First District congressional candidate Eddie Edwards, Republican from Dover, has signed the U. S. Term Limits Amendment Pledge, which states, if elected, he will, quote:  “cosponsor and vote for the U.S. Term Limits Amendment of three (3) House terms and two (2) Senate terms and no longer limit.”

Edwards: Takes pledge

Said Edwards, quote:

“We are only going to change Congress when we stop electing career politicians and start enacting laws that limit their tenure. The parameters outlined in the U.S. Term Limits Amendment are a great start, but I believe we can take even more actions to ensure Senators, Members of Congress, and even their staffers are forced to make their time in Washington about serving their constituents rather than lucrative career advancement.

Edwards concluded by stating he will impose the limits in the pledge on himself, saying, quote: 

“This is not nor will it ever be a career for me, but rather a continuation of my commitment to public service.”

Devastation in Puerto Rico

Governor Christopher Sununu announced that his office, in coordination with Office of Emergency Management, will accept donations of non-perishable food items and water for victims of the developing humanitarian crisis caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico.  In a statement issued on Wednesday, he said Granite Staters may bring items to the State House and leave them on the lawn.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Sununu said items may simply be left on the State House Lawn on October 3rd and 4th from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM.   Items must be dated and non-expired.  Those most in need, include:

  • Sununu: NH helps PR

    Bottled water

  • Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, vegetables
  • Can openers
  • Protein or fruit bars
  • Dry cereal or granola
  • Peanut butter
  • Dried fruit
  • Canned juices
  • Non-perishable pasteurized milk
  • High energy foods
  • Food for infants
  • Comfort/stress foods

Those interested in a monetary donation can go to Ready N H dot gov and follow the links to donate to a reputable national, regional, or local disaster response organization.  Residents are also encouraged to call the Granite United Way’s 2 1 1 Line for more information.

Booming booze buying

The New Hampshire Liquor Commission, which operates eighty Liquor & Wine Outlet locations, set an all-time record in Fiscal 2 0 1 7, with more than six hundred ninety eight million dollars in gross sales.  Just over one hundred fifty five million dollars in profits was transferred to the state’s General Fund to support education, health, social service, transportation and natural resource protection programs.  An additional three point three million dollars was transferred to the state’s Alcohol Abuse Prevention and Treatment Fund.

The top 10 performing New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets by gross sales were in:

  1. Hampton #76  on I-9 5 North – $32 million
  2. Nashua #50  at Willow Spring Plaza – $26.5 million
  3. Hampton #73 on I-9 5 South – $25.8 million
  4. Salem #34 at the Rockingham Mall – $25.2 million
  5. Portsmouth #38 at the Portsmouth Traffic Circle – $23.7 million
  6. Hooksett #66 on I-9 3 North – $20.3 million
  7. Bedford #55 on Leavy Drive – $17 million
  8. Nashua #69  on Coliseum Ave- $16.9 million
  9. Hooksett #67 I-9 3 South – $16.4 million
  10. Londonderry #74 at 5 Garden Lane – $15.4 million

These stores totaled about two hundred twenty million in gross sales, or about thirty one percent of the total.

News from our own backyard continues after this.

Normand: Another purge

At the request of Girard at Large, Manchester City Clerk Matthew Normand released the details of the voter checklist purge conducted his office conducted in July.  Normand said his office sent eight thousand five hundred seventy six letters to people who had not voted since 2 0 1 2’s General Election.  Of those, four thousand six hundred fifty six, or more than fifty four percent, were returned as undeliverable.  Of the remaining three thousand nine hundred twenty, only twenty five people responded and remained on the check list.  In total, eight thousand five hundred fifty one were removed by the Board of Registrars in July.  We are awaiting information from follow up requests on party affiliation on how many of those removed were same day registrants. 

DiPietro: Talk to the hand, for now

The Manchester School District has pushed off a Right to Know request filed by Ward Six school board candidate Jon DiPietro.  DiPietro filed the request to obtain the findings of the district’s investigation into the breach of confidential personnel information committed by at Large board member Nancy Tessier.  While the breach and the report’s findings were publicly discussed at Monday’s meeting of the Board of School Committee, the district’s lawyer claimed the report was subject to attorney client privilege and could not be released without board approval.  A motion by at-Large board member Rich Girard to release the findings failed on a six to nine vote, prompting DiPietro to file the Right to Know request.

In response to our inquiry, DiPietro said the district claimed it needed ten days for legal counsel to review the request.  He asked why it would take that long, the district wrote:

“Thank you for your email reply.  Our attorney has advised us not to respond further.” 

Nice.  Girard at Large has also learned that the Union Leader has filed its own Right to Know request obtain investigative findings.  We’ll see how they play with the big boy on the block.

Gets citizens entry to party

The Hooksett Town Council has been invited to a party and its posting the event as a meeting, in case a quorum attends.  Southern New Hampshire University is having a welcome reception to open its College of Engineering, Technology and Aeronautics program and facility on Monday from four thirty to six.  What this means for you as a member of the general public is that you get to attend the event and listen in on any conversations being had by a town councilor because you have a right to know.  Have fun!

Closing announced

The town of Hooksett has also announced that the recycling and transfer facility will be closed on Friday, October 6th because of a staffing issue.  The department will still collect trash and recycling at the curb.  The facility will be re-open on Saturday, October 7th, but will be closed on Monday, October 9th for Columbus Day.  Both Monday’s and Tuesday’s trash and recycling will be collected on Tuesday.  They say to expect delays between trash and recycling pick up.

That’s NEWS from our own backyard!  Girard at Large hour ___ is next!