Derry residents need to come on down to our downtown and do some shopping while your there. With many shops,restaurants and the Arts-our downtown needs you more than ever!
We are fortunate enough in this town to have a wonderful downtown and we collectively need to make sure its a vibrant and exciting downtown to be in. As the weather gets nicer and we shake off the winter cabin fever. I ask each and everyone that resides in Derry to please come down and do some shopping. We have some really nice shops here as well that will amaze you.
Today, as I do my daily walk around the block I happened to stop at POLES APART on 5 West Broadway to speak with the owners Marylee and Tom. Two very nice people with quite the unique shop. If you are looking for a unique gift for that special someone-definitely get yourself down to this store! All kinds of American Crafts, Home Accessories, Furniture, Jewelry and gifts that you will not find anywhere else around here.
Marylee and Tom tell me that they get customers from Londonderry, Chester and Windham but very little from the Derry residents! Marylee who grew up in this town says she wishes more Derry residents would find her shop. She has very fond memories of when many residents came to shop the downtown quite a bit. Today there are many big box stores and shopping malls where one can shop, however I will tell you right now that Poles Apart has that niche product that no mall has. Please come down and support the businesses and families that live and work right here in Derry.
Check out thier website: www.PolesApartGifts.com
Poles Apart hours are Mon-Wed 10am-5pm, Thurs & Fri 10am-6pm Sat 10-5 and Sun 9-2pm
I spoke with both owners to find out if they would be interested in forming a group of owners that will brainstorm in making our downtown work. They both said they would very much like to participate.
If Manchester can do wonders for their Downtown
If Nashua can do wonders for their Downtown
If Concord can do wonders for their Downtown
Then Derry CAN DO WONDERS FOR OUR DOWNTOWN! It starts with us! Support Our Downtown Businesses and lets begin today!
If anyone has any feedback please leave a comment
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
This weeks buzz
While we wait to begin the budget meetings and the selection process of the next town administrator, I have read some interesting articles in the last week. The first article was interesting and was about Councilor Coyle wanting to bring up the subject of an amendment to our charter.
Kevin's point being that he believes that because of the three components to the charter commissions failed revision was because it had three parts to it
1) The bonding part, which would of been subject to voter approval of bonds more than $1M ( i rounded here)
2) The budget at its bottom line with NO adjustments for obligated costs.
3) Change of election day from March to May
According to this article, Mr Coyle suspects that the budget portion had doomed this revision and he maybe right. Why the commissioners choose to include #2 and #3 without any public input is the real question. In fact many stated that the commissioners originally put this question on the ballot for the bonding question only. This has been denied by some members, however it is interesting that now Mr Coyle wants a second bite of the apple.
Only one commissioner voted only on bonding issue as promised and it was Mr Carney. In a previous discussion with Mr Coyle, I thought he was not in favor of the budget portion but later changed his mind to agree with the rest of the commissioners ( except Carney ).
However, The citizens of Derry have spoken and they want to continue with their form of government we have in place.
Also this week, I find out via newspaper that we have about 35 applicants so far for the town administrators job. That's a Good Thing!!! Can't wait to get that process rolling forward as well.
And Last, The DEDC along with other various organizations are holding a summit meeting on the topic of Economic Development on Friday March 30th at DMC. I'll be there to see all the happenings.
Have any thoughts? hit the comment button and share your views!
Kevin's point being that he believes that because of the three components to the charter commissions failed revision was because it had three parts to it
1) The bonding part, which would of been subject to voter approval of bonds more than $1M ( i rounded here)
2) The budget at its bottom line with NO adjustments for obligated costs.
3) Change of election day from March to May
According to this article, Mr Coyle suspects that the budget portion had doomed this revision and he maybe right. Why the commissioners choose to include #2 and #3 without any public input is the real question. In fact many stated that the commissioners originally put this question on the ballot for the bonding question only. This has been denied by some members, however it is interesting that now Mr Coyle wants a second bite of the apple.
Only one commissioner voted only on bonding issue as promised and it was Mr Carney. In a previous discussion with Mr Coyle, I thought he was not in favor of the budget portion but later changed his mind to agree with the rest of the commissioners ( except Carney ).
However, The citizens of Derry have spoken and they want to continue with their form of government we have in place.
Also this week, I find out via newspaper that we have about 35 applicants so far for the town administrators job. That's a Good Thing!!! Can't wait to get that process rolling forward as well.
And Last, The DEDC along with other various organizations are holding a summit meeting on the topic of Economic Development on Friday March 30th at DMC. I'll be there to see all the happenings.
Have any thoughts? hit the comment button and share your views!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Help Honor our local troops!
Fundraising efforts have begun and it is very important that we all contribute as much as we can for the newest and "first in the nation" memorial to our Afghanistan and Iraq veterans who have served our country and are working to bring democracy to the middle east.
The first way to make a donation to the monument fund by mailing a check to:
Derry parks & Recreation
31 West Broadway
Derry, NH 03038
or you may drop it off at the same address. ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE!
