To the Editor:

I want to thank everyone who wrote in my name as candidate from Goffstown and Weare in the primary election for the New Hampshire State House of Representatives. As a result, I did qualify and will be running on the general election ballot on Nov. 7.

It takes extra effort to write in a name ­ as only the correct spelling of the correct version of the name counts ­ and I am delighted that hundreds of people did so. I received about the same number of votes on the Republican ballot as on the Democratic ballot, which feels just right for our towns ­ I want to represent everybody.

Also, my thanks go to those who organized, knocked on doors and talked to their friends and neighbors. There’s great energy here, and it’s just what our community needs and deserves.

Kelly Teevan
Goffstown

To the Editor:

This paper misquoted me as saying something I’d never say (“I’m in favor of Goffstown growth”) at the EDC hearing. What I said was “I’m in favor of Goffstown businesses and try to shop there when I can. I am not in favor of Goffstown development.”

There’s a whole industry out there devoted to land development. It doesn’t need our help.

We’ve had so much residential growth that the amount of commercial/industrial development needed to have a significant (more than 5 percent) effect on our property taxes is huge and not something I would ever want to see here. Some new small businesses would be welcome, though.

We already have a number of commercial/industrially zoned property which is sitting vacant, some of it for many years (west of 114 near the Bedford line and the new industrial park on Goffstown Back Road).

I would like to see EDC focus on those areas, not on expanding elsewhere.

EDC should certainly be focused on economic development.

But it should also take into account what kind of development residents want to see. EDC shouldn’t just be supporting projects based on numbers; some of the projects (e.g. the mill building in Goffstown Village) are just too much and deserve better judgment.

Jason Sachs
Goffstown

To the Editor:

To the Goffstown Planning Board, Zoning Board and Board of Selectment:

Yes, most of you, our elected officials who keep selling off Goffstown as if it was a fresh autumn apple pie. Slice it up and off it goes.

If you wonder why there is low turnout for public meetings concerning the town and its future, well it is not apathy as you may think.

I believe that most citizens probably realize that you board members are going to do whatever you want to the town, of course within legal limits.

Now don’t plead for us to turn out. We know that you will eventually give in to those developers who love to make their bundles of dough at Goffstown’s expense.

The Janigans and Elmer Pease must be celebrating with dollar signs seeing this latest boondoggle pass. Oh, I am sure they all have Goffstown’s best interests at heart and of course this will help lower our taxes.

I believe we all know that you will not really listen to us and that you basically take us for mere annoyances in the process. Let them (the public) have their say. We (the boards) will do what we want anyway. Big shot developers, big shot lawyers, lots of money and bye, bye Goffstown.

If you sense anger in this letter to the editor, congratulations. Whatever you think, I don’t care, but it is yours to read.

Just know that when you give away the store, we don’t want to shop anymore. So please do not blame us, the public, for not showing up when we know you will do what you damn well please. We don’t have the money to tickle your fancy with.

So thanks for another wonderful project, 218 city dwellers living in the newly created Goffscity.

Robert Schultz
Goffstown

To the Editor:

I have read with interest the recent letters regarding the roundabout in Grasmere. I think that the roundabout makes sense for many reasons. The first reason is that it solves a traffic problem with a minimum of disruption to the existing landscape. The second is that it is much less expensive and substantially less intrusive than a traffic light.

The proposed roundabout for Wallace Road is the best solution to the traffic problems that exist at that intersection

A few of the recent letters state that town officials are not listening to the will of the people. The writers cite the vote a few years ago to put a traffic light at the intersection of Elm and Main.

Yes, the voters did pass a petitioned article to put a traffic light at that intersection. The article did not include any money for the installation of the light and therefore was not a valid petition.

Town officials then worked with the people who had proposed the petition to find a resolution to what should be done with the intersection. The installation of a traffic light would have cost in excess of $400,000 and would have involved taking a great deal of land from the town common and the library. The people who had put in the original petition agreed with the bump-out plan that was ultimately adopted.

Our form of town government is not a pure democracy as Selectman Campasano stated in his letter. Elected selectmen, planning board members, etc. are indeed our representatives.

If we were a pure democracy, we would have town meetings every week so that all the voters could have a chance to vote on every issue. When Selectman Campasano says that he must do what the townspeople direct him to do, I wonder which townspeople is he referring to?

