I have seen firsthand Mayor McEachern’s leadership and dedication
October 17 − To the Editor:
I am writing this letter to enthusiastically endorse the candidacy of our Mayor, Deaglan McEachern for Portsmouth City Council. As a longtime resident and worker in our beautiful city, I have had the privilege of witnessing firsthand Deaglan’s leadership and dedication to our community.
One of the qualities that impresses me most about Deaglan is his unwavering commitment to the people of Portsmouth. He is a true advocate for our city, always willing to take the time to listen to the concerns and ideas of community members like myself. Deaglan understands that the strength of our community lies in its people and works consistently to ensure that our voices are heard and our needs are met.
One of the most pressing issues facing Portsmouth today is the need for workforce housing. Deaglan has led the way in addressing this critical issue. He understands that economic diversity is part of the fabric of our city and is committed to making sure we make progress in this fight. His commitment is not only a testament to his vision for our community, but also a reflection of his deep empathy for those who call Portsmouth home.
Deaglan McEachern has proven time and time again that he is a leader who can get things done. He has a track record of bringing people together to find common sense solutions to our city’s challenges and I have no doubt that he will continue to fight for us. Diglan is dedicated to the people of Portsmouth, let’s support him at the polls on November 7th.
Todd Sweet
Portsmouth
Overdevelopment and spending are more important than low rent housing
October 16 − To the Editor:
I just finished reading the City Council candidates speaking out in the October 16 edition of the Portsmouth Herald. The big issue that was addressed was the lack of affordable housing in Portsmouth, my question is about the fact that we have adequately addressed this issue many times and each time we have done something, but enough.
We have many low rent, seniors and other housing projects throughout Portsmouth. What really creates this problem, hundreds of people who want to live here but can’t afford the cost, and so many businesses have opened that pay low wages and take our sidewalks for their business, of which, again, they pay low wages and the biggest Problem of all, councils listen to some city employees who inflate our budget every year and our councils accept and approve those budgets 9 to nothing. Just ask these councilors why we now have multi-million dollar homes and businesses that should have large tax burdens that would help lower our tax costs, which would lower the amount landlords charge for rent. How about we reach out to our local communities to have low rent communities in their towns, even in some Maine towns that border our town.
Two other issues mentioned in the article were spending and overdevelopment. These issues are really more important than low rent housing because they affect current residents and ratepayers, some of whom have lived here most of their lives, who struggle to pay their property taxes due to councils raising the city budget, without worry to the taxpayer, year after year. Overdevelopment puts a burden on the taxpayer due to the cost of infrastructure, sewage, drinking water and stormwater, roads and streets, need for more employees.
Portsmouth councilors should care about the owners, residents and taxpayers of Portsmouth not the people who want to live here as the council and other factors contribute to the problem of the ever increasing cost of living here.
Bill St. Laurent
Portsmouth
The saddest event of all for those who support Israel and peace
October 13 — To the Editor:
In a popular children’s story, the elephant ruled the jungle and was a very bad ruler. So bad that all the animals were afraid of him. Not even the lion would stand against him. The ant said “I will take care of the situation”. All right, said the others, you are our champion. And while the elephant slept, the ant crawled up his trunk to his brain and began to tickle various places, driving him into a frenzy. “Get out of my mind,” said the elephant, “and I will be a good ruler.” And he did.
Now imagine if the ant had bitten the elephant’s toe, the elephant stepped on the anthill, 10 ants bit him 10 times and he 10 times, 100 ants and so on. Each cycle, the elephant became a worse and worse ruler, stalking the ant colony, to no avail.
Now imagine that the Palestinians blew a breach in the Gaza border wall and instead of 1500 heavily armed motorcyclists intent on murder and mayhem, 1500 unarmed women and children walked into the city of Sderot and sat in the park next to Ben Gurion’s tomb. And 1500 unarmed women and children walked from East Jerusalem to West Jerusalem and sat in the square in front of Yad Vashem. In the West Bank, unarmed women and children walked into the settlement of Ariel and sat in the street blocking all entrances and exits. And all over Israel unarmed women and children peacefully marched in the downtown squares of every town and sat down demanding their full civil rights.
Here in America we saw peaceful protesters in New York and Chicago, chanting “Justice for the Palestinians.” I would say to these supporters: Go to your friends and relatives in Gaza. Tell them to release the hostages unconditionally, denounce the leaders of the recent attacks on Israeli civilians, throw away your weapons, all and adopt the tactics of Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Choose Rumi and Khalil Gibran, reject Osama and Khomeini. This is the path to justice for the Palestinians. The path they follow, violent resistance that goes back to Arafat and long before him, leads only to destruction.
Unfortunately, though, this recent invasion has been so horrific that it may be too late for that. We know what’s going to happen. It has already started. For those of us who are supporters of Israel AND peace, this is the saddest fact of all.
Jeffrey Cooper
Portsmouth
Choice-order voting is a better voting system
Oct. 9 − To the editor:
We know that our government is a representative democracy, meaning that citizens elect government officials who then represent the ideas and concerns of citizens. For this to happen as designed, citizens must exercise their responsibility to vote. Voting is important, in fact it is everything in a democracy.
Pew reports ranked the US 31st in the world for voter participation. Most states elect state and federal officials by popular vote (winners are not required to have a majority of the vote). These two factors, low voter turnout and low winning percentage, come into play when election results do not represent the majority of citizens. For example; In the 2020 presidential elections, approximately 65% of eligible citizens voted (35% chose not to have a voice). Rep. Matt Gaetz won his seat, in a field of 7 candidates, with only 36% of the vote, 64% chose other candidates. Representative Andy Biggs, Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, won his seat from a field of 4 candidates, with only 29% of the vote and over 70% choosing other candidates. Clearly, the majority of voter support is not represented in this election.
Ranked choice voting can fix that! RCV reinforces voter preferences by amplifying the runoff election on each ballot. Voters rank their choices by who they want first, who they choose second, and so on. Winners must have 50%+ of voter support. The winner is chosen by a process of eliminating the voter with the lowest vote and redistributing the second choice of those ballots to the remaining candidates (and so on). With RCV there is no such thing as spoiler candidates or split voting, voters can truly vote their conscience.
We are fortunate that NH is working to bring ranked-choice voting to our state. We need lawmakers to pass HB 345 this fall. If you believe voters need more choices, more voice, and more incentive to vote, contact your representative and tell them to support HB 345. Please note that this bill does not establish RCV anywhere, but will allow cities, towns and parties to opt-in to use it in their local elections if they choose. Find your dealer at https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us Let’s focus on representation.
Cherry Bach
Portsmouth