In Regards: Lèse-majesté (Advocatus Neumann) - Granite Grok

In Regards: Lèse-majesté (Advocatus Neumann)

Golden Rule

When it comes to common courtesy, the surprised Mr. Neumann seems to be unaware that individuals don’t take his veteran status into account. What is wrong with the golden rule, Mr. Neumann? When deciding what courtesies to render to you, can’t Nashua citizens treat you in the same manner in which they witness you treating others?  


We’d like to thank Michael O’Connor for this Op-Ed. If you have an Op-Ed or LTE
you would like us to consider please submit it to Skip@GraniteGrok or Steve@GraniteGrok.com.


You must have a ‘particularly’ distinguished service record to assume that permits you to be not only surprised by ‘particular’ courtesy not given but also in the same sentence demean the opinions of fellow citizens (i.e. notwithstanding Ms. Ortolano and Ms. Colquhoun overtly emotional opinions …’).

Yet, for whatever level of honorable service you provided, Mr. Newmann, thank you. If you wish additional recognition, line up for the parade on 11 November and we will be sure to acknowledge you and the thousands of other Nashua citizens that have served. In the meantime, enough of wrapping yourself in Navy ‘Blue and Gold,’ Mr. Neumann.

Focus on your current job AND (to borrow and paraphrase words that you undoubtedly remember) well and faithfully discharge the duties of your office.

What we Nashua citizens were told in Aldermanic hearings prior to your hiring last year was that you were to be the Right to Know Coordinator. Assuming that is your official job description, it would be reasonable to then assume that your duties would largely be “….   to ensure both the greatest possible public access to the actions, discussions, and records of all public bodies and their accountability to the people.” [RSA 91- A:1]. 

Your email statements recorded in previous posts, however,  seem to indicate that you believe your primary duty is to ‘just say NO’ and whenever possible to do so in a demeaning, patronizing manner.

Giving you the benefit of the doubt, perhaps you are just getting your ‘sea legs’ and following the poor examples of several of your bombastic superiors in the City’s Legal Department.  If you prefer Navy lingo I will suggest, ‘mind your watch,’ ‘keep your eyes in the boat,’ ‘attend to your duties’ OR as a local well-known coach would say, ‘do your job’.

Full disclosure: For the past seven years I’ve been a neighbor of the Ortolanos. Ms. Ortolano is a great neighbor who is generous with her time and resources. She has always impressed me as an intelligent, energetic, and highly competent individual. Besides insulting, the comment about Ms. Ortolano being ‘overtly emotional’, would be bogus to anyone that knows or has worked with her.

She is always deliberate, methodical, and measured (fitting the stereotype of the well-trained engineer, which she is).

Watch the official videos of many City meetings (Aldermanic and Board of Assessors) in which Ms. Ortolano has made public comments. The citizens of Nashua are fortunate to have such a calm and effective advocate continuing to hold the City’s Assessing Department to account.

I can add that Ms. Ortolano does not need instruction on the Navy from Mr. Neumann; she was married to her husband during his five years of naval service. I have also had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Colquhoun. I don’t know her as well, but she impressed me as being a determined lady.

Because of the similarity of their given names, they sometimes have been confused as being one and the same. That perception may also be enhanced because, in my opinion, they share other traits: they are tenacious and certainly don’t back down when they believe they are in ‘the right’, and they are fearless even when the Nashua authorities call in the heat.’

Because they have persisted the City does seem (collectively) to have become – to borrow Mr. Neumann’s words – ‘overtly emotional’ in their dealings with Ms. Ortolano and Ms. Colquhoun.

For all that they have done, residential taxpayers of Nashua should say to Ms. Ortolano and Ms. Colquhoun, ‘thank you for your service’!

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