To elect a candidate for any office, the voter needs to be well informed about the candidate running for a particular office. There are many of you who know me from my hair styling business that I operate out of my home and then there are those of you that voted for me through the recommendation of a friend or a neighbor. It is possible that some of you voted for me from information leaflets left at your house or maybe articles from the Hooksett Banner. Whatever method you chose to vote for me, I want to thank you for making the right decision.

I will do my very best to make all voters proud of their decision to elect me to office. I am also looking forward to meeting many of my supporters during the next three years.

Carol M. Merrill
Selectman
Allenstown

I would like to thank all those who voted for and supported me in the election. I pledge to carry out the wishes of the voters to the best of my ability, and to foster a spirit of cooperation and openness. With your continued help, I look forward to a productive three years as selectman.

Tom Giffen
Candia

I am sure that anyone who has traveled on Route 3A has occasionally noticed the blue bags placed at the side of the road. The Hooksett Lions Club has chosen Route 3A as part of the Adopt A Road program. The club was out in force last Saturday after what seems to have been a long and windy winter.

I would also like to thank my neighbor, Dennis Burkhart, for cleaning up the roadside on Pinnacle Street.

Litter is a pet peeve of mine and it seemed to look a lot worse this year. Some of this litter is caused by winds but a lot of this is from people who could care less of their surroundings or the environment. Fast food and litter seem to go hand in hand. I can only offer the following suggestions; place some sort of trash bag in your car when traveling, take advantage of the barrels placed at the fast food restaurants or in gas stations and residents who bring their trash to the transfer station please tie down your loads securely.

Thanks again to the members of the Lions Club and to Dennis, hopefully you will inspire others to help out in their own neighborhoods.

Please don’t litter!

Diane Boyce
Hooksett

The event was a huge success as nearly $14,000 was raised to benefit the athletic and artistic program for all three schools. There were many contributors to the event; however, a few should be recognized for going above and beyond.

The Outback restaurant of Bedford and proprietor Steven Gerrish donated all the food, and his staff served prime rib, salmon, potato, salad and dessert with all proceeds from the $20 admission going directly to the three booster clubs.

Without Stevens’ generosity and his “Outbackers” volunteering their time, this event could not take place.

The Hellenic Community Center at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral donated the facility which was a perfect setting for this event. Thank you for your graciousness.

As previously mentioned, this was a group effort between the three schools and because of that, merchants from Manchester, Bedford and Hooksett were instrumental in making this event happen.

We would also like to thank all of you who attended. We had a great day. We look forward to a bigger and better event in 2007.

Jay Brewster, West Booster Club;
Dave Abbe, Central Booster Club;
Paula Hespelein, Memorial Booster Club

I know recently the officers took it upon themselves in conjuction with the help of a citizen to draft a warrant article that is both beneficial to the town and the police officers. This article is regarding the police details.

Recently, the police detail budget was decreased from $60,000 a year to $10,000 a year, however, the legal fees keep getting increased at the chief’s request?

The police department charges $45 per hour and the officer gets $31 an hour. If you do the math that means there is only 300 hours available for the entire year for details. Once the money is gone, neither the town nor the officers make any more money.

This new warrant article will make it so the town only appropriates the money once, this year, and then the funds would just keep revolving in the account as the contractor pays in. I think people need to understand that this money is paid by the contractor to the town for the officer. This is a no cost item to the town of Hooksett. In fact, the town actually makes money off of the officers working.

So, when you read the Union Leader and see that a certain officer made $75,000 a year, the question you should be asking is what is his/her base pay. That means that particular officer worked numerous hours above and beyond his/her 40- hour work week.

Let’s take Hooksett for example. If the average officer’s salary is $36,000 (which is on the low end) and at the end of the year you read they made $60,000. Well that is $24,000 work of extra hours a week.

Let’s face it, everyone knows someone who is a police officer or a friend of a police officer. So I tell you take this task. Ask one of your local friends if a revolving police account is good for the town and the town’s budget. Then you decide on voting day. This is a no brainer. Let’s do something smart and invest in your town’s future. Support your local police officer and also cut your tax dollars. Vote yes to the article.

D. Dunn
Hooksett

This fund will allow the committee to go forward and protect Candia’s treasures – the forests, fields and marshlands – for all of us. It will enable us to help townspeople, who with financial assistance, can implement conservation easements on their land, thus benefiting all of us.

We must find a balance between planned development and planned protection of our natural resources. This fund will help us do just that.

To learn more, or contact us, visit the Candia Conservation Commission’s Web site at www.candiaconservationcommission.org. We would be happy to see you at our public meetings, which take place the third Tuesday of each month in the town hall.

Thank you once again for supporting us. Every vote was vital and appreciated.

Judith Lindsey
Chairman – Candia Open Space Committee
Candia Conservation Commission

The best part of the campaign was meeting new people and discussing the future of our town. I look forward to working hard with the existing boards, committees, employees and citizens of Pembroke. I am new and have much to learn, so let’s get to work!

Fred Kline
Pembroke

Second, I would like to thank the voters for coming out and casting their votes, especially the 81 voters who took the time to write in my name.

Even though I did not win a seat on the board, I intend to fulfill my civic duty by attending the regular school board meetings held on the second Thursday of every month. I encourage my fellow taxpayers to join me at the meetings. Together we can ensure our children receive the best education possible and that the elected officials fulfill their commitment to our community.

Finally, for those who questioned the information on my fliers. My fliers contained factual information presented on both ballots, in the school board meeting minutes, in the budget committee meeting minutes and in the school board deliberative meeting handouts. To say the information was inaccurate or not complete is simply not true.

My flier contained all the facts that anyone could have found; nothing more and nothing less.

Roger LaFleur
Allenstown

The finish date through 2006 adds up to a period of 508 years.

Since DaVinci wasn’t born until 1452, he had no idea what the scene of the Last Suppoer those in attendance looked like, hence we can add another 990 years on to the 508 years, making total time from the actual Last Supper (est. 30 AD) to today to be 1,498 years.

Can you imagine the number of failures in the attempts to touch up the painted plaster (measuring 15 feet by 29 feet) that was falling apart in pieces?

Apparently, Dan Brown, maker of “The DaVinci Code,” sounding like a secret agent by decoding DaVinci, decided to deceive all those who purchsed his book. Big joke!

Jim Breagy
Epsom