How does one know when election time is near? Simple, read your local newspapers and look to see the issues being created or they come back from the dead all in time for elections.
Lets see, First we have an elderly exemption issue coming up ( never before budget season until this year) and now the 4A issue sprouts up again. Of course, I understand that groups want to align themselves with either supporting or not supporting these issues and I also understand the timing of getting these issues to the media.
The question is, are these media outlets being bias? Some would believe so. Why would one think so? Some have said just pick up any paper today and we see Councilor Coyle working his spin camp almost on a daily basis. Doug Newel has his own DN column and the Vegas odds have him running for Dist #3 Council seat ( he won't declare until the last minute so he can keep his column as long as possible)
What did I see that could persuade me to think some bias is taking place?
Lets start here. 1) Councilor Coyle, Fairbanks & Carney along with the ADT promote their elderly exemptions via a town ordinance.2) Then they ask for a public hearing which was granted and asked for the town to" crunch the numbers" to see how this exemption would affect the budgets.
3) I then went on this blog as well as a guest editorial in a local paper to say that this would devastate the town and its budget and exposed it for what it was" a political ploy"4) At the public hearing the experts in a letter said that the proposal would in fact be devastating and could do some tax shifting onto others. 5) because councilors had this report the Friday before the Tues meeting, Councilor Coyle had already a printed new "water down" version of the elderly exemptions.
Question: What was reported by the Press? Just the facts that Coyle had a newer version of the proposal and Not the bigger story of
Why didn't the ADT, Coyle Carney and Fairbanks get the numbers BEFORE they proposed this???? Why was not the fact that Coyle now knew it would kill the town and so he hurried to water it down and hoped nobody would see this as I did.
All three papers were told of this and all were there that evening and NOBODY question Coyle on this. Why?
Also the facts remain the same- he proposes the watered down version and Still doesn't see how the new numbers will affect the budget ( however we get closer to election time and no body's caught on yet.)
The media needs to do a better job in their journalistic writings.
That's the beauty of the blog. Nobody can slant your words or edit content about the issue from another viewpoint.
What are your thoughts? Is the local media bias to certain parties?
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27 comments:
I imagine a conversation like this takes place about one a week....
Ring, Ring, Ring….
UL Receptionist: Hello, The UL.
Kevin: Hi, can I speak to Mike please.
UL: One moment, please.
Mike: Hello, Mike here.
Kevin: Hey Mike, Kevin here.
Mike: Hi Kevin, what can I do for you today?
Kevin: I need a headline.
Mike: Sure thing…what should it say?
Kevin: I was thinking something like “Exit 4A s%*ks, vote to give KC the Council majority” Sub headline: “Councilor seeking non-binding question on ballot"
Mike: I want to work with you, but….
Kevin: Trust me, I’m a lawyer….
Mike: You said at the September Council Meeting that you “generally favored 4A”, then you recused yourself, then you un-recused yourself, then you de-un-recused yourself, then if I understand this right, you re-de-un-recused yourself…and now you called it a “bad idea” in a recent political endorsement.
Kevin: What the heck do my public positions on this issue have to do with this?
Mike: Kevin, you know I gotta call the opposing view…let’s face reality, pal…this is an irrelevant local issue --- there is no pending council action to consider --- and you want a headline? You know, you three councilors get more prominent coverage than any faction in any town we cover....
Kevin: I need it to be above the fold….WHY call anyone else?!! I’m telling you everything you need to know…trust me, I’m a lawyer.
Mike: OK, OK…but I gotta tone it down a little, how’s this --- “Exit 4A funding still in question”….I know that’s not true, there is no question open right now but I'll work with you….on another issue, Doug from the ADT is equating 600 senior households to a 1/2 billion dollars...I can't follow his math.....
Kevin: Your not alone...the guy is beautiful isn't he?....last year he said - with a straight face - that kindergarten would cost Derry $91,000 per child...
Mike: Didn't he just falsely accuse the schools of not providing any local history? He seems to hate schools...
Kevin: Hey bud, let's stay on point here - my point. My boy will be calling you....he wants a piece done on his "green" thoughts....play it like he invented "green"....he's got this ordinance he wants to pass....
Mike: What are the specifics of the ordinance?
Kevin: Who gave you permission to ask questions....you gotta get over that bad habit...
Mike: I'm real sorry...are you still gonna keep calling me? Can I shovel your driveway?