Does he call every registered voter to get his/her input? If he does, he hasn’t called me. I vote for those elected officials who I think will do the best job and do what is best for the town.

I agree with Selectman Campasano that boards should listen to citizens who come to public hearings but listening to someone does not mean that you will vote as that person wants you to. Selectman Campasano wrote that “unfortunately, in this day and age only a small segment of people turn out for these meetings.” I have lived in this town for 49 years and have been able to vote for 35 of those years and I can tell Selectman Campasano that there never has been a time where more than a few people turned out for selectmen or planning board meetings.

Democracy is as alive and well in Goffstown as it ever has been. The process for citizens to have an input into what decisions are made is the same as it always has been. The decision to install roundabouts went through the same process as any town construction project. There were opportunities for the public to have input.

Michael J. Ryan
Goffstown

To the Editor:

The Solid Waste Commission’s next candidate for “Doing it Right” with respect to recycling with Big Blue are Edward and Lisa Brodeur.

Edward tells me that 70 percent of their waste stream winds up in the recycle bin. All plastics, Styrofoam, letter mail (shredded), junk mail bottles, cans, etc. wind up in the recycle bin.

All that winds up in the trash is food waste and plastics that don’t have the triangle and they aren’t certain are recyclable. They have two separate areas in the kitchen, a blue barrel in one corner for recyclables and a white one in another corner for trash.

They have two children, 14 and 16, who pitch in to help.

Thank you, Brodeur family, for pitching in and for “doing it right” with respect to recycling.

Fred Plett
Chairman, Goffstown Solid Waste Commission

To the Editor:

It is hard to believe that it is only 12 weeks until Christmas and time to organize support for the Goffstown Area Children’s Christmas Program.

Two-thousand-five was the first year that the Odd Fellows took responsibility for organizing this local program that helps families in need provide a happy holiday for their children.

The scope and time requirements of this program had become overwhelming for the Goffstown Network Program, and the Odd Fellows were pleased to step in to continue the work of this important program. The 2005 program provided gifts for approximately 175 children. The Network Program still provides special Thanksgiving and Christmas food assistance.

Sadly, 2005 was also the first year that the Goffstown Area Children’s Christmas Program did not receive funding assistance from any national charitable organization.

Changes in local personnel and regional politics seem to have contributed to this lack of financial assistance. Your tax deductible donation in any amount has never been more important. One-hundred percent of the money donated to the Odd Fellows Goffstown Christmas Program is used to provide holiday gifts for the needy children in Goffstown, New Boston and Dunbarton.

Assistance in sorting, wrapping and organizing the presents is provided by the Rebekahas, Girl Scouts, Dream Catchers, Medville Cooperative and numerous other individual and group volunteers.

Please support this worthy, local, holiday gift program by making your donation payable to the Goffstown Children’s Christmas Program.

Assist us in making sure that none of our community’s children are overlooked this Christmas.

Douglas S. Doster
Chairman, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Lodge 24
Goffstown Children’s Christmas Program
P.O. Box 404
Goffstown, NH 03045

To the Editor:

In the upcoming November elections, there are two people running for District 5 Executive Council. They are Dave Wheeler and Debora Pignatelli.

I am very offended by Pignatelli’s assertion that she is not anti-firearms or anti-hunting.

I have been a New Hampshire outdoors columnist for over 40 years, as well as a Goffstown resident, making me very familiar with her voting record on these issues.

I have watched Pignatelli repeatedly attack sportsmen’s and firearms owners civil rights during her tenure in public office. Both the NRA and the New Hampshire Firearms Coalition have repeatedly given Pignatelli an “F” rating on her stance concerning firearms.

Here are just two of many examples that illustrate her real viewpoints: She sponsored legislation to remove sportsmen from our state Fish and Game Commission and replace them with people who have no knowledge or interest in sportsmen’s issues whatsoever.

She voted to make law-abiding gun-owners into criminals if they didn’t lock up a firearm that they might need to use for self defense or to defend their family (SB-193FN and SB-419) in the year 2000.

On the other hand, Dave Wheeler is a consistent friend of sportsmen and women and a known defender of our Second Amendment rights as well.

Bob Harris
Goffstown