City Hall

Union drama … again in Manchester.

/ Beth LaMontagne Hall / Leave a comment

As someone who belongs to a union and has seen contentious contract negotiations play out in the workplace, I find it fascinating the way public unions and government hash out contract deals so publicly. The media, in this case pretty much just me and the stories I write, can be seen as a problem or a tool by either side in getting what they want. Manchester teachers have long argued they have made concessions more than other city unions. More give-backs is not what the members are looking for. But school and city officials argue that holding out and forcing 160 or more layoffs could not only hurt schools and make teachers’ jobs nearly impossible, but it could also turn public sentiment against those who stand in front of the classroom.

Holding out at this point also puts allies of the teachers on the Board of Aldermen in a tough spot. After promising to give more money to schools if the unions show movement on concessions, it will be hard to convince those aldermen on the fence to shift money from city services to the one group that has decided to stand its ground in this year’s labor dispute.

This week’s column also got to note the work of a behind-the-scenes player in Manchester, Kevin O’Maley. As the overseer of all city buildings, he has worked hard to improve energy efficiency, showing that being environmentally friendly doesn’t have to be this dramatic political fight, but just makes common sense when done right.

 

Vote against school contract sends aldermen wrong signal

SINCE MAYOR Ted Gatsas laid out his budget, aldermen have been looking for more money for the Manchester School District. The amount the city can give schools under the new tax cap is about $12 million below what the district says it needs to keep staffing and services at today’s level. This column reported last month that if school unions signaled they would make concessions to save jobs, the aldermen would consider shifting more city funds over to the school side.

On April 17, the Manchester Education Association’s executive board voted against a tentative agreement reached by school and union leaders.

This was not the signal the aldermen were looking for.
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The Prediction Game

/ Beth LaMontagne Hall / Leave a comment

Some good advice I received a few years back about covering politics was that people never hold political journalists accountable for their predictions. If you call the race for one candidate and the other wins, well then you get to write about the upset. If you pick the correct horse, then you’re deemed a savvy political mind for properly crunching the data.

Another way to get in some “analysis” without taking on the prediction yourself is to get others to predict what happened. This week I tried just that by asking all the aldermen I could whether a tax cap override is possible.

 

Aldermen flirt with tax cap override, but refuse to commit

THE ALDERMEN INDICATED on Tuesday there may be enough votes for a tax cap override. They also made clear they don’t want to vote on it right now.

Alderman At-Large Joe Kelly Levasseur made a motion at the end of Tuesday’s lengthy school budget discussion to stay within the tax cap as “a test vote.”

“I’m calling our bluff,” he said.

After a quick moment of protest, Alderman Tom Katsiantonis moved to table the item. The tabling motion passed, 10-4, with Aldermen Levasseur, Phil Greazzo, Jim Roy and Bill Shea voting no.

Later that meeting — at 12:30 a.m. — Alderman Patrick Long made a motion to override the tax cap by 1 percent. The aldermen shot each other surprised looks until Alderman Russ Ouellette made a motion to table that proposal, too. It passed, 11-3, with Long, Roy and Levasseur voting no.

The two motions will appear on the board’s agenda again this month.

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Budget season

/ Beth LaMontagne Hall / Leave a comment

The longer I do it, the more I realize budget debates are all the same. The only thing that differs is the size of the fight.

The debate over the school budget has become pretty serious, with more than 200 people showing up at a budget hearing this week, followed by a three-hour aldermen hearing about schools. This column, which appeared before those hearings, got 60 comments and drew education advocates, union bashers and simple spendthrifts to the table.

After going through a tough union negotiation battle with my company this fall and winter myself, I understood that such events have an effect on morale and condition of the workplace. When you take that idea and apply it to people who educate children all day, I thought it touched on something interesting … how worrying about your job year after year affects the face you put on for the kids each day. I also wondered is it solely up to the teachers to make their workplace better or do city and school leaders have a responsibility in it too.

Threat of layoffs creates ‘terrible’ morale for school staff

The school board’s decision to pink slip 161 school staffers last week came as a surprise to some board members, who entered the chambers that evening under the assumption that the votes to pass a reduction in force were not there.

Since then, the reality has sunk in, especially for teachers, and the union leadership has met to discuss the ramifications of the layoffs. As of Wednesday, there were no plans to bring the entire union membership together to talk about concessions.

