It’s Inauguration Day in Manchester. That means the boards of Mayor and Aldermen and School Committee will spend a couple of hours getting sworn in so they can spend the next couple of years being sworn at. Mayor Ted Gatsas will announce committee assignments for each board at their organizational meetings which follow the ceremonies. The agenda for the aldermen looks routine, except that the Gatsas will announce an Assistant to the Arts. Despite continued grumbling over how he’s handled the job over the past term, expect Alderman at-Large Dan O’Neil to remain Chairman of the Board of Aldermen. The School Board’s agenda isn’t so conventional. Competing slates of rules changes offered by presumptive Vice-Chairman David Wihby and Ward 9 Battler Arthur Beaudry are coming forward. Whiby’s changes would strengthen the full board at the expense of the committees. Beaudry’s changes go in exactly the opposite direction. That should make for an interesting discussion. The board will also go behind closed doors to discuss the fate of current clerk Suzanne Sears. As Girard at Large has reported, the clerk’s job description was rewritten in such a was as to disqualify Sears from the position she’s held for thirteen years. The board will also ratify a phone poll conducted of the past board which empowered Ward 5 Committeeman Ted Rokas to meet with district H R officials to review and screen applicants for the newly redesigned position so that recommendations could be made at today’s meeting. From a parliamentary perspective, it remains to be seen how the new board can ratify an action of a prior board when fully one third of the members of the incoming board will be different. This morning’s Inaugural Ceremonies will be held at the Palace Theatre and begin at eleven. The organizational meeting of the aldermen begins immediately after that in the chambers at City Hall. The school board meeting will following the aldermen. The pubic is welcome and invited to attend.
Speaking of the public being welcomed and invited to attend, Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter announced she will hold a town hall meeting, but due to limited seating, members of the public will have to call in their R S V P beforehand. Maple Suites Senior Independent Living Community in Dover will host of the meeting with Shea-Porter which is this Saturday morning at 10:00. We’ve linked to the announcement so you can RSVP. Citizens for a Strong New Hampshire is organizing a visibility rally outside the facility to protest Shea Porter’s invisibility to her constituents and the restricted venue that will allow selected members of the public to attend. We’ve linked to the details. Meanwhile the Guinta for Congress campaign released a video of a raucous two thousand nine town hall meeting in the Norris Cotton Federal Building here in the Queen City where Shea Porter had attendees who challenged her removed by the police. We’ve linked to the video, too.
News from our own backyard continues after this.
Manchester Police found a fifty eight year old man and his twenty seven year old daughter handcuffed in their Old Wellington Road home on Sunday. There were also two young children in the residence. According to the cops, the victims were handcuffed by two armed robbers who got in the house by impersonating law enforcement officers. They showed a badge, had pistols in their waistbands, questioned the pair about the location of an unknown third party, then cuffed them with their hands behind their backs, after which they ransacked the house. The victims reported that the thieves got away with a handgun, cash, passports and other documents, clothing and a cell phone. There are many details to this crime, including descriptions of the assailants, and they’ve been uploaded with this newscast at Girard at-Large dot com. Scary stuff.
The New Hampshire General Court convenes tomorrow to begin the second session of its current term and it looks like things will get off to a hotly contested start. House Speaker Terri Norelli, Democrat of Porstmouth, announced members of her party will amend a bill retained from the last session so the House could act quickly to expand the state’s Medicaid program and officially implement Obamacare. House G O P Leader Gene Chandler of Bartlett hammered the move in a statement issued yesterday. He accused the Democrats of trying to ram this significant policy change through with little or no debate and no public hearing. He said the surprise move is the kind of Washington politics people are fed up with and aid that New Hampshire deserved better. We’ve posted Chandler’s entire statement, which contains a link to Norelli’s announcement with this newscast at Girard-at Large dot com.
North Carolina‘s become the latest state to put the breaks on Common Core. The state legislature prohibited the Board of Education from spending any money on new tests linked to the national standards, including SMARTER Balanced, until and unless the legislature passes a law allowing it. Seems the elected folks down there aren’t taking too kindly to their unelected board of education making such sweeping changes without their input or that of their very aggravated constituents. Imagine that! We’ve linked to the story, of course.
That’s news from our own backyard, Girard at Large hour ___ is just 30 seconds away!