The second way to help out is to attend a pancake breakfast at APPLEBEE's from 8-10am on SAT 3/24 and for $5.00 you can eat breakfast and make a contribution as all proceeds go to the fund.
And then on 3/28 at the Flagstone cinemas- Check out the movie Flag of my fathers directed by Clint Eastwood. about WWII and Iowa gima. again donations going to the fund.
The committee is trying to reach a goal of $50,000 and looking at completing the monument by Memorial Day.
This is a great project and one for all of Derry residents to be proud of. Please consider donating any way you can and also please tell at least 5 friends about this.
The first way to make a donation to the monument fund by mailing a check to:
Derry parks & Recreation
31 West Broadway
Derry, NH 03038
or you may drop it off at the same address. ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE!
The second way to help out is to attend a pancake breakfast at APPLEBEE's from 8-10am on SAT 3/24 and for $5.00 you can eat breakfast and make a contribution as all proceeds go to the fund.
And then on 3/28 at the Flagstone cinemas- Check out the movie Flag of my fathers directed by Clint Eastwood. about WWII and Iowa gima. again donations going to the fund.
The committee is trying to reach a goal of $50,000 and looking at completing the monument by Memorial Day.
This is a great project and one for all of Derry residents to be proud of. Please consider donating any way you can and also please tell at least 5 friends about this.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
1st Council Meeting
The first new council meeting of the year was our organizational meeting. This is the meeting were we choose officers and liaisons to boards.
I nominated councilor Bev Ferrante,who was the chairperson pro-tem last year and deserved to become chairperson. Councilor Ferrante decline the chairmanship because of the time commitment and family reasons.
Councilor Coyle and Councilor Bulkley had expressed an interest in becoming chairman and both had 1 minute to persuade votes from other councilors. In a 4-3 vote, Councilor Bulkley was nominated as this years chairman.
My reasons for voting for councilor Bulkley was the fact that he had 14 years experience and I believe he will keep a very structured meeting on point and as we get into the very difficult decisions to be made, will keep us focused on the issues.
I think Kevin did a very good job on the charter commission as he led them through their meetings and ran those meeting efficiently and fairly, however it was mostly a one-sided group without much opposition. Also Kevin has had only 1 year experience on the council. I think he could of done a decent job, however Craigs experience out-weight and that is why I voted for him.
Councilor Coyle will now have a chance to gain some additional experience as he was nominated a Chairman pro-tem.
Also discussed last night was the time line for choosing our next town administrator. Three years ago we had over 40 applicants and we established a committee of citizens to pick out the 5 best candidates. I believe this is a good way to go because it gets citizens involved in helping select the new administrator. Having said that, This process would not make sense if we have under 10 applicants this time and we will know very soon as the dead line is 4/6.
The time line calls for a selection near the beginning of May.
The discussion then turned to the residency requirement. Mr Coyle pointed out correctly that the charter does not mandate that the administrator must live in Derry, However we can make it part of the contract. I believe Councilor Coyle was trying to bring as many applicants to the table which is good, however I believe we should mandate that the administrator should live in town as they will have a vested interest in decision being made and recommendations to the town. ( Council voted to keep this a part of the contract)
Private roads now has a date for workshop/public hearing on 5/7 at 6:30. Again I recommended having a separate workshop, then public hearing, then council vote but the majority felt that combining the workshop/public hearing would work better.I'm hoping to get plenty of citizen feedback on this important topic!!
And last, we spoke about mosquito program. This year we will do a springtime larvea-cide which kills them before the are born and then we can do a fall adult spraying and monitoring throughout the summer. My questions this year was about the money side- about $55k will come from present budget and another 22k or so will come from FY08 budget which will be discussed at budget time! So all in all we will be spending upwards of $80,000 to kill these pests! ( hmmm kill insects or hire an economic development director! Thats another topic for later)
Its alot of money and I have mixed feelings on this issue, however I could not live with myself if someone contracts West Nile or EEE and dies from it. My biggest question is when can we stop spraying or does this just keep going on and on and costing us more and more each year?? We will however get some help from the state as they will give us 25% back ( Hopefully this pool of money does not evaporate quickly)
What are your thoughts on the first meeting of the year? I'm interested in your comments!
I nominated councilor Bev Ferrante,who was the chairperson pro-tem last year and deserved to become chairperson. Councilor Ferrante decline the chairmanship because of the time commitment and family reasons.
Councilor Coyle and Councilor Bulkley had expressed an interest in becoming chairman and both had 1 minute to persuade votes from other councilors. In a 4-3 vote, Councilor Bulkley was nominated as this years chairman.
My reasons for voting for councilor Bulkley was the fact that he had 14 years experience and I believe he will keep a very structured meeting on point and as we get into the very difficult decisions to be made, will keep us focused on the issues.
