Manchester Police Chief David J. Mara isn’t going to let the Attorney General’s investigative report determining that Alderman Joe Kelly Levasseur was untruthful in making unfounded accusations against him and his department go unnoticed. It’s item number thirty seven on tomorrow night’s meeting agenda for the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. While most of the aldermen have expressed their desire to ditch the topic, Mara seems determined to see it confronted on behalf of those in his department who stood wrongly accused by Levasseur. In an interview with Girard at Large on Friday, Mara said he just couldn’t understand how Levasseur could look at that report and conclude it cleared him of any wrong doing as it clearly said the charges were false. In response to our question, Mara said he would not use the report to file and prosecute charges against Levasseur for knowingly making false complaints to law enforcement officials. He said he asked the Attorney General’s Office to do that work and they’ve made their decision. Still Mara apparently believes he had to bring to the aldermen to address. His email to City Clerk Matthew Normand asked it be placed on the agenda for discussion.
Meanwhile, Levasseur has seemingly lost touch with reality, posting tirades on his facebook page proclaiming his anger with the investigation, which he called a joke, asking how he can get Attorney General Joe Foster fired for his ineptness, saying the A G refused to find he’d filed false reports, expressing his shock at how the investigation could call his charges of intimidation unfounded, asserting the report didn’t find he was untruthful, restating the charges against Manchester Police Patrolman’s Association President Steven Maloney, accusing Chief Mara of continuing his campaign of intimidation saying he won’t let them take his power away, and of course, charging the A G for letting cops get away with anything they want. Oh, did I mention he’s promised a thorough explanation of the issues on his T V show this Wednesday night? Can’t wait for that! Our thanks to our aghast audience members who forwarded the posts. We’ve published some of the posts for your own review with this newscast at Girard at Large dot com.
News from our own backyard continues after this.
The Manchester Newspaper Guild has launched a so called “byline strike” against the New Hampshire Union Leader. Girard at Large came across a couple of tweets from City Hall Reporter Ted Siefer about the matter and followed the links to an online story in N H Labor News and a Web site published by the union to advertise its plight. At issue is a proposal from Union Leader Publisher Joe McQuaid to cut union members’ pay by eighteen percent and more than double health plan deductibles. The proposal also gives the paper the ability to lay off staff as it sees fit, rather than by seniority, should reductions in force be necessary. The union says it’s already reduced its pay by fifteen percent since two thousand nine, complaining that non-union management has seen its pay decrease by only ten percent. As its circulation has decreased, the paper had downsized, leased space in its building, which it’s trying to sell, and outsourced its paper printing. There are eighty members of the guild affected by the strike. As an editorial comment, I take no delight in the paper’s struggles as a solid, healthy newspaper is, I believe, a necessity in any community.
Hooksett School Board Member John Lyscars has sent an email to fellow board member Phil Denbow who chairs the special committee that’s been created to promote the Pinkerton tuition contract warrant article, asking the committee present all the facts to the public. Critics of the High School Information Session have questioned why no information on other high schools was presented and why the numbers were skewed against Manchester since the town’s obligated to pay capital and other costs no matter where children attend school. In a new twist, Lyscars has not only asked for minutes of the warrant article committee’s meetings, meetings which are subject to the state’s Right to Know Law, but has now questioned whether or not members of the administration have been drawn by the committee into violating the state’s laws against electioneering by supplying the faulty analysis that shows Manchester’s per pupil tuition costs skyrocketing over the next four years, leading people to wrongly conclude that Pinkerton is less expensive than Manchester.
Pappy’s Pizza is pitching in to help the family of Maggie Philbrook, the thirteen year old girl who recently lost a year long battle with cancer. Today is Maggie’s Monday at Pappy’s and from four to eight Pappy’s will donate fifteen percent of all purchases made to David’s House, a facility near the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth which the family relied on heavily during its many trips and stays in Lebanon for Maggie’s treatment. So, if Monday supper is kinda tough because of all the running around you have to do with the kids or work or anything like that, pop into Pappy’s tonight, feed yourself and the family, and support a great cause that’s has helped and must continue to help families in need. The donation is on all orders, including takeout and delivery.
That’s news from our own backyard, Girard at Large hour ___ starts right now!
