Board of Aldermen 08-10-2021 Page 34
President Wilshire
Thank you.
Laurie Ortolano
Hi. Laurie Ortolano, 41 Berkeley Street. Just quickly. | sent you an e-mail tonight and | attached a spreadsheet looking at
the top ten largest communities in New Hampshire relative to their police departments. What surprised me is — and it really
surprised me. | called all the departments and talked to the police stations. Five out of those ten do not have
commissioners. Three of the cities that the Mayor highlighted as cities that had changed their commissions — Portsmouth
and Laconia — those two municipalities have three commissioners but they are elected by the general public. So five out of
the ten don't have commissioners. Three out of the five left they’re elected by their citizens at the ballot. Manchester has an
appointed commission but it is only advisory. It doesn’t have (inaudible) duties.
So what’s being proposed in Nashua is really unique to the other ten. | would like — | obviously think this is going to go on
the ballot and the Mayor is going to get the signatures and the citizens behind providing the signatures to put it out there but |
would like to understand how he determined that the best option was to have the Mayor and the President appoint and the
Board vote versus having a citizen vote. Berlin and Somersworth were also used as examples of communities that change
but you are looking at massive size variations — 10,000 people compared to Nashua with 90,000. The other thing you have
to take into consideration here — Manchester is 113,000 people. Nashua is 90,000 and then the next biggest is Concord at
44 and it rolls down. So you know we have to be very careful with blanket comments and | looked back at the Mayor’s
original survey and he question he proposed is and it was just his blanket survey to his fixed number of constituents but it
was 1) do you want the Mayor and the Board President to appoint the Commissioners, or 2) do you still want it with the
Governor. | wish three had been on there which is do you want to elect them yourselves at the polls on a staggered time
schedule. | would just like to understand how this happened and honestly I’ve been on an e-mail chain that’s you know 50,
100 comments deep. There’s a lot of people that have asked some really good questions on that e-mail chain about what
we're doing this...
Donna Graham, Legislative Affairs Manager
Thirty seconds.
Laurie Ortolano
...and what it means. So huge opportunity to do some education over the next few months and | think there’s a lot of work to
do here to educate people. Thank you.
Beth Scaer
Beth Scaer, 111 East Hobart Street. Next week on the 18'" is the 101 anniversary of the ratification of the 19" amendment
giving women the right to vote. So this Saturday the 14" at 10 a.m. I’m going to be raising the 19'" amendment flag on the
citizen flag pole. So that’s 10 a.m. on Saturday the 14'". Everyone is invited. Thank you.
President Wilshire
Thank you. Is there anyone else that wishes to give public comment? Seeing no one.
REMARKS BY THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN
Alderman Klee
Thank you very much. Sorry. I'd like to start off by thanking all of my fellow members here for the dynamic conversation
that we had on the Police Commission. | think a lot of good things were said. | also want to just comment to Alderwoman
Lu that was a good catch. It was for the 467. | went back and looked at the financial so | think it was just wording. That
was a good catch and thank you. We would have to have voted again anyways. | appreciate that.
Most of all | want to congratulate Alderman Brandon Laws and Sophia on their new addition. There’s no one that
deserves more happiness than they do and | know they're going to make a great family, great parents, and | can’t wait to
see that little angel at some public function. | know she’s loved. So thank you.