I think Kevin did a very good job on the charter commission as he led them through their meetings and ran those meeting efficiently and fairly, however it was mostly a one-sided group without much opposition. Also Kevin has had only 1 year experience on the council. I think he could of done a decent job, however Craigs experience out-weight and that is why I voted for him.
Councilor Coyle will now have a chance to gain some additional experience as he was nominated a Chairman pro-tem.
Also discussed last night was the time line for choosing our next town administrator. Three years ago we had over 40 applicants and we established a committee of citizens to pick out the 5 best candidates. I believe this is a good way to go because it gets citizens involved in helping select the new administrator. Having said that, This process would not make sense if we have under 10 applicants this time and we will know very soon as the dead line is 4/6.
The time line calls for a selection near the beginning of May.
The discussion then turned to the residency requirement. Mr Coyle pointed out correctly that the charter does not mandate that the administrator must live in Derry, However we can make it part of the contract. I believe Councilor Coyle was trying to bring as many applicants to the table which is good, however I believe we should mandate that the administrator should live in town as they will have a vested interest in decision being made and recommendations to the town. ( Council voted to keep this a part of the contract)
Private roads now has a date for workshop/public hearing on 5/7 at 6:30. Again I recommended having a separate workshop, then public hearing, then council vote but the majority felt that combining the workshop/public hearing would work better.I'm hoping to get plenty of citizen feedback on this important topic!!
And last, we spoke about mosquito program. This year we will do a springtime larvea-cide which kills them before the are born and then we can do a fall adult spraying and monitoring throughout the summer. My questions this year was about the money side- about $55k will come from present budget and another 22k or so will come from FY08 budget which will be discussed at budget time! So all in all we will be spending upwards of $80,000 to kill these pests! ( hmmm kill insects or hire an economic development director! Thats another topic for later)
Its alot of money and I have mixed feelings on this issue, however I could not live with myself if someone contracts West Nile or EEE and dies from it. My biggest question is when can we stop spraying or does this just keep going on and on and costing us more and more each year?? We will however get some help from the state as they will give us 25% back ( Hopefully this pool of money does not evaporate quickly)
What are your thoughts on the first meeting of the year? I'm interested in your comments!
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Council issues 2007
Here are some of the issues facing us in this upcoming year.
Seven (7) Union contracts to negotiate. Right now the police patrolman's union has declared impasse. The union decided to man the polling places at West Running Brook and Gilbert H Hood Middle school during elections in an effort to gain public support of it's proposed road detail ordinance. ( I'm hoping that the union comes back to the table).
FY08 Budgets: Councilors should be receiving their budget books this Mon 3/19. We already know that this budget will be a "tough" budget in the fact that even if it were decided to raise taxes up to the tax cap- there would be a shortfall of about $300k. Lets hope that some of the supporters of the now defunct charter who want to have a say in budgets-come out and watch the budgets hearings, understand how the budgets works and through the representation of their councilors,have a chance to have input on these budgets. Remember folks- e-mail us, write us, call us. YOUR VOICE WILL BE HEARD!!( you can even use this blog forum to speak your mind)
Hiring a town administrator: The search is on and will continue to receive applicants until 4/6. Bennett Yarger ( the company doing the search) will be coming up with a time line in the decision making process very soon ( I will post when it becomes available) It is my understanding that we could make a final decision as early as mid-late May!
Private Roads Issue: This was scheduled for Feb council meeting, however after an e-mail from a citizen who wanted more notification of more people, especially citizens that live on private roads, I decided that that citizens request was not unreasonable. In fact, my recommendation would be for the sub-committee, who worked on this for at least 6 mos, come before the council and give us the information they worked very hard on. This would be a workshop- Then we should have a public hearing letting the citizens voices be heard- Then a vote by the council ( 3 separate meetings) *** this is not an easy subject to deal with, how ever we must make a decision so that these issues are addressed.
Sewer expansion to Brady ave area: Another big subject and a very important one.
Economic Development: This is going to be a very very interesting issue to deal with, I am looking forward to hearing from my fellow councilors their thoughts on how we move forward in bringing business to Derry. This is very important as this will help contribute in lowering our taxes. Downtown area will be a major focus of mine not only because it is in my district, but because we need to bring back focus to our downtown.
I'm looking forward to taking on these issues and my hope is that more people will contribute in having their say on theses issues. I'm hoping for constructive conversations and solutions to what you want to see. Lets aim high and really think outside the box, lets sets some goals on how to achieve our goals and lets work together to find these solutions so that we can all be proud of our town!!
let us know your feelings about these issues!
Seven (7) Union contracts to negotiate. Right now the police patrolman's union has declared impasse. The union decided to man the polling places at West Running Brook and Gilbert H Hood Middle school during elections in an effort to gain public support of it's proposed road detail ordinance. ( I'm hoping that the union comes back to the table).
