Sununu: Making budget moves
Saying the state’s fiscal condition needs to be assessed and that he was stopping short of issuing an Executive Order imposing a hiring freeze, Governor Christopher Sununu, Republican from Newfields, announced yesterday he’d asked the state’s department heads to hold off on hiring new personnel, unless approved by his office. The move comes in light of recent revelations that the state’s largest department, Health and Human Services, is sixty five million dollars in the red. Sununu said that wasn’t the only spending problem he’s uncovered since taking office, asserting he was going to hold department heads to account and see to it that spending was brought back in line with the budgets.
Gatsas: Budget to be proposed early.
On the topic of budgets, Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas announced that he would bring forward his budget at a special meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Wednesday, February fifteenth. In making the announcement at last night’s meeting of the board, Gatsas said he was coming forward very early in the process with the hope of giving the school district an appropriation much earlier than in past years. He urged the board to work diligently and quickly to make that happen, which he noted hasn’t been done in past years. Under the city charter, the mayor has until March 31st to propose a budget that complies with the city’s tax cap, which is the city’s default budget if the Board of Mayor and Aldermen fails to adopt one of its own before June 30th.
Vargas: Draft budget to be presented
Manchester School Superintendent Dr. Bolgen Vargas, despite the time-line he laid out governing the development of his proposed spending plan more than a month ago, is expected to present a draft budget to the Board of School Committee at its meeting on Monday night. In response to questions posed during an interview on the Girard at Large Television Show, which airs on Manchester Public Television, Vargas said he was bringing the draft forward to inform the board of approximately where things stood. Upon presenting his budget time-line, Gatsas encouraged Vargas to move up his proposal date saying Vargas would probably want to release his proposed budget before the mayor released his.
Sepcial Ed costs
Meanwhile, the school board’s Sub Committee on Finance will receive several presentations, including one showing a projected deficit ranging from about a quarter of a million dollars to more than half a million dollars in the current fiscal year. Special education costs are a primary cause of the shortfall, with projections forecasting significant deficits in those line items. The district’s new Special Services Director, Dr. Jennifer Dolloff, will be before the committee to explain what’s going on. The meeting starts tonight at six and will be broadcast live from the Aldermanic Chambers in City Hall on cable access channel twenty two. Might be one you want to tune into.
News from our own backyard continues after this.
Shea Porter: Going to church
In the spirit of bi-partisanship and recognition of the election results, First District Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter, Democrat from Rochester, announced on her Facebook page she won’t be attending the inauguration of President-Elect Donald J. Trump. Said Shea-Porter quote:
Instead of going to the Inauguration, I will go to religious services and pray for all of our country’s leaders and our people. Then, I will go to work to serve the people of my district.
No doubt, when, or if, she hears the voice of God urging her to protect and defend life from conception to natural death, she’ll accuse him of being part of the vast right wing conspiracy intent on banning women from wearing shoes or leaving the kitchen, expect of course to go potty or be dragged into the bedroom to be oppressed by their male partners. Get used to this folks, this is the liberal’s version of cooperation and bi-partisanship. Do it my way or I won’t play is their motto. Guess Shea-Porter didn’t mean it when she said she’d be a congressman for all the people of the district.
Baldasaro: On his way to Washington?
Londonderry State Rep. Al Baldasaro is being considered by President-Elect Trump for the position of Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs. In an interview heard on this radio show yesterday, Baldasaro said he’d been contacted by Trump’s transition team to inquire if he’d be interested. He said it was an honor just to be considered and said, if asked, he’d serve. Baldasaro, a Marine veteran disabled as a result of his service in Desert Storm, has been a tireless advocate for veteran’s rights and was instrumental in the development of Trump’s proposals addressing the needs of veterans, not the least of which was proper access to medical care.
Beaudin: Former residence searched for clues in disapperance
Yesterday, New Hampshire Attorney General Joseph Foster, Manchester Police Chief Enoch Willard, and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Christopher Wagner announced the search of 9 2 5 Hayward Street in conjunction with the November, nineteen eight one disappearance of Denise Beaudin. During the search, Hayward Street from Cypress Street to Foster Avenue was, and will be closed to traffic. Beaudin and her boyfriend, Bob Evans, lived there in the Fall of 1 9 8 1 when she went missing. The search could last several days and is being conducted with the assistance of F B I.
Martin: MENSA candidate
Manchester Police Officer Michael McGee was conducting a business check at Sixide Vapor Lounge on Hanover Street this past Saturday morning at about 1:30 when he arrested a someone for peeing on his police cruiser.
After leaving the cruiser to conduct a business check, he observed a male standing near the driver’s side place both hands in front of his body as he turned toward the cruiser. McGee’s suspicions that the cruiser was being peed on were confirmed after he walked through several bystanders to confront the man about his quote “nefarious actions.”
Twenty three year old Aaron Martin, of Manchester, a rocket scientist and brain surgeon by day, was arrested and charged with Indecent Exposure and Lewdness. The officer said Martin appeared to be intoxicated at the time of the incident.
That’s NEWS from our own backyard! Girard at Large hour ___ is next!
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