I don’t think the original ordinance was ever created to pass. It was created so that when incumbents Bulkley and Ferrante voted against it Doug Newell and the ADT would have an issue to beat them over the head with in the election. They were forced to switch to plan B when Bulkley and Ferrante decided not to run and the realization came that they would be saddling themselves with the tax and budget burdens they’re ordinance would have created.
It is interesting that the press never mentioned that not one elderly resident outside of “the regulars” spoke in favor of this proposal and are still not mentioning that the revised numbers are so drastically scaled back, it amounts to nothing more than feel good legislation. They don’t even question him calling it a compromise.
The numbers went from $18,000 - $28,000 - $37,000 in the respective age groups to $3,000 - $3,000 - $2000. That’s not a compromise, that’s “We screwed up so now we’ll just gut the whole thing”. Why isn’t the press saying “What happened”? You have to think they would have if this proposal came from someone in the majority.
If we in fact cannot afford the increases associated with exemption increase how do we even consider expanding the East Derry Library or the bike path from Windham. Both nice to haves but we obviously cannot afford dollars asscoaited with either project. Bonding mirros are not the answer. Cash from my pocket is cash out of my home budget.
Kevin,
I couldn't of said that any better! You are 100% correct. There is a difference between wants and needs. Clearly we can not afford both right now.
even the ntufield news --- who we have been able to count on to have some sense of balance --- wimped out this week.
they actually printed a rather lengthy "clarification" re: burtis' recent slam against brent carney.
the nutfield news should not have clarfied anything --- that should have been up to john burtis, who prematurely shot at carney. afterall, as a writer burtis is keenly aware of deadlines for press.
how patheiticly week of the nutfield news --- we can all imagine the phone rambling he gave to the nutfield.
in the end it appears the nutfield
is taking at least partial responsibility for burtis' false attack.
hey nutfield, in the future you might let burtis, fairbanks, and coyle) change their own diapers.
onward, burtis actual shot (carneys disclosure to the town administrator) resulted in "...destroying any trust..."
is obscene.
imagine folks --- mr. burtis, aka mr. transpareny, MR. 91A is offended by full disclosure.
bc, you are asking for public opinion on their possible perception of the local papers bias, yet frame the question with a nearly transparent political agenda, presented in a grammatically challenged manner.
your grandstanding aside, i for one applaud the greater scrutiny that town officials and pols have been placed under. locals pols were made aware that unless the inside, exclusionary and retread approach to town governance stopped there would be repercussions. seems an ever increasingly large segment of the towns citizens and the papers got the message and are now calling them as they see them. refreshing and BRAVO!!
bc, you more so than some pols have got the message, but there are others that keep putting themselves in a position where through their actions or inactions they leave no option but to be placed under the hot lights of the public court.
funny thing is bc, that the very councilors you are unfortunately choosing to attack on your blog are the same ones that far and away make their positions well known and clearly explained by using the papers as an additional means to communicate with their constituents....are all their positions correct? of course not, some are actually half baked, but to their credit they do possess the strength of their convictions to "put it out there" where others of their political colleagues dare not tread.
so, are the papers bias? absolutely, biased to presenting BOTH sides of an argument....but it should come as no surprise that when one sides politics are backed up with poorly considered or no good ideas, the other side naturally is going to get more press coverage.
I know this is off subject.
Why on Earth did the Town have T-bird arrested today?
If he truly has a permit that allows him to sell his goods on Town property, then why was he arrested?
Somehow I don't think safety is an issue. If safety were a true concern he wouldn't be able to sell at the rotary where there is clearly less space and heavier traffic flow.
What's the real reason?
If the Town wants to change or create an oridance further regulating these activities then so be it. But until then, let the man earn a living. He is following the rules of his permit.
I attended a dinner party in Rye this past weekend. I was surprised by one couples reaction after learning that I was from Derry. Seems they were from Rochester and thought it amusing that their former town manager Gary Stenhouse was now working in the same capacity in Derry.
Despite their foreboding warnings, I sure hope that there was a thorough search preformed by someone in town to fill the position .
But learning today about a hot-dog vendor being arrested at the transfer station on the order of the town administrator Stenhouse and with the approval of the town council it seems to me that there is a reason the couple from Rochester reacted the way they did.