FY08 Budgets: Councilors should be receiving their budget books this Mon 3/19. We already know that this budget will be a "tough" budget in the fact that even if it were decided to raise taxes up to the tax cap- there would be a shortfall of about $300k. Lets hope that some of the supporters of the now defunct charter who want to have a say in budgets-come out and watch the budgets hearings, understand how the budgets works and through the representation of their councilors,have a chance to have input on these budgets. Remember folks- e-mail us, write us, call us. YOUR VOICE WILL BE HEARD!!( you can even use this blog forum to speak your mind)
Hiring a town administrator: The search is on and will continue to receive applicants until 4/6. Bennett Yarger ( the company doing the search) will be coming up with a time line in the decision making process very soon ( I will post when it becomes available) It is my understanding that we could make a final decision as early as mid-late May!
Private Roads Issue: This was scheduled for Feb council meeting, however after an e-mail from a citizen who wanted more notification of more people, especially citizens that live on private roads, I decided that that citizens request was not unreasonable. In fact, my recommendation would be for the sub-committee, who worked on this for at least 6 mos, come before the council and give us the information they worked very hard on. This would be a workshop- Then we should have a public hearing letting the citizens voices be heard- Then a vote by the council ( 3 separate meetings) *** this is not an easy subject to deal with, how ever we must make a decision so that these issues are addressed.
Sewer expansion to Brady ave area: Another big subject and a very important one.
Economic Development: This is going to be a very very interesting issue to deal with, I am looking forward to hearing from my fellow councilors their thoughts on how we move forward in bringing business to Derry. This is very important as this will help contribute in lowering our taxes. Downtown area will be a major focus of mine not only because it is in my district, but because we need to bring back focus to our downtown.
I'm looking forward to taking on these issues and my hope is that more people will contribute in having their say on theses issues. I'm hoping for constructive conversations and solutions to what you want to see. Lets aim high and really think outside the box, lets sets some goals on how to achieve our goals and lets work together to find these solutions so that we can all be proud of our town!!
let us know your feelings about these issues!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Retirement Funding issues
Folks, To keep you as informed as much as possible. This legislative newsletter which came my way is very interesting. Please see below
Greetings:
On Friday, March 9, NHMA's Municipal Advocacy Committee (MAC) voted unanimously to support the Retirement Working Group proposal. As we announced in the last Legislative Bulletin, the proposal is available for review and was considered at a joint meeting of MAC and NHMA's Committee on Government Affairs Friday before the vote. NHMA staff will now advocate for the elements of the proposal at the Legislature.
It is critical that all municipalities review the proposal and contact their respective legislative delegations to ask for their support of the proposal. Currently, the plan is to have the proposal drafted as an amendment to a retirement bill that is now before the House Executive Departments and Administration Committee. We do not know at this time which bill that will be.
Included here is a direct link to the LGC website Retirement Working Group Proposal which contains the proposal and explanatory documents. We will periodically update the website and add documents, such as the amendment, as they become available. You will need Adobe Reader to be able to read, save, and/or print any of it. If you do not have Adobe Reader, simply click here to download that program.
Greetings:
On Friday, March 9, NHMA's Municipal Advocacy Committee (MAC) voted unanimously to support the Retirement Working Group proposal. As we announced in the last Legislative Bulletin, the proposal is available for review and was considered at a joint meeting of MAC and NHMA's Committee on Government Affairs Friday before the vote. NHMA staff will now advocate for the elements of the proposal at the Legislature.
It is critical that all municipalities review the proposal and contact their respective legislative delegations to ask for their support of the proposal. Currently, the plan is to have the proposal drafted as an amendment to a retirement bill that is now before the House Executive Departments and Administration Committee. We do not know at this time which bill that will be.
Included here is a direct link to the LGC website Retirement Working Group Proposal which contains the proposal and explanatory documents. We will periodically update the website and add documents, such as the amendment, as they become available. You will need Adobe Reader to be able to read, save, and/or print any of it. If you do not have Adobe Reader, simply click here to download that program.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Thank-You Dist 4 Voters
I would like to extend a very big thank-you to all who voted for me to represent you again as your district 4 councilor. Thank-you!
It has been an anti-incumbent year in politics. The Dems beat out the Republicans on the national scene.
Closer to home we see that the incumbent in Salem lost his race
In Londonderry the chairman who some consider a taxpayer advocate actually as of this writing is in a tie vote ( re-count will be coming and if still a tie, a coin toss will decide the race) Very Close race!!!
And as you can see no matter what your politics may be- Incumbents are getting the heave -ho.
So, In my race, I was able to be re-elected again for a three year term.
My opponent, Joe Dichairo ran a very good race and did a good job. I would like to thank him for running a good race! I did not see Joe at Town hall when they announced the results and so I wish to say so in this blog.
I would also like to congratulate Rick Metts and Brent Carney for their wins to the council and look forward to working with them and the rest of the council this year.
And Lastly, the charter was defeated! I want to thank the voters for recognizing the fact that this was very bad for our community the way that it was proposed, however I want to thank the commissioners and the community for a better Derry in accomplishing getting more voters to the polls!