With little movement expected from either side, both school and union top officials said the vote has further chipped away at the staff’s already low morale.

“Right now, people aren’t feeling good, especially after that meeting,” said Manchester Education Association President Ben Dick.

Staff morale is “terrible,” said Superintendent of Schools Thomas Brennan. “People are very anxious and concerned about their livelihood.”

Although the deadline for laying off teachers is not until May, Brennan said his staff will soon determine how to spread the 161 pink slips throughout the district.

“We certainly have the obligation to give all the staff time to get into the job market earlier,” said Brennan.

When those pink slips do come out, they’ll be hand delivered by Brennan, which he sees as his responsibility.

“My name is on the bottom of that page,” he said.

Mayor Ted Gatsas sees the teachers’ down attitude in another light.

“It seems as though the morale in the city (employees) was the same thing,” said Gatsas. “We came to an agreement with the unions on concessions, and it seems the morale has changed 180 degrees.”

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Spin

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As we approach the election, it’s getting harder and harder to decide what goes in week to week. I wasn’t even sure about the liquor store, until I went to the meeting.

 

‘A lot of spin’ put on deal for liquor store says alderman

Building a state liquor store at the corner of Granite and Second streets wasn’t the most popular idea to come before the aldermen this year, but on Tuesday, a majority of the board voted to move forward with a land swap that would allow the state to build a 10,000-square-foot store on the city-owned lot.

Manchester stands to earn $65,000 annually from the state over the next 25 years for the high-visibility location, and West Side residents would no longer have to go to Bedford or cross the river to buy their booze. But board members such as Alderman at-Large Dan O’Neil didn’t see the benefit to the city or the state in the deal. He and Aldermen Betsi DeVries, Garth Corriveau and Patrick Arnold voted against the project.

O’Neil told the board he had met with the state Liquor Commission and members of the city’s legislative delegation and was under the impression the state would rather buy the land than lease it.

“They said they’d be paying more for the land lease than if they purchased property,” said O’Neil. He also wonders why people heading up the highway would stop in Manchester to buy liquor when they could more easily do so up the road in Hooksett.

“There’s a lot of spin,” O’Neil said of the project. “It seems for many this was a done deal in the spring time.”

Arnold then asked the obvious question. Why exactly was the state willing to pay more for a lease than simply buying the land?

“I identified the location as a great location,” said Andy Davis, director of real estate for the commission. “Fairly early on meeting with Mayor (Ted) Gatsas and the (Manchester Development Corporation), they voted not to sell it to us because we would not be paying taxes. We still feel the location is a high-value target.”

Davis said on Wednesday the liquor store is anything but a done deal. The lease would need separate approval from the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, the Attorney General’s Office and the Executive Council.

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Another column of controversy

/ Beth LaMontagne Hall / Leave a comment

This week, it was about what made it in, what didn’t and one messed up headline.

Levasseur’s actions noted in JCC reprimand of Stephen

MAKING HAY. Joe Kelly Levasseur found himself in the middle of a judicial reprimand last week. And Mayor Ted Gatsas got a mention, as well.

The New Hampshire Judicial Conduct Committee issued a reprimand to Judge Robert Stephen last week over an altercation with Manchester firefighter Kevin Healey. Judge Stephen is the brother of 2010 gubernatorial candidate John Stephen, and is reported to have had a heated exchange with Healey over signs the firefighter posted that criticized his brother during the 2010 campaign.

A story about the JCC reprimand appeared in the New Hampshire Union Leader on Thursday.

The JCC report noted that Gatsas called Fire Chief James Burkush to ask if Healey had been on duty at the time of the incident. Healey was not. Although Gatsas inquired about the incident, it appears that’s the last involvement he had.

Levasseur, however, saw the flap over the signs as a good way to make political hay. The JCC report noted Levasseur “identified himself as being very active in Republican politics,” and that he “viewed the incident as a potential opportunity for political advantage.” He “used the incident for political purposes in blogs and press releases prior to the election and continued to do so even after the election,” the report said.

While ginning up controversy was well within Levasseur’s right, the JCC questioned whether Judge Stephen should have involved Levasseur in the first place. The report noted the judge should have known pulling in Levasseur “would also appear to be geared to political ends as later events demonstrated.”

