Board of Aldermen 10-26-2021 Page 7
assess the health of our city government in our departments. | would encourage you to start asking for those types of
reports and tracking what's happening within the city. Thank you.
REMARKS BY THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN
Alderman Jette
| just wanted to let the people out there know that we are aware of these audio problems that we're having. | Know the
staff is working hard and trying to figure out what the problem is. | encourage them to do whatever it takes to solve this
problem. My wife messaged me saying that she could not hear the speech that | gave.
Alderman Lopez
Do it again.
President Wilshire
You meant she was lucky.
Alderman Jette
I'll give her that speech tonight when | get home. | hope we can solve this problem.
Alderwoman Lu
Thank you. I'd like to just address the vote next week. Next Tuesday, voters will decide whether our city would be
improved by changing who appoints the Police Commissioners. These Police Commissioners approve the procedures
that ensure that eligibility for being hired, promoted, and promoted is determined by merit and not by influence or loyalty.
130 years ago, the city voters removed the power of appointment from the city elected officials and they placed it with the
Governor. Reporters for the Nashua Standard at that time, which was a newspaper with a wide circulation for nearly 100
years, quoted residents who believe that the then current system in which elected officials appointed the Police
Commissioners had resulted in corruption and political favoritism in the police department.
Since that decision to allow the Governor to appoint city residents to the Police Commission, our Police Department has
developed into one of the most highly respected agencies in the country. Our high CALEA certification signifies the
strength of the department's policies and procedures in identifying quality candidates in officer development, and
retention, and promotion based on merit. Also since that time, our Police Department has been responsive and efficient in
identifying and thoroughly investigating crimes even when permitted by elected officials. This is in part because our
current system allows city elected officials no leverage to influence investigation or the hiring and promotions within the
department.
We've heard time to join the 20th century, and everyone else is doing it, and there is no corruption here. None of these
statements demonstrate that a vote to change the manner that Nashua residents are appointed to our Police Commission
would benefit our City. In fact, it's nearly impossible to prove what would happen here if things were different. If police
departments are successfully intimidated by pressure to hire or promote without merit elsewhere in New Hampshire, how
would we know? Anecdotal evidence does suggest that it happens all the time in other communities. In those
communities where elected officials appoint police commissioners, a lack of reported corruption says as much about what
comes to light under this system as it does about any freedom from political influence that that system creates. A change
of this type should not be a gamble. Change is not always good. So it's our difficult responsibility on Tuesday to decide
whether the person elected to the seat of Governor has acted fairly and appointed judiciously giving consideration to the
stated opinions and needs of our city.
Our city leaders can express the need for female representation or minority representation on the board. They did not do
that this year when it was time to consider the seat of the commissioner whose term had expired. Our city leaders did not
do that last year or the year before. Today our Police Commission is composed of three residents of Nashua each who
have at one time written a letter of interest to the Governor, who then interviewed them, and reviewed their qualifications.
These individuals were appointed or reappointed most recently by a Governor who won 60% of the ballots cast in
Nashua. This Governor won a majority in every ward in Nashua and this Governor has not been heavy handed in his
appointments. In a city who’s elected Board of Alderman and Mayor are all Democrats, he reappointed the selections
made by Maggie Hassan, his Democratic predecessor. No other names were put forward from Nashua elected officials.