It has been an anti-incumbent year in politics. The Dems beat out the Republicans on the national scene.
Closer to home we see that the incumbent in Salem lost his race
In Londonderry the chairman who some consider a taxpayer advocate actually as of this writing is in a tie vote ( re-count will be coming and if still a tie, a coin toss will decide the race) Very Close race!!!
And as you can see no matter what your politics may be- Incumbents are getting the heave -ho.
So, In my race, I was able to be re-elected again for a three year term.
My opponent, Joe Dichairo ran a very good race and did a good job. I would like to thank him for running a good race! I did not see Joe at Town hall when they announced the results and so I wish to say so in this blog.
I would also like to congratulate Rick Metts and Brent Carney for their wins to the council and look forward to working with them and the rest of the council this year.
And Lastly, the charter was defeated! I want to thank the voters for recognizing the fact that this was very bad for our community the way that it was proposed, however I want to thank the commissioners and the community for a better Derry in accomplishing getting more voters to the polls!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
How to reach more citizens.
I would like to hear from our citizens on how we can engage them more into the process of getting information, sharing information, asking questions of your government. I do understand that sometimes issues are being addressed and you will hear CIP and GMO and Master Plan or how about TIF, COLA or MDR.
There are alot of people that know a few of these, but do they really know these items as they pertain to how it effects them.
It's not that people discuss these things on a daily basis at the coffee shop and it is understandable that some of these issues are just too complex to give a short description about.
Having spent the last 10 years on Planning Board and Town Council I do see the importance that these items have. However I feel that the public should be able to learn about these doctrine at least in it's simplest form to appreciate just what these items do for us in the town of Derry.
For instance, The GMO or Growth Management Ordinance was talked about in the late 90's. The planning board at that time understood that residential growth was happening at a very fast pace. In fact, so fast it was putting a burden on our school system, our roadways, and our police, fire, public work services. Something had to be addressed because taxes were climbing at a very fast pace. Now we all know that land owners have tremendous rights in the US.
If you own the land, you have the right to do what you wish with that land as long as it conforms to zoning laws.
In Derry in the mid 80's and early nineties. large parcels of land were being bought for top dollar and developed- At a very fast clip. ( chester is now experiencing this ) And the Growth Management Ordinance that we now have, which the courts have allowed says that we can limit the residential growth accordingly (so that we don't get a spike which effects the tax rate quickly, however in exchange for being allowed to do this we have to have a Master Plan and CIP. Both are road maps of how and when residential development takes place. Without following this PLAN. The courts will basically say that we will not be able to control residential as we want.
This is a very scary scenario: With 93 coming we all know that more pressure to build residential WILL BE COMING!! No MATTER WHAT. so do we follow a plan that planners worked very hard on or do we let this development happen? The facts are this: we are getting very close to "build out" meaning within the next 20 years Derry will be what we allow it to become.( one with a plan the other without)
And if we are more residential- NOTHING will be done to lower taxes. Our fate will be sealed. And for me and many others who plan on staying in Derry for the rest of out lives will be footing the bill for being shortsighted.
So the more our citizens know, the better we will be. I hope this blog forum is just one way to get some message out. What would you recommend?? Click om to the bottom panel to comment. I'm interested in what you have to say!
There are alot of people that know a few of these, but do they really know these items as they pertain to how it effects them.
It's not that people discuss these things on a daily basis at the coffee shop and it is understandable that some of these issues are just too complex to give a short description about.
Having spent the last 10 years on Planning Board and Town Council I do see the importance that these items have. However I feel that the public should be able to learn about these doctrine at least in it's simplest form to appreciate just what these items do for us in the town of Derry.
For instance, The GMO or Growth Management Ordinance was talked about in the late 90's. The planning board at that time understood that residential growth was happening at a very fast pace. In fact, so fast it was putting a burden on our school system, our roadways, and our police, fire, public work services. Something had to be addressed because taxes were climbing at a very fast pace. Now we all know that land owners have tremendous rights in the US.
If you own the land, you have the right to do what you wish with that land as long as it conforms to zoning laws.
In Derry in the mid 80's and early nineties. large parcels of land were being bought for top dollar and developed- At a very fast clip. ( chester is now experiencing this ) And the Growth Management Ordinance that we now have, which the courts have allowed says that we can limit the residential growth accordingly (so that we don't get a spike which effects the tax rate quickly, however in exchange for being allowed to do this we have to have a Master Plan and CIP. Both are road maps of how and when residential development takes place. Without following this PLAN. The courts will basically say that we will not be able to control residential as we want.
This is a very scary scenario: With 93 coming we all know that more pressure to build residential WILL BE COMING!! No MATTER WHAT. so do we follow a plan that planners worked very hard on or do we let this development happen? The facts are this: we are getting very close to "build out" meaning within the next 20 years Derry will be what we allow it to become.( one with a plan the other without)
And if we are more residential- NOTHING will be done to lower taxes. Our fate will be sealed. And for me and many others who plan on staying in Derry for the rest of out lives will be footing the bill for being shortsighted.