Arresting a "hot-dog" vendor? WTF!? Is that what we really want our officials doing to occupy their well paid day's as a community? How about checking into drafting an ordinance that would prevent convicted sex offenders from moving very close to a nursery school as has been widely reported. Come on Mr. Stenhouse and company, earn your keep. Don't embarrass the community by hurting a guy selling hot-dogs that was only trying to make a living.
annon 4:04,
"BOTH sides" you say?
Read Kalil's article (Coyle's press release)on 4A again and show us where the other side was even mentioned let alone quoted.
anon 6:05....yes BOTH SIDES....the correct side and the wrong side. surely you are not suggesting that 4A and the decades long press coverage afforded it's "in over their heads" proponents have not had plenty of face time to make their case, are you?....i thought not.
4A is not going to happen and not so much as a dime more should be spent, especially with clm and their HUGE cost over-runs. the writing was on the wall long ago that the project was being kicked to the curb, but that did not stop some on the council from writing checks to clm.... i wonder if some townie's brother in law or drinking buddy works for clm?
5:40PM I feel your pain.
It seems that Stenhouse was personally driven by our Police Chief in the town's cruiser to a fundraiser (held in Merrimack)this week. What's that all about! Chief Klauber got his hand slapped (and then some) for allowing a fireman to drive an engine a few feet from the station so a fellow fireman could have wedding photos taken on the truck.
Hot Dog Vendor
I've seen other people/groups selling things in the exact same location. No one said or did anything about it. Community groups did fundraisers there. No one did anything about it. Now we have a guy trying to earn an honest living and we take him away in irons. And Derry gets more bad press. Nice going.
Tom Seidell
Annon 7:23,
Maybe we didn't read the same article --- it was by Kalil and it was NOT about 4A viability or funding --- it was about Coyle grandstanding ploy to put it on the ballot as a non-binding question. Regarding that issue, Kalil did NOT present both sides.
Please stay on topic.
I am sure Stenhouse will have some arrogant response in regards to using this cruiser for personal use. lets fo Fairbanks get on the bus for this one!!
Go sausage man! I can't belive that the town won't allow this. this is ridiculus. I have seen this man all over town at MacGregor park (public land) and other town functions. Let him pay an extra $100 a year and get on with it. people need to make a living for. Unless the town can't wait for him and his family to be in line for meals and fuel assistance, and who knows what else. give me a break!
So much for bringing and retaining businesses in this town.
off topic what is going on with this new sexual predator ordinance?
This town needs a fresh face. The young man from East Derry who is seeking the at large seat would be a good start. I've had the pleasure of chatting with him on my walks, what a gentleman. Nice young family too. Really committed to getting involved and making a difference.
Is the local press biased? (I am sure that is what you meant).
Of course! We all have various biases. The better question is should the press let their respective biases affect their reporting. The answer should be no! Unfortunately its difficult to stay neutral, even for reporters. Their opinions should be limited to the editorial pages and columns, but come through in most articles today.
As for the hot dog vendor, he has no right to sell any products without the proper permits. He is a sincere, sympathetic person, but is breaking the law! What liability would the town be in danger of if a patron got ill, hit by a car, or injured while on town property? Then the nice vendor becomes a huge liability! What about the law abiding vendors, restaurants, and stores who play by the rules and obtain all the required permits. These people pay for and follow the rules. The hot dog man should not be treated any differently. He should not be given an unfair advantage or put the town at risk.
anon 11:44.
Actually, all candidates for council will be fresh faces.
anon 5:15,
COuncil is working on one. We want to make sure that we do it right. Councilor Coyle had said it correct in the Special Meeting that a local ordinance would have no teeth only fines. A state wide law would have some bite though. We are looking at crafting local ordinance and then contacting our reps and getting them onboard at the state level
thanks BC regarding the ordinance.
i am torn between and ordinance or keeping things the same. i feel it may make these offender not register and i would rather know where they are.
I agree there needs to be teeth to this and just crafting one to craft one wouldn't benefit anyone.
An interesting article in this weekends Union Leader regarding a question on Exit 4A NOT going on the ballot in Londonderry. Al Baldasaro, their state rep has been talking about this issue for a couple months now, yet he apparently didn’t feel there was enough public support to come up with the 150 signatures required to get it on Londonderry’s ballot.
Read the article.
Wonder if we could’ve got those signatures on this side of the highway or if this is just another of Kevin Coyle’s pet projects.
