Laura Colquhoun

Property Tax

COLQUHOUN: Ready for Another Big Increase in Property Taxes?

Nashua residents should be paying close attention as the city heads toward what could become an 8% property‑tax increase in 2027. Despite public assurances from Mayor Donchess that departments were instructed to hold budget growth to 3%, many divisions have submitted increases far beyond that limit, and the Board of Aldermen appears content to approve … Read more

Debt

COLQUHOUN: Where’s The Missing Debt?

The Debt Service section of the City of Nashua’s FY2027 Budget raises serious concerns about transparency and accountability. When residents review a city budget, they reasonably expect to see a complete and accurate picture of the debt obligations for which Nashua taxpayers are ultimately responsible. Unfortunately, the FY2027 presentation does not meet that standard. On … Read more

Cartoon hit with taxes

COLQUHOUN: Nashua Taxpayers Deserve Accuracy and Transparency in the FY2027 Budget

Nashua residents deserve a budget process grounded in accuracy, transparency, and accountability. Yet the FY2027 Budget Book, distributed publicly and posted on the city website, contains significant omissions and inconsistencies that materially distort the city’s financial picture. Whether these errors stem from oversight or mismanagement, the impact is the same: taxpayers are being presented with … Read more

nashua city hall

COLQUHOUN: Nashua Residents vs City Hall

Since moving to Nashua in 2013, I have seen a significant shift in how City Hall interacts with residents. For many years, City Hall operated with an open‑door policy: any resident could walk in, pay or obtain a bill, review assessment files, or speak directly with a city employee without an appointment. Customer service and … Read more

transparency

COLQUHOUN: The Ongoing Fight for Open Government in New Hampshire

For many years, I heard references to “Sunshine Week” without understanding what it truly represented. I assumed it was simply a New Hampshire expression signaling the arrival of spring. Only later did I learn that it stands for something far more significant, something that has become personally very important to me. When I purchased my … Read more

Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess

COLQUHOUN: Unpaid Taxes and Fiscal Responsibility in Nashua

A Closer Look Mayor Donchess wanted the State of New Hampshire to spend $20 million to acquire the Xinhua property for housing development, yet this plan omits critical financial realities. The City of Nashua stands at a crossroads where enforcing existing tax regulations could recover significant unpaid revenues from delinquent property owners, including Xinhua itself. … Read more

Fairgrounds Middle School Nashua NH

COLQUHOUN: Facts Worth Asking About Nashua’s School Budget

The City of Nashua is designated a “Welcoming City,” and Nashua taxpayers are funding a $191 million school budget, yet there has been very little public discussion about how staffing levels connect to that cost. According to district information, 49 languages are spoken among Nashua students of 9,701, reflecting policies that encourage immigrant and refugee … Read more

Court gavel muskogee

COLQUHOUN: 75 is Too Late – Prioritizing Judicial Performance Over Tenure in NH

Maintaining High Performance and Efficiency on the Bench Demands a Firm Retirement Standard, Not Political Convenience. New Hampshire voters have already spoken, rejecting a constitutional amendment to raise the mandatory retirement age for judges from 70 to 75. Yet, despite this direct public feedback, this costly and ill-advised proposal, CACR9, is back on the legislative … Read more

Debt

COLQUHOUN: Nashua’s Debt Reality: What Alderman Thibeault Gets Wrong

It was disappointing to read Alderman Derek Thibeault’s recent Union Leader op-ed claiming that “some candidates are distorting the truth” about Nashua’s debt. In fact, it is Alderman Thibeault who has misled the public about the city’s financial position. Alderman Thibeault stated that “claims of Nashua having $500 million in debt are flat-out false” and … Read more

Colquhoun: Medicare Fraud Is Real and I Have The “Receipts”

By now, most Americans have heard about the Justice Department’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which uncovered $14.6 billion in fraudulent schemes involving Medicare and taxpayer funds. What you may not realize is that this kind of fraud is happening quietly and regularly, to people like me, and possibly to you. In January 2023, … Read more

Tim Bush

Colquhoun: Judicial Selection Committee Concerns

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding your appointment of Attorney Timothy Bush to the Judicial Selection Commission, which is tasked with reviewing candidates for vacancies on the New Hampshire Supreme Court and lower Courts. My concern arises from direct experience with Attorney Bush in his role as Chair of the Nashua Ethics … Read more

Flushing-Money-down-the-toilet

Stop Wasting Taxpayers Time and Money

Mayor Donchess likes to remind us that a few residents are costing the city thousands of dollars on Right To Know Requests. The problem is that Mayor Donchess does not want transparency and would like to keep the residents from knowing what he is doing with our tax dollars and how he is running the … Read more

John Formella

Attorney General Formella’s Words Ring Hollow

On October 16, 2024, a grand jury indicted Supreme Court Justice Hantz Marconi, charging her with two felonies and five misdemeanors for attempting to interfere with a criminal investigation. As the story unfolds, you must wonder what is happening here. Attorney Formella’s press release stated: “No person is above the law, and the evidence in … Read more

Donchess performing arts center money bag

All Nashua Taxpayers Need To Let These Figures Sink In:

City of Nashua Budget FY2017 $263,823,554 City of Nashua Budget FY2025 $456,635,638 Difference $192,812,084 That is an increase of 73.08% This is all due to Mayor Donchess’ spending programs. So when are Nashua taxpayers going to wake up and realize taxpayers cannot afford to have Mayor Donchess doing our budgets? It looks like Mayor Donchess wants … Read more

Donchess performing arts center money bag

An Artsy Donchess Dodge

Mayor Donchess has no interest in providing fact-based answers to citizens. He is all too comfortable misrepresenting information to the public, particularly when questioned. In the first Mayoral Debate last year against Mike Soucy, when questioned about the $7,108,850 Loan the City gave to NPAC Corp., a private corporation, the Mayor stated that no loan … Read more

If There is No Fraud, Let us See the Emails

If any Nashua resident feels that the city is transparent, try obtaining the redacted New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) emails that describe the cryptic scheme that resulted in the Performing Arts Center deal. The City does not want residents to see what was done behind closed doors. The Court just denied my Petition for an … Read more

Blame Mayor Donchess and his Board of Aldermen

Every Nashua resident better start saving some extra money to pay for the 7.2% increase in property taxes. Mayor Donchess is stating that they only went up 3.7% when in fact that is a bold-faced lie. Property taxes will be going up 7.29% in December 2024. Residents do not have to believe me, just look at the current budget and compare it to FY2024 Budget.

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