So the more our citizens know, the better we will be. I hope this blog forum is just one way to get some message out. What would you recommend?? Click om to the bottom panel to comment. I'm interested in what you have to say!
Friday, March 09, 2007
Ask Yourself this Question
Who is Joe DiChiaro??????
No experience on Derry boards or government.
Does he really know the issues here in Derry???
(Only an 8yr resident of Derry- Joe is an ex-lawyer from california)
Chirichiello is a 23 year Derry resident with 13 years of dedication on towns cable committee, Planning Board ( 7 yrs) and Town Council (3yrs).
Brian grew up in Salem NH.( from age 6 to age 21) and is knowledgable in the issues important to us here in Derry. He is someone who both lives and works in Derry and has a vested interest here!
Who do you want representing you, District 4 citizens?
I need your help, please come out and vote for me on March 13th 2007 at Gilbert H Middle School.
Your comments and concerns matter! I have always kept my district in the forefront on any decisions I've made.
No experience on Derry boards or government.
Does he really know the issues here in Derry???
(Only an 8yr resident of Derry- Joe is an ex-lawyer from california)
Chirichiello is a 23 year Derry resident with 13 years of dedication on towns cable committee, Planning Board ( 7 yrs) and Town Council (3yrs).
Brian grew up in Salem NH.( from age 6 to age 21) and is knowledgable in the issues important to us here in Derry. He is someone who both lives and works in Derry and has a vested interest here!
Who do you want representing you, District 4 citizens?
I need your help, please come out and vote for me on March 13th 2007 at Gilbert H Middle School.
Your comments and concerns matter! I have always kept my district in the forefront on any decisions I've made.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Derry News Endorses Chirichiello 3/7
I sincerely appreciate the endorsement from the Derry News Today. They have printed some very kind words in their editorial about me and I was very happy, that they stated I deserve another term as councilor dist#4 and that it was clear to them that I care about Derry.
Many people try and label some councilors through-out the year as " the good old boys" or this person doesn't listen to citizens or just try and paint you with a broad brush to score some political points.
I have tried very hard this year to not let the "naysayers", the people who say negative things about us get to me. I do understand that it's politics but at the end of the day, it sometimes gets frustrating when you are working on doing the very best you can for your community and not looking at this as politics per Se, but as doing my part for my community.
To read the editorial for all to see.... and the very kind words printed, says to me that yes, I am not perfect and I do have my faults just like every other councilor, but they can see that I do care about Derry, and that I can make a difference. This means a great deal to me.. Thank You Derry News.
I will share with you the editorial from Wed 3/7
Chirichiello
deserves another term in office
The Derry News hasn't always agreed with decisions made by Derry Town Council Chairman Brian Chirichiello. In fact, in the past year we quite often disagreed with him, on matters ranging from his decision to ask police to staff council meetings, to starting up his own blog on town issues without identifying himself as the author, to asking taxpayers to pick-up his $900 legal bill. Neither were we thrilled when he went about initiating a search for an interim town administrator via private e-mail, rather than discussing it at a council meeting.
Disagreements aside, it's very clear to us just how much Chirichiello cares about Derry. Why else would he agree to serve as chairman during such a volatile a time in the town's history?
During the past year, Chirichiello has shown he can take the heat, and that he understands sometimes it's worth taking criticism to heart.
Chirichiello has shown signs of developing into a strong leader. And at a time when the town is divided into pro- and anti-charter change camps and about to embark on a new search for a town administrator, the council needs someone with strong experience and leadership skills at the helm. For these reasons, Brian Chirichiello is our choice for Derry's District 4 Town Councilor.
Thanks again Derry News and to all of the citizens who have given me encouragement throughout this year.
Many people try and label some councilors through-out the year as " the good old boys" or this person doesn't listen to citizens or just try and paint you with a broad brush to score some political points.
I have tried very hard this year to not let the "naysayers", the people who say negative things about us get to me. I do understand that it's politics but at the end of the day, it sometimes gets frustrating when you are working on doing the very best you can for your community and not looking at this as politics per Se, but as doing my part for my community.
To read the editorial for all to see.... and the very kind words printed, says to me that yes, I am not perfect and I do have my faults just like every other councilor, but they can see that I do care about Derry, and that I can make a difference. This means a great deal to me.. Thank You Derry News.
I will share with you the editorial from Wed 3/7
Chirichiello
deserves another term in office
The Derry News hasn't always agreed with decisions made by Derry Town Council Chairman Brian Chirichiello. In fact, in the past year we quite often disagreed with him, on matters ranging from his decision to ask police to staff council meetings, to starting up his own blog on town issues without identifying himself as the author, to asking taxpayers to pick-up his $900 legal bill. Neither were we thrilled when he went about initiating a search for an interim town administrator via private e-mail, rather than discussing it at a council meeting.