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Primary blues

/ Beth LaMontagne Hall / Leave a comment

Predictions have no consequences, except when you make really weak ones. If you’re going to bother making a call, I learned, people want a strong one. Great lesson learned.

The city primary is on Tuesday; It’s time for predictions

If it weren’t for the smattering of signs across the city and coverage by the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News, even a relatively engaged resident might easily forget there’s a primary election on Tuesday. So it’s not much of a stretch to predict a record low turnout: less than 15 percent of registered voters heading to the polls.

Now, here are some other predictions:

In the race for alderman at-large, Dan O’Neil will likely be the top vote-getter, bolstered by union turnout. As for the No. 2 vote-getter, my money is it won’t be Alderman At-Large Mike Lopez after his budget proposal that left firefighters out in the cold. Though he’ll likely earn a spot on the November ballot.

The Ward 11 and 12 aldermen will also continue on to November, as will Welfare Commissioner Paul Martineau. But whether former Alderman Peter Sullivan or former Deputy Welfare Commissioner Diane Guimond earns that second spot is too close to call.

In the Ward 5 school committee race, Ted Rokas will easily pull in the most votes. Voters have continually rejected Robert Tarr in the past, but when fellow candidate Tara Powell does absolutely no campaigning, it could give him an in. In Ward 8, there are three strong candidates. That’s going to be a tough one. Continue reading →

Primary fizzled

/ Beth LaMontagne Hall / Leave a comment

I thought we pumped the crap out of the primary, but there were many people who said we could have done more. While I think they are only partially right, it did light a fire under me to kick up the city election coverage a notch.

I also put a little more effort in coming out with some solid analysis. Working on the speaking with authority thing every day.

Low voter turnout did little for anyone — especially the city

Sure, there was no primary for mayor, considered a big driver in past elections, but by the way the mayoral race has been skewed thus far, it’s unlikely casual voters will rush to have their voice heard in an expected rout.

There were also few primary races. Not counting the poll-worker races such as moderator and clerk, there were six primary races out of a possible 30, even after the City Clerk practically begged people to run. Some people interviewed said the poor turnout was due to a lack of notice, but with daily mentions of the primary in the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News for more than a week, ignorance is no excuse.

Alderman Jim Roy said leaving future leadership up to a tiny fraction of the city worries him. There are some big issues facing this city and a complicated tax cap question on the November ballot that has major consequences for next year’s budget. Low turnout, little enthusiasm and a lack of interest in city issues is worrisome indeed. Continue reading →

Giving it a little gusto

/ Beth LaMontagne Hall / Leave a comment

Predictions have no consequences, except when you make really weak ones. If you’re going to bother making a call, I learned, people want a strong one. Great lesson learned.

The city primary is on Tuesday; It’s time for predictions

If it weren’t for the smattering of signs across the city and coverage by the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News, even a relatively engaged resident might easily forget there’s a primary election on Tuesday. So it’s not much of a stretch to predict a record low turnout: less than 15 percent of registered voters heading to the polls.

Now, here are some other predictions:

In the race for alderman at-large, Dan O’Neil will likely be the top vote-getter, bolstered by union turnout. As for the No. 2 vote-getter, my money is it won’t be Alderman At-Large Mike Lopez after his budget proposal that left firefighters out in the cold. Though he’ll likely earn a spot on the November ballot.

The Ward 11 and 12 aldermen will also continue on to November, as will Welfare Commissioner Paul Martineau. But whether former Alderman Peter Sullivan or former Deputy Welfare Commissioner Diane Guimond earns that second spot is too close to call.

In the Ward 5 school committee race, Ted Rokas will easily pull in the most votes. Voters have continually rejected Robert Tarr in the past, but when fellow candidate Tara Powell does absolutely no campaigning, it could give him an in. In Ward 8, there are three strong candidates. That’s going to be a tough one. Continue reading →

The Corps code

/ Beth LaMontagne Hall / Leave a comment

Alderman Phil Greazzo. As real as it gets.

Briggs says Job Corps Center ‘more like an overnight reform school’

First, it was low-income rentals that Joe Briggs took on. Now, it’s the Job Corps Center. The school board member asked the aldermen last week to take another look at the center, which will offer job training to low-income students.

“I don’t see a strong social or economic benefit. People think Job Corps is a high-end technology center, but it is more like an overnight reform school,” said Briggs. “It’s a facility where troubled, underprivileged youth can go to have one last chance to have their high school equivalency or learn a trade. … It’s not exactly the cream of the crop, in a sense. I don’t think there are going to be companies lined up for these kids.”

