The mayor is deceiving all Nashua residents on the Charter Change he wants to make for the Police Commissioners. Keeps telling residents that Nashua should have local control however Nashua already has local control.
All the current Police Commissioners live in Nashua, NH.
There is a stipulation within the Charter that all commissioners MUST LIVE IN NASHUA. So, when the mayor says that he wants Nashua residents on this board, he gives the impression that these current commissioners are not residents of Nashua when in fact they are. The Mayor is angling for “his” picks. What he does not say is that these Police Commissioners have been on the board since 2015.
Obviously, there have been no complaints against the commissioners, so why change something if it is not broken? The Mayor states that he wants a woman and/or person of color on the commission. Well, that may happen when one of these commissioner’s terms ends but why is the mayor making this change now?
The Mayor has stated that there are women who want to be Commissioners.
Did they apply with the Governor’s office? If there are no open seats, is that OK? Several women recently applied to be on the Board of Assessors, but two of the men have been seated for 7-8 years. One is not even a Nashua resident.
The mayor does not mention that in 1997 a few Aldermen went to jail. It was the Nashua Police who gathered all the information and forwarded it to the FBI. If the Police Commissioners were under the control of the mayor, do you really feel that our mayor would have let the Police Commissioners forward this information to the FBI and prosecute these Aldermen?
It appears that this Mayor does not pick the most qualified people for his City agencies or Boards. Cronyism runs rampant. And women who challenge the status quo and attempt to champion change are all too quickly dismissed. One wonders what type of woman he would pick.
Any Nashua resident can go online to the Police Department and see who the Police Commissioners are and they can call these commissioners. Just like any agency, their meetings and minutes are public. And the Police Department is more receptive to information requests than City Hall.
Here are the backgrounds of our current Commissioners:
- Mr. Matthew Plante – Was a police officer in the ’80s. Mr. Plante then went into the business world and took a company from a 900-million-dollar company to a 4-billion-dollar company. His current term on the commission is 4/20/2016-9/1/2023.
- Mr. Nicholas Dahl – Is currently working in the Federal Government, under the Inspector General, and has for 32 years. He has been on many committees, boards, and a Selectmen (3 terms) within the City of Nashua. His current term on the commission is 10/21/2015-9/1/24.
- Mr. James Tollner – Chairman – Mr. Tollner has been working for a firm for 28 years. However, he has found the time to also be on many committees, boards, Aldermen, and Aldermen At Large for the City of Nashua. He prides himself in the fact that the selection of Police Commissioners is not partisan. His current term on the commission is 6/24/2015-9/1/22.
Nashua has very qualified Commissioners who are fulfilling their duties admirably. This Charter Change is a CLEAR CASE OF A POWER GRAB. A work-study committee has been established to review this charter change issue thoroughly and carefully. Let us not make a hip shooting, hasty decision. Let us let the process work the way it should. If a change is necessary, it will be on the ballot in 2023.
Currently, the City of Nashua is rated the 5th safest city in the United States. And I, for one, would like to keep it that way. Residents must get together and vote to make sure that this change does not go into effect.
IT’S NOT BROKEN, so no charter change is necessary!