Disagreements aside, it's very clear to us just how much Chirichiello cares about Derry. Why else would he agree to serve as chairman during such a volatile a time in the town's history?
During the past year, Chirichiello has shown he can take the heat, and that he understands sometimes it's worth taking criticism to heart.
Chirichiello has shown signs of developing into a strong leader. And at a time when the town is divided into pro- and anti-charter change camps and about to embark on a new search for a town administrator, the council needs someone with strong experience and leadership skills at the helm. For these reasons, Brian Chirichiello is our choice for Derry's District 4 Town Councilor.
Thanks again Derry News and to all of the citizens who have given me encouragement throughout this year.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Long Range Planning.
Its very hard to answer some good questions about the issues facing Derry in a condensed 30 second answer on a 60 minute TV show. I have listened to many of either mis-guided or mis-perceived statements that can not be answered in a sound bite and so I'm happy to be able to share more of what I'm thinking out to anyone who cares.
First, I heard Mr Carney say that because of lack of poor planning from councilors in the last 2-5 years, we will have a budget that will be at a 300K deficit.
Believe it or not, the reason for this is not the councilors lack of planning but the mere fact that the tax cap, which allows for an average of around 3% increases per year has finally come to where it is putting a squeeze on the budget.
Remember the towns budget is 80% personnel driven. With that in mind, health care for our employees has risen at double digits each and every year. Also, the COLA's and step increases has contributed to this issue as well.
These uncontrollable costs are not due to lack of planning!
I'm sure us older folk remember the old proposition 2.5 in Massachusetts back in the late 80's. The people voted to limit spending at an annual increase of no more 2.5% and the same problem they had are ending up here which the town face today.
Having said all of this, the tax cap has keep us in a financial check and balance by scrutinizing the budgets and making sure we spend on what is essential in running town government. This is a good thing and now the rubber has hit the road- meaning each year that passes, it will be harder and harder budgets to deal with and some very tough decisions to be made- Do we sacrifice services or capital projects- where we had no problems in the past by having enough for both- now it becomes harder to get both at current levels. This is where experience in the town will make a difference!
Having said that, all the candidates say that we need to bring economic development as a priority to this town. My question to them would be what is your plan? Some are already committed to not funding DEDC. OK then what would you do? Hire an director at 100K per year? coordinator for 50K? Once you have done that they will want a budget line to do the things they need to bring business in how much for that???
Need a secretary at 30K a year with that position don't you.
Folks, The three years as a councilor I have seen a net decrease in employees by 2.5 people. DO you support candidates that want to add more employees???
You can't just wave a magic wand and POOF businesses are up and running.
I suppose by being a councilor the last three years I can see the way things are going to come out. I do also understand that mis-conceptions can happen to some who have never seen the full picture from the inside.
This is not the fault of the present or past councilors and to say so is not a fair statement. They don't control health care costs or retirement costs for that matter and every town and city are having the very same issues and each year brings a new set of issues, hard issues and big decisions. However the election goes, it will be very interesting to see how things end up for FY08.
First, I heard Mr Carney say that because of lack of poor planning from councilors in the last 2-5 years, we will have a budget that will be at a 300K deficit.
Believe it or not, the reason for this is not the councilors lack of planning but the mere fact that the tax cap, which allows for an average of around 3% increases per year has finally come to where it is putting a squeeze on the budget.
Remember the towns budget is 80% personnel driven. With that in mind, health care for our employees has risen at double digits each and every year. Also, the COLA's and step increases has contributed to this issue as well.
These uncontrollable costs are not due to lack of planning!
I'm sure us older folk remember the old proposition 2.5 in Massachusetts back in the late 80's. The people voted to limit spending at an annual increase of no more 2.5% and the same problem they had are ending up here which the town face today.
Having said all of this, the tax cap has keep us in a financial check and balance by scrutinizing the budgets and making sure we spend on what is essential in running town government. This is a good thing and now the rubber has hit the road- meaning each year that passes, it will be harder and harder budgets to deal with and some very tough decisions to be made- Do we sacrifice services or capital projects- where we had no problems in the past by having enough for both- now it becomes harder to get both at current levels. This is where experience in the town will make a difference!
Having said that, all the candidates say that we need to bring economic development as a priority to this town. My question to them would be what is your plan? Some are already committed to not funding DEDC. OK then what would you do? Hire an director at 100K per year? coordinator for 50K? Once you have done that they will want a budget line to do the things they need to bring business in how much for that???
Need a secretary at 30K a year with that position don't you.
Folks, The three years as a councilor I have seen a net decrease in employees by 2.5 people. DO you support candidates that want to add more employees???
You can't just wave a magic wand and POOF businesses are up and running.
I suppose by being a councilor the last three years I can see the way things are going to come out. I do also understand that mis-conceptions can happen to some who have never seen the full picture from the inside.