The following quote though speaks directly to the issue of bias in the press:
“If a nonbinding question appears and passes in Derry, Baldasaro said he hopes to send the same question to Londonderry voters next year. If it passes in both towns, Baldasaro said he would challenge the town's commitment to the project.”
“If the question appears and passes” followed by Baldasaro saying he would challenge the towns coomitment, clearly shows that the press is framing this as an anti 4A issue. It also implies that the question appearing on the ballot will be framed in the negative, so that a yes vote will actually be against 4A. That could get confusing.
Why is Kevin Coyle who has had to recuse / unrecuse / de-unrecuse himself from this issue in the past and has a vested interest in the ballot questions outcome, being allowed to get something on the ballot that could very well benefit him? If BC had a house on Folsom Rd. the council minority wouldn’t allow him to even discuss 4A let alone introduce a ballot question.
And why isn’t the press asking Kevin why he’s promoting a ballot question that he stands to benefit from?? Why do they seem to assume that he only benefits if 4A goes through. Maybe his business will actually benefit if it doesn’t go through. Either way 4A goes, he surely has a vested interest and introducing this ballot question is self-serving at best and a direct conflict of interest at worst.
It may also be irrelevant if you read the quote from Londonderry’s town manager at the end of the article.
Why did the Council vote down the FF's contract. I thought that when the Town Admin. and staff approve a contract, the Council is supposed to act in good faith and sign the damn thing.
I beleive it's a big slap in the face to our firefighters that the town council voted against thier contract. These men and women serve and protect our community. The least we could do for them is to sign a contract the the town's negotiating team has agreed to.
Shame on the four councilors that voted no without a reason.
Anon 10:24, shame on you and all the others that are willing to wrap yourselves in the phrase "serve and protect" each and every time things do not break your way.
The word "serve" in this context lost it's creditibility long ago, as fire and police labor unions have wrestled both pay, overtime, pension and benefits far beyond a community's ability to pay.
These professions still "protect", it is the job afterall. But "serve?" Give us a break.
After 9/11 there was a well publicized crisis in NYC as firefighters and police ran for the pension exit given the extraordinary OT hours avalible during that time which translated into enormous pension compensation.
It is this kind of "self-service" that has diminished your "service" claim to nothing more than an empty emotional argument that no longer holds water.
This has to come to an end. You are all extremely well paid for what you actually do, so stop your whining.
Anon 146,
You statement about being extremely well paid is not factual, but your belief. Actually if compare the average salary to other professions that treat the sick and injured and save lives you will see the following:
DOL Website Annual Mean Wage for NH
Nurse = $55200
General Practitioner = $141380
Firefighter = $39810
EMT/Paramedic = $31450
But none of that even matters. The Council voted down the contract without reason. The Town's negotiating team came to an agreement. Why haven't the four councilors spoken up about their decision...they are cowards. Any chance they get, they will screw us over.
Anon 7:44, my facts are not wrong. Why don't you weave into your argument the impact that OT has on firefighter pay especially in Derry?
When you finish that exercise, why don't you address the factually incorrect assumption you've made by suggesting you are on same paygrade as nurses or GP's?
If this actually reflects your view of occupational parity, no wonder your labor union is forever clammering for more. Here's an idea for you, you could go back to school for eight years and become a MD or take the quicker route by becoming a RN after only four.
You are very well paid. There are entire areas of the country where firefighters are all volunteer. Some of them have much larger structures and population to protect and would take your deal in a heart beat.
Stop drinking the firehouse kool-aid and be happy for what you have, it's more than fair.
Anon 7:44 - I do not know the details of the contract that was negotiated nor do I know why the four councilors voted it down. I do agree that they at least owed you an explanation.
However, I have to disagree with your comment about being underpaid for several reasons:
1. The administrator for the State Employees union of NH stated that union personnel take lower pay in exchange for retirement pay. The retirement pay is VERY generous.
2. As for the salary comparison, you can use the DOL numbers only to compare how Derry firefighters do with respect to the state average NOT to determine if you are underpaid in Derry. I think the pay in Derry is probably one of the five highest in the state.
3. You also get 6 weeks of vacation starting out when most people in the private sector start out with 2 or 3 weeks.
When all this is put together, I do not believe you are underpaid. Does this mean you don't deserve a raise but the days of 3 to 4% raises is likely over given the tax cap we have in Derry.
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