Laurie Ortolano

Laurie Ortolano is an NH Resident, 2023 Nackey Loeb First Amendment Award Honoree, 2025 NEFAC Citizen Honoree, and 2026 Sunshine Week FOI Champion Honoree.
Donchess money fleecing at city hall

A Pathetic Mea Culpa

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

Another Nashua Sandbagging

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

Donchess performing arts center money bag

Mr. Mayor, Return our Stolen Property

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

Cash money bills

Nashua’s Misuse of Bond Money

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

Nashua performing arts center

Nashua’s Performing Arts Center and the New Market Tax Credit Scheme

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

The Secrecy of Nashua’s Economic Development Office

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

Main Street

Nashua’s Disregard for the Law

Nashua Attorneys take orders from the Mayor, but when those orders violate the constitution, state statutes, or City laws, shouldn’t the Attorneys make a hard stop and comply with the law? Not in Nashua. The Budget Review Committee (BRC) holds public meetings starting in May to review each department’s budget. In June, the Board of … Read more

Nashua center for the arts

Taxpayers Left in the Dark on Performing Arts Funds

The urgency for transparency in using Nashua taxpayers’ hard-earned money is not just important; it’s paramount. As a state that prides itself on transparency, New Hampshire citizens should demand openness and accountability, particularly for publicly funded discretionary projects.

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City of Nashua seth-dewey-EOlo15oy8Ks-unsplash

Nashua’s Malicious Email Game

Late in the fall of 2023, the Supreme Court issued mandates that ordered the City of Nashua to follow the trial court’s order in two Right-to-Know (RTK) Petitions and produce emails stored on backup tape. The email records requested were for two months of specific records within Nashua’s assessing office.

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Hizzoner and the AG Disagree

On January 11, 2024, the AG’s office issued a Cease and Desist Order to Mayor Donchess for electioneering during the 2021 campaign. Electioneering is a criminal misdemeanor under RSA 659. That year, against the vote of the Board of Alderman, the Mayor led a ballot initiative to change how the police commissioners would be appointed.

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Musical Chairs

Remember how fun it was in grade school playing the game of musical chairs? You’d circle around the chairs to music and when the music stopped everyone had to grab a chair.  But, they were one short. Out went the kid who didn’t get the seat. It was a frantic, fun game that honed kids’ … Read more

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