Board of Aldermen 08-10-2021 Page 27
a work group that is specifically representing one side. It is well rounded. It has the legislative support and authority to
enact changes and it has civilian representation and it has input from Police. So that was what my intention was just to
point out to people who we might have been kind of talking around it because we have the document right in front of us.
It’s going to be attached to tonight’s minutes but there is a substantive step being taken to further explore this.
Just speaking to my motion at the beginning, | think we’re going to go around in circles with this at the Aldermen if we go
anywhere at all which is why | wanted to move for final passage because that’s my opinion is that we should move it
forward. I’ve been reading the room. | think | have a different calculus than Alderman O’Brien and | don’t necessarily
think that my position or opinions are going to be representative of the whole Board. | still think we accomplished
something by having a vote and making it clear where everybody stands on it. | think if we try adding more amendments
at this point, it’s likely not going to go on the ballot anyway because it would be such a change that it has to be run
through all the processes again and we wouldn't have declared that it was necessary and followed that step back in May if
we hadn’t known there was going to be a time crunch and we hadn't known that there were procedures to follow.
| don’t think that creating an amendment on the fly is particularly a good idea with something this important. | also don't
think that just leaving it on the table and floating is going to do anything other than keep it as a discussion item that can't
be solved. | think we should move this more to that work group’s field and let them explore things with the knowledge that
probably inevitably anything that we’re doing as aldermen is going to require new legislation and it’s going to have to
happen in the next year because | don’t think we’d be able to affect any change usefully in a timeframe that would allow to
go on the ballot. That was my thinking.
Alderman Cleaver
Thank you Madam President. | believe we’re over complicating this issue. | think it’s much more simple than we’re
making it out to be. Five commissioners and the local control is very clear. | think it’s ready to go on the ballot. | think
that the people should decide and | support this 100 percent. There’s a change that needs to be made. It’s archaic and
going back to the 1800s and it’s time for local control and we need more local control on every issue concerning the city.
I’m 100 percent for it. | think it’s time to vote on it. | think it’s time to put it on the ballot.
President Wilshire
Anyone else? Alderman Harriott-Gathright.
Alderman Harriott-Gathright
Wow this has been quite interesting experience here sitting on this Board particular with this. Most of you know, | have
great respect for Nashua Police and particularly for our Chief of Police. However, some of the things I’ve heard that came
from the Police Department as well as on this Board, | am truly shocked. | sat in on Alderman Caron’s meeting the other
night and really felt really horrible after hearing some of the comments that were made by people on this Board that | truly
respect but would have never thought things of that nature would come out of their mouth. | don’t want to repeat them.
You all know who said what on that meeting.
| take offense when people say that Aldermen or the Mayor is trying to derail things. | take offense when we're told we’re
not doing our job. | take offense when | know that people that I’ve spoken to and | don’t know if you’ve spoken to people
had no clue. They thought the Commissioners were city control. So | don’t know who you guys talked to or have spoken
with but | was really shocked to find out that so many people had no clue that the Commissioners were chosen out at the
State. So sometimes we’re in a bubble. We don’t really get to a lot of people that you really, really do need to get to.
I'll also say that no matter where | go, people are concerned. Most of the concern that | was hearing came about the
Police Department because for whatever reasons and things that were said, letters were written, people were just
shocked that they thought that the police had something to hide. For me that knows pretty much about the Police
Department, | didn’t feel as though they had anything to hide but | felt that how they approached the situation just made it
worse to be honest with you and then how some of us approached the situation have made it worse. | personally like the
idea of a Commission of five. | like the fact that local control and as some of my colleagues said are in the State House
as well, we talk constantly. We vote constantly about bringing things back to Nashua. So when we got so many people
that | care about disagree and I’m saying to myself you’re disagreeing because you're afraid that someone is going to ask
you to do something that you should be saying no to but you think that because who the person is you don’t have a
choice. | have a problem and if you’re in that position, you shouldn't be in that position. If it’s wrong, it’s wrong. | don’t
care who you are and you should be able to stand up and say absolutely not, you’re wrong. We're not going to do it.
So to say that that’s not likely what would happen, | have a problem with that. Those that know, | had the conversation.
