Laurie Ortolano 
Disputes over municipal records in Nashua are characterized by significant contention. City officials operate through a distorted political lens. To engage with the Nashua government, one needs to align with their political views in order to receive cooperation and timely access to governmental records as required by New Hampshire’s Right-to-Know (RTK) Law (RSA 91-A). Any … Read more
A RECENT op-ed published in the Union Leader by Nashua Aldermen Tim Sennott, Tom Lopez and Melbourne Moran highlighted the need for aldermen and city leaders to rein in spending. Board members should view spending as a nonpartisan issue, recognizing the financial limitations that our citizens funding government face. While the op-ed raised important points, … Read more
I have written several articles labeling the judicial-legal system as one that operates on connections: it’s about who you know, not what you know. A recent article on GraniteGrok by Andrew Cline, titled “Rising Up, Not Against Institutions, but Elitism,” highlights that citizens are not opposed to institutions themselves but rather to the elitism represented … Read more
Nashua’s Mayor and the legal office have launched a full-scale attack on this citizen in response to my advocacy for transparency in the city. Their lack of transparency is evident in their attempts to shift 100% of the blame for the costs of Right-to-Know (RTK) cases and complaints onto the citizens, while denying any responsibility … Read more
Contracted legal fee agreements are approved by the Mayor and require no approval of the Board of Aldermen (BOA). The purchasing policy does not require the Finance Committee or Board of Aldermen to approve legal services above $25,000. The Mayor and Legal Office have unchecked control over the legal fee contracts and the terms and expenses associated with … Read more
The Federal Flag Hearing On Tuesday Morning, November 5, 2024, the Concord Federal Court held a merits hearing on the Scaer v City of Nashua First Amendment Flag case. The coincidence of our National Voting Day and this case could not be more fitting. I had the pleasure of attending. The City filed yet another … Read more
Nashua’s assessing office underwent significant changes between 2019 and 2021. These changes occurred when the Mayor, aware of the problems, failed to keep the lid on a dysfunctional office operating in disarray. The lack of management oversight created an unregulated environment, which eventually revealed itself and continues to reveal itself. The chief was at the heart … Read more
Why did the City spend $650,000 in attorney’s fees and City Costs in an RTK case? The First RTK Petition – My Costs – $225,000 I started seeking records in Nashua, the Welcoming City, in good faith, believing the City would comply. While New Hampshire’s Right-to-Know (RTK) law does not require employees to answer questions, … Read more
RebuildNH recently posted an article to their followers encouraging them to Vote NO on the Constitutional amendment to permit judges to serve until the age of 75: The following question will appear on the ballot this year: “Are you in favor of amending article 78 of the second part of the constitution to read as … Read more
Washington And Nashua Have A Lot In Common Selecting people for critical leadership roles and monitoring their performance is paramount to an effective government. We all watched a bizarre public outing of our president’s diminished capacity and analysis of his fitness for duty. Those closest to him failed the nation by covering this up and … Read more
Ending Gender Discrimination in Public Information Access I have faced unjustified obstacles and outright hostility for four years while attempting to access public information from Nashua under New Hampshire’s 91-A Right to Know law. What I’ve experienced goes beyond bureaucratic inefficiency to include gender-based discrimination. Nashua’s leadership treats women differently—and worse than men. The Disparity: Men … Read more
Alderman Moran’s behavior and comments at Nashua Board of Aldermen (BOA) meetings often seem bewildering and inappropriate. This was again illustrated at the BOA meeting of 24 September 2024 when he opined on taxpayers’ reactions to receiving their “surprise” property assessment mail. Excerpts from Alderman Moran’s comments during RESPONSE TO REMARKS OF THE MAYOR: https://youtu.be/nOf9YDorMgo?si=OvDACDlM_oauB9vo&t=797 … Read more
I currently have a Supreme Court Appeal (2024-0181) regarding a Right to Know petition to obtain public records from NPAC Corp. The Petition was dismissed as the lower court ruled that NPAC Corp. did not meet the requirements of a public body or public agency required to disclose records. However, NPAC Corp is the shell … Read more
On September 24, 2024, the Board of Alderman meeting opened a conversation regarding the new “surprise” assessments received by property owners that weekend. The Mayor explained that properties throughout the City had increased but had no hard data to support his numbers. Congratulating homeowners on their average 20% increases in their assessed values to highlight … Read more
This past Saturday, property owners were taken aback by the unexpected arrival of letters announcing new 2024 statistical citywide assessments. The suddenness of this news, even catching our elected Alderman off guard, sparked a wave of surprise and concern that reverberated across social media for two days, with nearly 1000 posts. Why is this so … Read more
We had property stolen from us in Nashua. It was a property we paid for with our tax dollars, which belonged to us. It was public property, where the money going in and out of it was to be accountable to citizens. We purchased the property in 2018 for just over $2 million. The Mayor … Read more
Many Nashua citizens have lost confidence in our city officials’ ability to handle FUNDING complex municipal projects transparently. One recent project even questioned whether the city has complied with NH State laws. This project was the Performing Arts Center (PAC). The result has been a loss of confidence in City Hall and a more costly new Arts … Read more
New Hampshire’s Mascoma Bank is the hub for distributing the Federal Government’s New Market Tax Credit money, designed to provide investor tax credits for projects developed in low-income neighborhoods that improve the economic conditions of those living in hardship. Typical project developments include food, health, and education businesses. Mascoma Bank allocated NMTC funding for Nashua’s … Read more
In 2022, I filed the Right to Know Lawsuit in Nashua Superior Court with claims against Nashua’s Economic Development office. The lawsuit primarily concerned the lack of notice of public meetings and posting minutes and records involving economic development projects. Citizens (including myself) were frustrated by the inability to locate, access, and obtain records and … Read more
On June 17th, 2024, the Board of Alderman held its annual FY24-25 budget hearing. The hearing permits citizens to question spending in any City division or department on a $320,000,000 budget. Alderman Dowd has established ground rules but often changes them during the hearing. If he doesn’t like how citizens question the spending of taxpayer … Read more