To the Editor:

I would like to take this opportunity to share why I am supporting Russell “Russ” Day, Republican, for state representative.

I have known Russ for nearly 20 years and can describe him as a man dedicated to the citizens of Goffstown. This can be exemplified by his involvement in the Goffstown Lions Club, trustee for the Goffstown Nate Terrill Scholarship, assistant Cub Master for the local Pack 99, and most recently his willingness to serve on the Solid Waste Committee and become involved in the continued improvement of responsible recycling in town.

Russ has the experience to be an effective voice for the residents of Goffstown. He takes with him over 40 years of work experience in state government mostly as an administrator in the New Hampshire Social Security Disability Determination Service. In his service as an administrator he received numerous awards for his ability to serve the citizens of New Hampshire and for his innovative ways to control and even reduce operating costs.

I therefore ask the residents of Goffstown to join me in supporting Russ Day for state representative for Goffstown and Weare. It is time we design a proper education funding program and continue to examine the state’s operating budget to control costs. You can support Russ by coming out to vote on Nov. 7.

Keith Allard
Goffstown

To the Editor:

The year has gone by so quickly and here we are heading into the holiday season. Isn’t it fun to watch the kids carve pumpkins? What a mess! But looking at the kids’ faces and the happiness they get from this activity and the time you have spent with them makes it all worthwhile. These are the memories the kids (yours, foster and/or adopted) will take with them as they grow into adulthood. All children need good healthy, happy memories. Thanks for contributing yours!

Oh, by the way, you did make that call to DCYF about becoming a foster or adoptive parent, didn’t you? If not, now’s a good time. Call your local Manchester DCYF foster care worker at (800) 852-7493.

Jan Feuer
Intake specialist
New Hampshire Foster and Adoptive Parent Association
Concord

To the Editor:

I wouldn’t normally respond to a letter to the editor, because I believe people are entitled to express their opinion.

However, in respect to Attorney Mike Ryan’s letter of Oct. 12, I must make an exception. While he certainly is entitled to his own opinion, his letter went beyond stating opinion.

He attempted to state facts about the authority of the board of selectmen, and, in fact, he was dead wrong.

The following is a quote from the 2006 edition of “Knowing the Territory,” a handbook produced by the New Hampshire Local Government Center (This book is provided to local government officials as a guide to performing their duties). “Cities and towns with councils are representative democracies. The only power the voters have is choosing their representatives. A town meeting town, however, is a direct or ‘pure’ democracy, in that all general town authority resides in the voters themselves at town meeting, not in any representative body like a council, and not in the selectmen.”

Attorney Ryan’s letter illustrates the misconception that many people, and, unfortunately, many entrenched elected officials have, in their belief that they were elected to “represent” the voters and do as they please. I would point out, that as a town meeting town, Goffstown’s Board of Selectmen is not a representative body.

Attorney Ryan spoke of a petitioned warrant article for a traffic light at the intersection of Elm and Main streets as an example of his idea of representation.

When the voters (read that as the legislative body) passed that article, the selectmen should have honored their wishes. Although the article lacked funding, the selectmen could have fulfilled the will of the voters by budgeting for the improvements in subsequent years.

Instead, the board substituted the voters’ wishes with their own “bump-out” plan. Attorney Ryan points to the small group of people who agreed to the plan. Those people may have put the article on the warrant, however they did not represent all of the voters who clearly directed the selectmen to signalize the intersection.

I would like to, again, encourage the residents, taxpayers and voters of Goffstown to go to public hearings and speak out. This is your government. Don’t get discouraged, stay the course and make your elected officials accountable.

Nick Campasano
Goffstown selectman

To the Editor:

The Goffstown Main Street Program hosted the annual Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off and Regatta Weekend this past weekend.

The weather was magnificent, the crowds were huge and the entire weekend was full of great family fun for all. Such an incredible community event doesn’t happen without a lot of help. This year, the Goffstown Main Street Program was blessed with many sponsors and a dedicated group of volunteers who worked countless hours behind the scenes to make this weekend happen.

Our sponsors included Unique Ford, Glen Lake Animal Hospital, Vikster’s Pizza and Subs, Lamson Apartments, Hannafords, Shaw’s, Sully’s Superette, Cornerstone Auto, Green Thumb Landscaping and Irrigation, Brown Graphix, Mr. Gee’s Tire, Relevant Church, French and Rising Funeral Home, Robert Demers and the Demers Garden Center, Howes Pharmacy, Putnam Fuel, Sam’s Club, the New Hampshire Giant Pumpkin Growers Association, the Village Trestle, MB Tractor and Equipment, the Law Office of Tammy Gosling, John Neville Excavating, Brian Clickner, Attorney at Law, PLLC, Accelerated Auto Tech, Alternative Chiropractic Services, John A. Brown Excavating, Gordon Burns Insurance, Criterium-Turner Engineers, Elliot Insurance Agency, Glen Lake Family Practice, Goffstown Ace Hardware, Goffstown Truck Center, KRG Motorsports, Mansour Orthodontics, Putnam’s Waterview Restaurant, Tom St. Cyr Masonry, WWW Sarette Brothers Inc., and the town of Goffstown.