The $35 million Job Corps Center, slated to be built on Dunbarton Road sometime in 2013, will train about 300 low-income New Hampshire students ages 16 to 24. Programs will include health care, clerical and trades training and GED certification.

On Tuesday, Briggs asked about the cost of the water and sewer lines needed for the facility. He cited a study from the Heritage Foundation that showed Job Corps costs exceed its benefits. And with the dearth of open land in Manchester, Briggs wondered whether something else would be better suited for the location.

His suggestion didn’t go over well with Ward 10 Alderman Phil Greazzo, who graduated from a Job Corps Center program after he got out of the Army in his early 20s. Greazzo said the comments were “way off the mark” and inappropriate coming from a member of the school board.

“I don’t think he’s known anyone who’s gone through one,” said Greazzo. “There might have been some kids who were using up their last chance, but they were putting effort into it.”

There are young people like that here in Manchester, Greazzo said, and the city should support their efforts to better themselves.

“I think it’s unfortunate he doesn’t see that,” said Greazzo. “He just sees them as a drag on our economy.” Continue reading →

It’s the little things that get the biggest reaction

/ Beth LaMontagne Hall / Leave a comment

One of the best things about my job is I get to see the little power plays and true personalities of public officials. Some people must have a baby toe in every action, while others have a problem watching what they say. Both those things happened here. And some people got mad at me. At least something interesting came out of TS Irene.

High praise for city’s actions during Irene’s visit

IN THE AFTERMATH of Tropical Storm Irene, high praise went to city police, firefighters, highway workers and other staff for their efficient handling of the havoc the storm wrought.

The compliments were particularly plentiful from the aldermen. There was just one problem — communication was lacking.

Leaving an alderman out of the loop has long been a major no-no in Manchester politics. If power is out in a section of a ward or the nearby fire station has to divert an engine across the city for the day, that ward alderman expects to be notified.

So when a call was made to run all storm-related information through the mayor’s office, a debate via email ensued.

Alderman At-Large Dan O’Neil started off an email on Monday with a “great job” and followed with a polite request for better communication on the front-end of the storm, specifically getting the city’s emergency contact number out to the public sooner.

“I would ask in the future that all aldermen be briefed in advance of our plans and be notified by phone (not emails) of meetings and briefings during the event,” wrote O’Neil in an email obtained by the City Hall column.

“If someone wants to change anything, bring it before the board of aldermen,” wrote Alderman At-Large Mike Lopez. “We also know that our department heads have their hands full and they know what to do.

You cannot have 14 people in charge in emergencies but I can tell you everything did work out and if something would have happened the aldermen would have been called.”

He finishes with “Thanks to all GREAT JOB.”

Ward 11 Alderman Russ Ouellette then joined in, saying department heads have more important tasks during an emergency than calling each alderman.

“If aldermen want information the aldermen should contact the mayor’s office or his designee for concerns of wards or any other information,” Ouellette wrote.

“The people of this city look to the mayor and ALL alderman for help and solutions,” O’Neil fired back. “You may not want to know what is going on in the city but I do. I don’t report to the mayor or his designee. I report to the citizens of Manchester.”
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THIS COLUMN REPORTED last week that Mayor Ted Gatsas asked department heads for 2013 budget projections. In response, Manchester firefighters’ union President Ryan Cashin sent out a press release asking Gatsas to fix this year’s budget before moving on to the next.

“The facts are clear. Arson and crime are on the rise in the city of Manchester.

Making sweeping cuts to public safety during these times is not in the best interest of the people of Manchester,” wrote Cashin.

Overall crime is up slightly according to police statistics from 2010. Arsons are up but violent crime in the city is down slightly.

Though Gatsas denied requesting budget numbers this early was part of a campaign strategy, the expected grim numbers will inevitably force candidates to take a stand on spending.

Cashin not-so-subtly criticized Gatsas for the move.

“We cannot focus on election gimmicks at a time when the public safety of the people of Manchester is at risk,” he wrote. “Mayor Gatsas and the Aldermanic Board need to focus on reprioritizing this budget, not the future one. The Mayor needs to put his focus off the upcoming election and onto public safety.” Continue reading →