This is not the fault of the present or past councilors and to say so is not a fair statement. They don't control health care costs or retirement costs for that matter and every town and city are having the very same issues and each year brings a new set of issues, hard issues and big decisions. However the election goes, it will be very interesting to see how things end up for FY08.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Right on schedule!
You knew it was coming as you see the same thing over and over each and every year around this time- election time. Letters to the editor are trying to paint a picture of a councilor for someone who may no nothing about the political landscape and will just go into the voting booth and vote ( not knowing the person whom one is voting for)
more on this in a minute....
First thing first
Although i have not seen eye to eye with the editorial staff in past weeks, I must say the last 2 editorials were dead-on from the Derry News
The editor has done their homework and realizes that the proposed charter change should be rejected!!!
Folks its ok to vote NO. Thecharter commissioners can try again another time maybe next time they will have better turn-outs at the meetings with more input from the citizens- you see, I was at all but 2 meetings and although well attended at the very first and the very last meeting nobody but nobody was there ( except Mr Dimmock, who was at every meeting)
This proposal of thiers was from mostly the 7 commissioners- making all the decisions and without much input. Hmmm.
Anyways Kudos to the Derry News for calling this one for what it is. VOTE NO!!
Next up is all the nice letters that come -out and well orchastrated mind you. most of these letters are from the same people week in and week out. I don't have to tell you the names, people know who they are only this time it was like someone went to the derry news and delivered all of these letters at the same time. interesting
I need to set the record straight on some of these accusations:
#1 that I berate the people who elected me on my blog.
show me where in this blog i do that please!
#2 One hotline comment said they were disappointed in the council chair because he canceled the march 6th meeting on plowing roads and on Brady Ave sewer they took a vote and got out voted to cancel the meeting
wrong! the only thing on the agenda was the well ordinance- thats it- The meeting was canceled but no vote was taken on that.
#3 that I was on the council in 2004 that voted to keep the petition away from the public
Big lie! the petitioners came with the petition late and it was the town clerk who messed it up not the council-
#4 that i canceled the march 6th meeting in an attempt to muzzle any final public comments prior to election and is an ongoing attempt to limit taxpayers public input
Ahh excuse me, the town council meeting is to conduct the towns business it is not the political connection show. If you want to get on a soapbox, why don't you use c17 and have your own weekly show? with limited agenda items it was best to move the item to the next meeting.
I could go on and on and on with this stuff. unbelievable.
The interesting thing though is most of my critics are not even in my district. Take a look and see the names who jump all over me and look up thier addresses- most are from East Derry- I'm not saying i have no detractors from my district- I will tell you that in three years I have had alot more positive comments from people in my district than negative- Check it out for yourself most are the same people over and over again.
more on this in a minute....
First thing first
Although i have not seen eye to eye with the editorial staff in past weeks, I must say the last 2 editorials were dead-on from the Derry News
The editor has done their homework and realizes that the proposed charter change should be rejected!!!
Folks its ok to vote NO. Thecharter commissioners can try again another time maybe next time they will have better turn-outs at the meetings with more input from the citizens- you see, I was at all but 2 meetings and although well attended at the very first and the very last meeting nobody but nobody was there ( except Mr Dimmock, who was at every meeting)
This proposal of thiers was from mostly the 7 commissioners- making all the decisions and without much input. Hmmm.
Anyways Kudos to the Derry News for calling this one for what it is. VOTE NO!!
Next up is all the nice letters that come -out and well orchastrated mind you. most of these letters are from the same people week in and week out. I don't have to tell you the names, people know who they are only this time it was like someone went to the derry news and delivered all of these letters at the same time. interesting
I need to set the record straight on some of these accusations:
#1 that I berate the people who elected me on my blog.
show me where in this blog i do that please!
#2 One hotline comment said they were disappointed in the council chair because he canceled the march 6th meeting on plowing roads and on Brady Ave sewer they took a vote and got out voted to cancel the meeting
wrong! the only thing on the agenda was the well ordinance- thats it- The meeting was canceled but no vote was taken on that.
#3 that I was on the council in 2004 that voted to keep the petition away from the public
Big lie! the petitioners came with the petition late and it was the town clerk who messed it up not the council-
#4 that i canceled the march 6th meeting in an attempt to muzzle any final public comments prior to election and is an ongoing attempt to limit taxpayers public input
Ahh excuse me, the town council meeting is to conduct the towns business it is not the political connection show. If you want to get on a soapbox, why don't you use c17 and have your own weekly show? with limited agenda items it was best to move the item to the next meeting.
I could go on and on and on with this stuff. unbelievable.
The interesting thing though is most of my critics are not even in my district. Take a look and see the names who jump all over me and look up thier addresses- most are from East Derry- I'm not saying i have no detractors from my district- I will tell you that in three years I have had alot more positive comments from people in my district than negative- Check it out for yourself most are the same people over and over again.
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