Gatsas: Wants revision to Tax Cap to capture revenue from tax base growth
A public hearing on Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas’ proposed change to the city’s tax cap came and went on Tuesday night and just about nobody noticed. Only one speaker was present for the event, perennial public commenter Glen Ouellette. The public hearing was a necessary step in the process of putting the change on the ballot this November. While the change essentially leaves the caps on tax revenue and spending in place, it would make revenues generated by an increase in the value of the city’s tax base available without having to override the cap. We’ve linked to the interview we did with Gatsas on the topic so you can get his complete explanation.
Stotsky: T-MAS opponents want her standards
Manchester parents opposed to Common Core and the Board of School Committee’s vote to adopt the school district’s revision of it as the city’s standards have launched a petition drive urging the school board to adopt the standards Dr. Sandra Stotsky worked to develop in Massachusetts. The petition chides the school board and district for completely ignoring the complaints of parents in the development of the Manchester Academic Standards, which they say are little more than Common Core given that eighty eight percent of the standards cite Common Core as their source. The petition takes particular aim at the high school math standards, which they say are one hundred percent Common Core. They have a problem with that given the plethora of math experts that say these standards are setting kids up to fail. We’ve linked to the petition for your convenience.
Lyscars: Remove old, prejudicial information from Web site
Hooksett School Board Member John Lyscars is calling on school administrators to remove negative information regarding the Manchester School District from the Hooksett School District’s new Web site. Lyscars believes that two thousand twelve letters regarding the tuition contract controversy between the two communities should be removed from the Web site so that Hooksett doesn’t appear to be biased against city schools as parents prepare to choose which of the five communities they’ll send their high school kids to. He said the new board has made a fresh start with Manchester and they should look forward, not backward. At the time, Lycars was a proponent of declaring the contract governing the two communities tuition agreement in breach.
Coffee with a Cop
The Manchester Police Department would like to clarify that this morning’s Coffee with a Cop at the McDonald’s on South Willow Street will have coffee provided to participants courtesy of the business so folks can just causally kick back and converse with their community cops from nine to eleven without having to buy their cup of joe.
News from our own backyard continues after this.
Havenstein: Gets Maryland tax bill for non-resident balance owed
G O P gubernatorial candidate Walt Havenstein got something of a surprise property tax bill from the state of Maryland earlier this week. You may recall that Havenstein declared his Maryland home his primary residence over a period of several years while working in the Washington, D.C. area. As a result, he was able to claim a property tax exemption available only to residents of the state. Inasmuch as he claimed he was always a resident of New Hampshire, having maintained his Lakes Region home, so he would meet the residency requirements to be a candidate for governor, a claim the state’s Ballot Law Commission agreed with, the state of Maryland has decided he was wrongly granted the resident property tax exemption and wants its money.
Sununu: Over the top condemnation
Havenstein’s campaign released a statement from former Governor John H. Sununu claiming this tax bill was a politically motivated dirty trick from a state with a Democratic governor. Sununu equated the sending of the tax bill with recent political attacks made against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Texas Governor Rick Perry and the use of the IRS to persecute conservatives. We’re thinking John H has overplayed his hand a bit here, unless, of course, you believe that Havenstein can have two primary residences that would allow him to both run for governor in New Hampshire and claim a property tax break in Maryland that’s only available to residents. Just sayin…Anyway, we’ve posted their release with this newscast at Girard at Large dot com.
Brat: Hemingway’s response to Havenstein’s fund raising
Havenstein’s campaign also released its campaign finance report. Havenstein’s pulled in nearly two million bucks for his gubernatorial bid. In response, G O P rival Andrew Hemingway issued a two word statement, “David Brat,” the name of the man who dethroned U S House of Representatives Majority Leader Eric Cantor who spent eight million dollars in his reelection bid versus Brat’s two hundred grand.for your review in a Republican primary.
Shaheen: Fund raising on the road again…
The New Hampshire Republican Party continues to pound away at Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s fundraising activites. Shaheen, the Health Care Queen who demanded that former Bay State Seantor Scott Brown shun outside money, recently attended a major fund raiser held for her in South Carolina, where she hob knobbed with big gun lobbyists and other special interests and is planning another fund raiser with lobbyists in Washington DC. Republican Party Chair Jennifer Horn issues a statement saying it’s no wonder Shahaeen hasn’t held a town hall meeting in NH in more than seven hundred twenty days. She’s been all over the country raising money from lobbyists and special interests, raising the very same out of state money she demanded Scott Brown not raise. We’ve posted the release.
Smith: Did the RNC forget there’s a primary for senate?
Speaking of Brown, Senator Bob Smith’s campaign has published a letter it sent to the Republican National Committee protesting their fund raising efforts as prejudicial. They’re thinking it’s a bit early to send letters abut the neck and neck race between Shaheen and Brown before the primary’s over. They’re also thinking it’s evidence that Brown’s the Washington Insider’s pick of the party. They might have a point on this one. We’ve published the letter with this newscast at Girard at Large dot com
That’s news from our own backyard, Girard at Large hour ___ is on the way!
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