Concord for the entire State
and not just Nashua. This one is just Nashua. While | cannot disagree with many of my colleagues on the other side, | do
think it’s time. I’m sorry that they felt like they didn’t have a voice on it.
| do want to make one comment also about the concerns of that committee. | love the group that’s on there. | think that
they’re all very wise, reasonable people but | was concerned Madam President with your comment about the other side. |
know you didn’t mean that. | think you just meant that you wanted each of the wards to hear both sides of the story. | just
want to make sure that that was clarified because | know you would not say the other side meaning that you were just
going to be talking about one side. | know you would be talking about both sides. | just want the public to understand
that.
