I recently received email from SmartWater.org informing me of an upcoming meeting of the Nashua Board of Aldermen. According to SmartWater, Nashua plans to divert education funds to the cause of taking Pennichuck Corporation by eminent domain. Pennichuck is our water company. Here is the full text of the SmartWater email.
Tomorrow night, Aldermen will vote on whether or not they'll use money intended for students with disabilities to fund the city's attempted hostile takeover of Pennichuck.
Up for consideration are nearly half a million dollars the State of New Hampshire intended the school district to use to help offset expenditures for the most needy students with disabilities - rather than support Nashua's neediest children, this state money would pay the consultants and attorneys advising Nashua in its eminent domain battle.
Added all up, we're talking $3 million of your money for consultants, who will cash all of these checks, even after the city's efforts are eventually rebuffed, either by the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, the courts, or the voters.
So how does this work? Aldermen did some "government accounting" and changed a few words in a resolution to move money intended for a specific purpose into the general fund, enabling them to change its use. What aldermen are doing is arguably clever but unquestionably wrong and not in the spirit of the law. State representatives fought hard to secure this special purpose funding for Nashua's most needy students - not to use the money to pay consultants and attorneys, or for any other purpose.
The consultants and attorneys know this battle is going to continue and cost millions more. It's ridiculous.
We urge you to call your aldermen TODAY and tell them to stop this and VOTE NO to taking money intended for special education to fund an eminent domain battle that three-quarters of residents do not support.
At-Large - David Rootovich - 603-891-0039
At-Large - James R. Tollner - 603-566-1267
At-Large - Steven A. Bolton - 603-886-0205
At-Large - David W. Deane - 603-882-9617
At-Large - Brian S. McCarthy - 603-880-1606
At-Large - Fred S. Teeboom - 603-889-2316
Ward 1 - Mark S. Cookson - 603-892-3207
Ward 2 - Richard LaRose - 603-889-6049
Ward 3 - Daniel Richardson - 603-546-5554
Ward 4 - Marc W. Plamondon - 603-889-7876
Ward 5 - Michael J. Tabacsko - 603-880-4666
Ward 6 - Robert A. Dion - 603-882-9141
Ward 7 - Richard P. Flynn - 603-883-1223
Ward 8 - Dave MacLaughlin - 603-891-2397
Ward 9 - Gregory Williams - 603-881-7109
This takeover has been in the works for more than a year. My last post on it was back in December of 2004, after the PUC had ruled against Nashua, saying the city could not pursue the taking of any property beyond its borders. Pennichuck's property is mostly outside of Nashua. I thought at that time the issue would be dropped, but it wasn't. Apparently the mayor is determined.
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