Avard: Kids should have been served
As budget requests from state agencies and the review of the now closed F Y 2016 budget continue to be evaluated, the outrage of lawmakers continues to grow. Yesterday, it was made known that state failed to spend three point seven million dollars of the eight point seven million appropriated to eliminate the wait list of families with developmentally disabled children in need of services. District Twelve State Senator, Kevin Avard, Republican from Nashua, took Governor Margaret Wood Hassan to task for the Department of Health and Human Services’ failure to spend almost forty five percent of the money allocated to assist those children and their families. In a statement issued yesterday, Avard said he couldn’t understand how the money went unspent and that the failure to eliminate the wait list was disgraceful. Said Avard, quote:
The budget provided fully funded the amount the Department of Health and Human Services determined was necessary to eliminate the waitlist and provide services to all eligible individuals with developmental disabilities. This means 166 citizens are living without critical services that provide them with an improved quality of life that engages them in their communities by including transportation, providing career training, furthers their education and opens opportunities for work.
Hassan: Left disabled kids in the lurch
Avard went on to condemn Hassan for lacking the focus needed to ensure state agencies are doing their job, pointing to her failure to compel compliance with the law she signed requiring quarterly spending reports to the General Court. Hassan has also come under fire for the failure of her Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Prevention, Treatment and Recovery to spend two thirds of the money it was given to fight the opioid epidemic and unspent funds at New Hampshire Hospital, the state’s mental health facility.
Senate President Chuck Morse, Republican from Salem, weighed in on Hassan’s failure to provide the quarterly spending reports, saying quote:
Had Governor Hassan complied with SB 32, which she signed into law requiring quarterly individual department spending reports, we would have already known about the delays in deploying funds and that many citizens are not getting the services they need.
Morse: Evident why Hassan’s hiding numbers
Morse was critical of the massive increase in requested spending in the coming biennium, which totaled one point four billion dollars, a twelve and a half percent increase over current spending levels. Referencing Hassan’s attempt to hike spending in the current budget by a billion dollars and jacking up taxes and fees by one hundred million bucks, Morse said Hassan had outdone herself with the current request, charging, quote:
“Such dramatic hikes can only be funded from significant fee increases and even new taxes on our hard working Granite Staters.”
News from our own backyard continues after this.
Stewart: To publish Manchester guidebook.
A campaign to publish the first ever printed guidebook to Manchester got underway last week. From Hanover Hill to Waumbec Mill: An Insider’s Guide to Manchester is the work of city resident Will Stewart, who has been a newspaper reporter, community organizer, chamber of commerce executive and regular guest on Girard at Large in the Morning during his years in the city. Stewart says the goal of the book is to showcase the best of Manchester; what’s great, unique, and even quirky about the Queen City. About why he’s pulled the book together, Stewart said:
I like to say that Manchester is a city of best kept secrets because much of what makes the city so interesting is relatively unknown to not just those ‘from away,’ but to newer residents and even some natives as well. It’s these ‘secrets’ — in addition to the more well-known aspects of the city — that I want to share in the book.
From the famous to the obscure.
The guide showcases more than five hundred points of interest from the famous to the obscure, along with anecdotes of historical and contemporary significance and hand-drawn illustrations and maps by acclaimed Manchester artist Peter Noonan. To fund the book’s production, Stewart is utilizing the online crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, which enables “backers” to pledge money in exchange for a copy of the book or other “rewards” based on their level of financial support, such as having one’s name printed in the book as a supporter, a personal tour of the Millyard with the venerable John Clayton, a sketch of one’s home or a Manchester landmark from Noonan, or a personal tour with Stewart of his favorite Manchester haunts and experiences. Those wishing to support the project, pre-order a copy or just learn more about the book can do so via manch guide dot com.
Vargas: First public meeting is tonight.
The first public meeting of the Manchester Board of School Committee with newly hired Superintendent Dr. Bolgen Vargas will take place tonight at seven in the Aldermanic Chambers at City Hall. The agenda is surprisingly thin, so it looks like Vargas may have an easy go of it, although Board Vice Chair Arthur Beaudry’s put two items on the agenda regarding information dissemination and board members texting each other during meetings. Vargas, who has asked board members for feedback on the priorities they’d like to see him incorporate into his first hundred days, is expected to give a general overview of his entry into the district.
Wilton Area GOP to host candidates
This Thursday, October 13, 2016 at 7 PM, the Greater Wilton Republican Committee and the J.A.Tarbell Library in Lydenborough will host all four Republican candidates for state representative from Districts 4 and 38. Residents of Wilton, Lyndeborough, Greenville, Francestown, Greenfield, Hancock, Antrim, Bennington, Hillsborough, and Windsor are encouraged to attend. Candidates Edwina Hastings, Jim Kofalt, Merrilee Schwanke, and John J. Valera will be on hand to meet voters and discuss their goals as potential state reps.
That’s news from our own backyard! Girard at Large hour ___ is next!
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/287139446″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
