It’s time to talk about the Londonderry Lions Club again. A topic that I have been talking about for a long time but feel the need to cover once again. I was inducted into the club in April of 2022 and sat in on a members briefing in which the treasurer said they had record rental Revenue income during covid.
Later that summer, the Lions leadership, without a vote from their members, worked with the town of Londonderry to quit the Morrison Hall lease. The Joint public statement from the Club and the Town claimed that the Club had declining revenue during covid, but this directly contradicted what was told to members about Club finances.
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Having filed a 91a for town records, and armed with the knowledge that the club had misrepresented their revenue, I started an email chain to members in September of 2022 that eventually resulted in me being discharged from the club. The “official” reason stated was that I was being divisive, but prominent longtime members who now serve both in our Town and at the State later claimed credit for planning my removal. This series of internal club emails were later maliciously forwarded to town Councilor Jim Butler, who read them at a July 2023 Public Meeting of the Council to try to disparage my public image at that time.
The club relied on the taxpayer to offset the upkeep of the hall for many years until the Town Finance Director was finally told that this was a violation of their lease. Coincidentally, the Club quit their lease shortly thereafter. The decision-making behind this process is still being driven by the Town Council and not the citizens, as recently noted by a member of our budget committee. The Town Council only did a listening session because council candidate Shawn Faber held one first. The Planning Board was outright disrespectful towards public comment on the topic. Incredibly, the possibility was stated at a recent public meeting that the property may revert to the Club. Am I the only one who feels like this is morally wrong to give a historical property back to people who did not fulfill their obligations in maintaining it?
I understand many people do not want the tax burden of another property on the town books, but surely we can do something better than giving the property back to a dishonest and disloyal group of people like the Lions. The Lions’ community service to the town of Londonderry has largely come at the expense of a disenfranchised taxpayer. I do not believe we should give them a building, or buy their trees, or let them test our kids’ eyesight.
Until and unless the Lions Officers at large present a check to the Town for repayment for past Hall upkeep, I highly encourage you to donate your time elsewhere. Donate your money elsewhere.