I can’t say enough about our award-winning promotions team who put together this event. Led by Bruce Normand, the team of Bev and Mary Kate Powden, Eileen and Ian McAlary, Mike, Theresa, Nate and Tiffany Walton, Deb Luscombe, Robbie and Kevin Grady, Mike French and Anna Fish planned the entire weekend. Ann Trainor-Domingue, Diane Ryan, Kate Dalpra, and Dia Stolnitz worked hard on the Art Show-Off at town hall. And special thanks to Brenda Letourneau, Gale Cheever, Judy DesMeules, Tom Mulligan, Allen Brown, John Denoncourt, Jim Beauchemin, Robert Demers, Jennifer Brown, Lorraine and Steve Pascucci, Dan Van Kalken, Susan Osburn, Carl Quiram, Pat Tucker, Larry and Sandy Brown, Sherry Heiber, Carole Huxel, Judy Pancoast, the Goffstown Police Department’s K-9 unit featuring Rex, and all of our other volunteers for their community spirit to make this weekend so special.

Isn’t it wonderful to live in a community with such a dedicated group of citizens? See you on Main Street!

Karen Henderson
Chairman of the board of directors
Goffstown Main Street Program

To the Editor:

So many topics, so long between editions and letters. So let’s try a potpourri.

Roundabout sounds Australian, especially when you think of the kangaroo court-like hearing the idea received.

Seeing (barely) all the faded and worn crosswalk markings, untouched all summer, makes one believe the DPW cares not a white about pedestrian safety. One who demonstrably cares stands crossing guard duty at the library corner; I applaud his efforts to keep us safe.

What is the matter with placing candidate names on the ballot in random order? If you have to look for a name, you’ll probably vote more carefully. Computers would be strictly impartial in picking the order, just as they are with easy-pick lottery ticket numbers.

What excuse can be made for taking master planning away from the people? With many doing the planning in the past, a fine job was done, the public was well involved and hearings had many more people in attendance, thoughtful people who really cared for Goffstown. Shame on anyone and everyone responsible for this recent fiasco!

One hundred and twenty people attended the dedication of the new Goffstown kindergarten! Now, how do we get turnouts like that for all our public hearings? And would those officials holding such hearings then listen to the people? They should listen now.

What a poor representative election system! now, the only way to get Weare the two reps they deserve is to vote for Neal Kurk and Lisa Wilbur, and who in Goffstown is going into the voting booth and not voting for all Goffstown residents? Think fair!

I hope someone comes up with a way to recognize and waylay the sickos who want to invade schools and victimize children, and the children who want to shoot faculty members.

Would that all the world were as peaceful as the Goffstown Town Common is these days!

Charles W. Carr
Goffstown

To the Editor:

On Oct. 12, Michael J. Ryan wrote to the editor. He stated:

“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.”

I record and watch just about every selectmen’s meeting. Here is a different view.

From the board of selectmen meeting minutes public hearing June 28, 2004:

“Wayne asked the Board how they felt about his suggestions. Chairman Robert Wheeler stated ‘The Board just received this information tonight and he doesn’t want to put any members on the spot by asking them to answer that.’”

I had sent the information by e-mail the Thursday before. This was a public hearing and Chairman Wheeler stopped the other board members from responding.

As it was then, it is now, that the chairman gets things her way. She is only one selectman. We the people elect five selectmen. The chairman is abusing the position when he or she mandates a unanimous vote of the board.

The three good ol’ board members remaining formed an alliance and seized control of the BOS. It is evident in the video of the selectmen’s meeting of April 3, 2006. It’s different from the minutes.

Residents voted in two new selectmen who are not part of that network.

Selectman Capasano was publicly lectured because he voted “No” that night. Chairman Griffin, why do you believe a five-member board must always vote unanimously?

In the Sept. 18 BOS and joint budget committee meeting the minutes indicate under CPI vehicles a “new excavator for road reclamation projects.” It is actually a three-year-old excavator. The road reclamation project is a warrant article not passed yet for 2007.

Also in that meeting (but not in the minutes) Carl Quiram stated “what we have been concentrating on is the budget shell game.” No matter what context that was used it gives insight as to what really goes on at DPW with your tax dollars. DPW also failed to inform us before we voted on the road plan that our sewer taxes would skyrocket. What other hidden cost to us lie ahead?

I heard Carl in a meeting state that he wants to put the road plan in the 2008 budget and not have it be a warrant article anymore. He now has concerns it may not pass. This is the “DPW shell game.”

Last year we voted on warrant article 17, not to purchase an excavator. So why is the same excavator now in 2007 CIP? Why Selectman Hunter (DPW rep.) do you not oppose this?

The chairman of the CIP is Fred Plett. Fred is also chairman of the Solid Waste Commission. Where is the money he states we save by “recycling” going? Is it going to be used to buy DPW the excavator we voted down? Is it really reducing our tax bill or does it just become part of the DPW shell game?

This is yet another example of ignoring the people’s vote. If you watch the weekly meetings over time you will see the “DPW shell game” in action.

I hope Mr Ryan respects my right to voice my opinion, as I do his. The difference is Mr Ryan will not have to deal with the same retaliation from DPW/ ol’ BOS as I have had to, I have been harassed by the trash and recycling trucks, no one will stop them, and this winter I will be buried by the big snow plows yet again.

I urge residents to vote for two more new selectmen who are not part of the town “clique.” Remember “It’s Time for a Change,” “Your Vote Does Count,” “Vote Out” Chairman Griffin and Selectman Hunter this March.

Wayne Perreault
Goffstown

To the Editor:

The Solid Waste Commission’s next candidate for “doing it right” with respect to recycling with Big Blue are Ferdinand and Micheline Pomerleau of 86 Warren Avenue.

They keep the Big Blue recycling bin right outside the kitchen door. So all plastics, letter mail, newspaper, cans and bottles go right into Big Blue immediately with no intermediate storage medium. They have a trash bag in the kitchen for trash, into which goes food waste, and not much else. By far, the majority of their waste stream winds up immediately into Big Blue.

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

Fred Plett
Chairman Goffstown Solid Waste Commission