02-18-2014 News

Manchester Alderman at-Large Joe Kelly Levasseur apparently didn’t read the Attorney General‘s report until yesterday.  According to a message he posted yesterday on his Facebook page, he held off reading it until he could find a quiet, comfortable place saying he knew it was going to be bad, but that he never thought it was going to be” so one sided and so full of lies.”  He said he got his a** kicked and that Police Chief David J. Mara “gave him a good swift kick in the butt” and he will learn from this.  He said the Manchester Police Department sent him a very strong message that he will adhere to and that is he will never make the mistake of trusting them to do the right thing again.  What I have to admit I find amazing is how Levasseur could speak about and characterize the contents of the report over the past six days without having read it and what I wonder is what the Board of Mayor and Aldermen will do with his adding of the Attorney General’s Office to grand conspiracy of those who just want to steal his power, to use his words, and put him down.  Are we also to believe that all the eyewitnesses who failed to see the alleged assault on January fifteenth of last year are un-indicted co-conspirators of the lying cabal that Levasseur won’t criticize because they’re aldermen who may very well vote on his fate tonight?  Trust us folks, we’ll be there.  Blog along with us tonight in real time as it happens in the Live Forum section of Oh My BLOG!  The fun begins at seven.  Oh, and unlike yesterday where we just uploaded Levasseur’s comments from his Facebook posts for all to read, this morning we’ve uploaded his post and all the comments available at the time they were obtained.  Fun reading for the whole family.

Meanwhile, the Attorney General’s Office has had no reaction to Levasseur’s multiple accusations against them for the findings in the report.  Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Agati told Girard at Large in an email that the report “speaks for itself” and that they don’t really have anything to add to it, though he took the time to restate that the investigation found quote “that there was a complete lack of evidence to support his allegations and the investigation was closed because his allegations were unfounded.”  End quote.

The A G’s report is on tonight’s agenda as a discussion item at the request of Chief Mara.

News from our own backyard continues after this.

In other business pending before the Board of Mayor and Aldermen tonight, the aldermen will consider whether or not to dramatically increase the parking fees downtown to raise revenue for the budget.  The Committee on Traffic and Public Safety is recommending a proposal to hike meter fees from fifty to seventy five cents per hour , as well as an extension of the meter feeding time from five thirty to eight P M.  Permit fee increases also recommended by the committee and awaiting adoption by the board include hiking Millyard lease rates from forty five to seventy bucks per month, jacking them up to seventy from fifty dollars per month in the off street lots, increasing them from seventy five to ninety dollars per month at the Victory Parking Garage and popping residents, students and teachers who use secondary school lots for another twenty per month, raising that fee to fifty bucks.  Hey, nothing says come downtown like jacking up your parking fees to solve a budget problem.  Don’t worry, though.  Plan proponents are saying they anticipate a mere fifteen percent decrease in usage downtown.  Downtown can do better with fifteen percent fewer people, right?  What a disaster!

Senate Bill four thirteen is before the Senate Health, Education and Human Services Committee today.  A hearing on the bill which would officially enter New Hampshire into Obamacare by dramatically expanding the state’s Medicaid program, begins at 9 this morning in Room One Hundred of the State House.  Conservative Groups across the state and Senator Andy Sanborn, Republican of Bedford are urging citizens to show up in droves to oppose the legislation citing published reports from the Heritage Foundation and others that say the Medicaid Expansion will cost New Hampshire taxpayers ANOTHER one hundred twenty six million dollars and cause emergency room visits to jump by an estimated forty percent.  As several senate Republicans have signed onto the bill, opponents hope that a strong show against it by citizens will persuade them to rethink their support.  We’ve linked to our examination of the issue from yesterday with Kimberly Morin in our Political Buzz segment, where we’ve posted all the links you need to contact your state senator.

Finally this morning, stay tuned to Goffstown Today dot com for details of tonight’s planned candidates’ night hosted by the Goffstown Lions Club.  The looming storm may cause it to be rescheduled, so stay tuned.

That’s news from our own backyard, Girard at Large hour ___ starts right now.