Board of Aldermen 12-28-2021 Page 34
But | would like to recognize two people. The first one is Dave Fredette who is very good friend of mine who served the
city for over 20 years. | think that not only will he be missed for what he did in performing his duties, we also think that
he'll be missed personally by the people in the city. So | wanted to recognize him.
The other person that I've waited all night to recognize is June Caron. She's been on the Board now, | think, ten years if
I'm correct. In addition to that, she served the city for 40 years. So you're looking at a person who has dedicated 50
years of her life in one way or another to the city and that's why | came down here tonight. | just wanted to make sure that
the citizens in Nashua recognize that and | want to thank her personally. Thanks very much and everybody have a good
New Year.
President Wilshire
Thank you.
Laura Colquhoun
First of all, it's Laura Colquhoun at 30 Greenwood Drive. If the Board does not want the residents to call in via phone,
they should say that and not allow it. | tried to call. | was on the phone from the beginning and | was not allowed to talk.
Number two. If the Board has put a limit on the residents’ conversations on how much we can speak, | would highly
recommend that maybe the Board put a limitation on each member of the Aldermen so that we don't have to listen to a lot
of repeat information.
Also on NRO 5-6 pertaining to Shoshanna Kelly. | think that's a very misleading memo because it says she's been out
three times this quarter. However if you look at her attendance record for the year, she has been out 8 out of 19 meetings
whereby she should not have been paid for two quarters. | would ask the Board of Aldermen deduct that money from her
pay because she is not representing the residents of Nashua. | will be reviewing all the Aldermen and | think Skip Klee
also in the first quarter missed three meetings. So | think this is something that the Board should start looking at because
| Know it's coming out of the residents’ pockets, but somebody's got to look at the money. Thank you.
Laurie Ortolano
Laurie Ortolano, 41 Berkeley Street. | wanted to address the Board of Education meeting that took place on December
20!" and the Mayor's involvement in that needing to speak regarding the impasse on the teacher's contract. | really feel
that that crossed the line when it comes to ethics and appropriate actions on the part of the Mayor to do what he did. |
negotiated several teachers’ contracts when | was on the School Board and that work was maintained, you know, very
private, confidential work between the negotiating team which was made up of members of the Board, and of course,
teachers from the union. My understanding is the Mayor reached out to Heather Raymond to talk to her about
encouraging the School Board to accept the pay raises that the teachers’ union wanted because there had been some
concessions on health care. You know, he didn't have a negotiating position to do that kind of overreach but he said that
he was going to go to the meeting on December 20" and speak as a citizen because as a citizen, he has a right to do
that.
Well when he went to the meeting on the 20", first of all he was given five minutes to talk and he never identified as
himself as a citizen at the microphone. He identified himself (lost audio) and he proceeded to, you know, certainly get the
teachers fired up in support of what he was saying and clapping for him. But tonight, it was mentioned by a Board
member, | think Ben Clemons, that he didn't suspect that the Mayor would bind the city into any kind of agreement if he
were to negotiate the Bartlett Street property. In that meeting on December 20", he made it clear that he thought that the
Board of Education should make every effort to give the additional percentage point that the teachers wanted and we at
City Hall will help you in terms of providing the funding to support the contract. You know, what right does the Mayor have
to stand at a microphone and let the teachers know, when they're at an impasse heading into mediation that the City Hall
is going to make up the difference or more of it? You know, he totally blew their mediation because now these teachers
are going to want what a Mayor said he can deliver and frankly, I'd be furious if | were on that negotiating team that a
Mayor could do that and hijack my meeting.
Secondly, he talked about the fact that the concessions made...
Donna Graham, Legislative Affairs Manager
30 seconds.
