News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
On August 4, 2025, the Personnel and Administrative Affairs Committee reviewed an ordinance sponsored by Alderman Rick Dowd to prohibit flags, banners, and signs in the Aldermanic Chamber. The ordinance was poorly drafted and, according to the New England First Amendment Coalition, raised serious constitutional concerns about viewpoint discrimination. Despite the importance of the issue, … Read more
I want to give a brief pitch to you, the reader and potential donor, why Mr. Gouthro is a good candidate and a serious candidate
You’ve probably heard the story already. A Chinese company spends four times the asking price to get access to facilities and a significant source of fresh water in Southern New Hampshire. Pennichuk in Nashua supplies water to the towns that surround it. It is a substantial source of water in the area. We also have … Read more
Board of Aldermen, Mayor Donchess, CFO Griffin, City Attorney Bolton: Last Tuesday, the aldermaniacs voted to Indefinitely Postpone the ill-conceived Tax Cap R-25-121 (disguised as a budget cap, but in reality, a tax cap). That is a very good thing. Hopefully, this Tax cap stays dead forever, for you have to be a financial ignoramus … Read more
Alderman Melbourne Moran Jr is supposedly not seeking reelection this fall. Let’s hope, for everyone’s sake, that it’s true because he really is a moron. I call him “Alderman Moron” and encourage others to do the same, but Ward 7 moderator Avalon Lewis got a head start in preparing for Alderman Moron’s future private citizenry … Read more
A Letter to Nashua’s Ward 8 Constituents I am writing to you today as a concerned citizen and an active participant in our city’s legislative process. I want to address the recent newsletter from your Alderman, Derek Thibeault, and correct several factual inaccuracies regarding the public comment policy and my actions at the Personnel and … Read more
On August 4th, I stood before Nashua’s Personnel and Administrative Affairs Committee to comment on a proposed ordinance that would conditionally ban signs, banners, and flags in the Aldermanic Chamber. I came with three 8.5” x 11” paper signs to test whether the City’s rule would be enforced fairly, or selectively. The signs were silent. … Read more
Delusions of grandeur are high on the diagnostic checklist for Narcissism. Just look at the DSM-3-R or any other authority on such matters. Former Rep Ming has shown similar behaviors during last year’s campaign season, such as claiming to be the first Asian rep when it simply wasn’t true. Now he’s outdone himself in his … Read more
Some readers are already familiar with my most recent article, “The Future of Nashua’s Library,” which highlights a public comment opportunity on August 6. Additionally, there are two other events worth noting: the first is on Monday night, August 4. It’s called “Women Run” and features three public servant panelists. Shewanda Daniels Williams (SDW) was … Read more
God bless our library watchdogs, like Beth Scaer, Cindy Bennett, and Arlene Quaratiello, just to name a few who have written multiple Grok pieces on libraries. I’ve tagged them in quite a few of my own library articles, but a hat tip to Beth for bringing a near future public comment opportunity to my attention. … Read more
In my ongoing look at “Ethics without Ethics in Nashua,” let’s examine how the Ethics Review Committee (ERC) flagrantly disregards its own rules, and the law. The Committee is bound by the City Ordinance, section 12-31, specifically: What we see in practice is the opposite. Chairman Tim Bush either doesn’t understand Robert’s Rules or deliberately … Read more
In April 2025, a citizen, Fred Teeboom, filed an ethics complaint against Nashua Board of Aldermen President Lori Wilshire. The concern centered on her decision to appoint herself to the Pennichuck Corporation Board of Directors, a city-owned utility subject to Aldermanic oversight, without disclosing she would be paid $12,000 annually, discussing the inherent conflict of … Read more
Great theologians and secular philosophers alike have advised us to “practice gratitude.” I think it’s a great idea and I know I should do more of that myself. One sign post reminder of that appeared in my inbox as a group email from a Ward 3 watchdog. What is high on my “gratitude list” today? … Read more
Mayor Jim Donchess’s recent decisions regarding Nashua’s Pride Parade have raised serious questions about his commitment to the First Amendment and his understanding of viewpoint neutrality in public forums. Taxpayer funds are being used to organize the Nashua Pride Parade, a public event that begins at City Hall Plaza and proceeds through downtown streets. Participation … Read more
Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess has no problem with permitting the Satanic Temple to march behind him in the Nashua Pride Parade holding a flag and banner praising Satan, but the Pine Tree Flag is supposedly too controversial to fly on Nashua City Hall Plaza. Last year, Mayor Donchess turned down my request to fly the … Read more
Nashua Alderman Derek Thibeault’s May 31, 2025, Union Leader op-ed response to my piece on the dangers of politicizing public input does more to affirm my concerns than refute them. In attempting to discredit me personally, rather than addressing the underlying issues I raised, he reinforces the troubling pattern of dismissing dissent that is taking … Read more
It is not news that Nogfu Spring Water acquired a large property adjacent to the Pennichuck Water Plant. It’s been the talk of the town, so to speak, the state, and now the nation. Nongfu says it wants to sell beverages and needs access to water. Pennichuk says it has an agreement to sell water … Read more
Last Thursday, the Union Leader published an op-ed warning about a troubling trend: the politicization of public participation in Nashua. I argued that our city’s leaders—by labeling dissenting voices as “mayor haters” or dismissing ethics complaints as “just politics”—were creating a culture that silences civic dialogue. One day later, Alderman Derek Thibeault responded—not with reflection, but … Read more
I am writing to express my deep concern regarding your appointment of Attorney Timothy Bush to the Judicial Selection Commission, which is tasked with reviewing candidates for vacancies on the New Hampshire Supreme Court and lower Courts. My concern arises from direct experience with Attorney Bush in his role as Chair of the Nashua Ethics … Read more
Since the outset of Mayor Donchess’s leadership, our City’s political climate has shifted to destabilize our democracy. A persistent pattern has emerged, with elected officials, appointed or endorsed by the Mayor, making statements that marginalize concerned citizens, question their motives, and dismiss their input. This ongoing trend chills free speech, erodes public trust, and weakens … Read more