Why I’m Running
Portsmouth is a wonderful exciting city with much to offer residents and visitors.
However, we struggle with the affordability necessary to live here. Affordability should
be for all. We need to create a fiscally responsible city affordable to young and old -
both homeowners and renters. It’s reasonable to consider that a renter also pays
taxes through their landlord. The land lord pays directly but I can assure you that
cost is transferred to tenants through their rent payments. All of us pay taxes in one
way or another. Currently, we have budgets that keep growing in size while our
numbers stay substantially the same. The trend is unsustainable. The same 22,000 plus
residents have paid for the City Council approved budgets though their taxes. The last 4
years the budget has grown by 26 million dollars. The number of residents still remains
below 23,000. The growth rate of approved development projects (most units projected
to be sold or rented at market rate) is a staggering 2,000 + units. Those units are
currently being built or to be built.
Portsmouth is an open, creatively exciting city. The merchants of this city providing
commerce. The restaurants and preforming arts drawing visitors from across the world.
But while they’re here, guests immerse themselves in our history and they shop. Historic
Portsmouth is so very important to our success, but we still need to be open to new
ideas within the historic district. We have long been known as an Eco-municipality. We
have to leave Portsmouth better able to defend against Global Warming. We need to
protect our shores along the Piscataqua from the frequent flooding. We need to insure
responsible management of our supply of clean water. We need to finish upgrading and
separating our infrastructure as we’ve done with Islington Street.
Portsmouth as a city needs services. We obviously need Police and Fire Departments.
The young deserve to have the best education we can provide. We need clean water and
functioning sewer. We need the services of Public Works. The list of services that we pay
for as residents is long. But if you’re young and wanting to move to Portsmouth to live
affordably or you’re older and living on a fixed income in Portsmouth the lopsided
increases of the current budget prevent many from either moving here or staying here.
We need to look at what’s been happening and why. Importantly, a City Councilor
needs to listen to all thoughts and opinions from all parts of the city. All ideas must be
taken into consideration. We need to as councilors, understand that parts of this city are
vastly different from others. They require different services to function. No ward or
location should be considered more important than another. A council is there to create
equality and balance, meeting the needs of all. All nine Councilors should try to find
open consensus for the good of the city.
The list is long but no one person, ward or developer deserves more consideration than
the other. We elect a council of nine. We need those nine to work together bringing
thoughts & ideas out in the open for discussion. We need to all act responsibly, never
forgetting who we work for – the city residents who’s trust and votes gave us the honor
of election to City Council and the responsibility it entails. That’s why I’m running and
asking for your vote. This city matters to me. You matter.
Position on Issues
Answers to Seacoastonline questionnaireSeacoastonline Questionnaire
Q1. What is the biggest problem Portsmouth is facing, and how would you solve it?
The affordability of living in Portsmouth.
Solving the affordability issue is a matter of curbing the rate of increase in our budget. The budget has increased in the last four years over $26 million. The number of residents living here is still under 23,000. Yet they must pay for the budget and its increases directly as homeowners or indirectly as renters. Approved spending is out of control. It's unsustainable. We need to look at what we can cut in the budget that won't affect the quality of services throughout the city. The assessment was unavoidable. Approving an even larger budget on top of the assessment was unnecessary. A larger tax rate next year will be the unavoidable consequence due the approved increase in this budget.
The council I sat on passed a zero based budget. Circumstances may have changed but we can try to maintain all services with a closer, fiscally responsible, eye to the budget. We cannot maintain the diversity of the city without making it affordable for all.
Q2. Portsmouth’s budget has reached nearly $150 million and its payroll has 260-plus people earning $100 000-plus. As a city councilor, what steps would you take, if any, to address the tax burden on residents?
The state requires a revelation every five years by law thus the reassessment to your property. The city manager (one of those 260-plus people earning $100,000-plus) suggests the tax rate to be approved in Concord. But it's the City Council's budget that they've approved that drives the tax rate suggestion that's submitted to the state. We can and we must lower the out of control growth of the budget. If you think your taxes were high this year wait until next year's tax rate comes out. After the assessments of last year and a, yet again, higher budget, you're insured a higher tax rate. Hold on to your hat. It's all you'll have left. This isn't right. It's unsustainable. We should look hard at recent administrative hires made to ease the work burden of those 260-plus. Looking at new middle-management hires isn't pleasant, but neither is losing your apartment or your home. We haven't grown as a city so why the need to hire more support staff to existing executives?
Q3. With affordability being such a challenge in Portsmouth, what would you do to make it more accessible to people with a wide range of incomes?
We need to start by cutting the budget. It would help with the eventual reduction of taxes overall. We also need to ease the burden of residential tax payers by creating a more equitable shared tax structure between commercial and residential. We need to stop approving unsustainable increases in the city budget. We should focus on making new build more affordable for all. We should not just provide incentives but look to our neighboring towns and areas to help. This affordability challenge shouldn't be just Portsmouth's burden to bear alone. I would look to our closest neighbors for help and collaboration: Newington, Greenland and Pease Development.
Q4. The Portsmouth Housing Authority has projected rents for the apartments the agency is building on city-owned land at the former Sherburne School will range from $1,580 for a one-bedroom unit to nearly $2,200 for three bedrooms. Are those rates low enough for working people? If not, what can be done to lower them?
The old school of thought was one quarter of your salary should go towards your rent. I realize that was back when they discovered the Earth was round. Going on that premise, $2,200. is 25% of someone making $8,800. a month. Take that one step further $8,800. a month translates to a salary of $105,600. annually before taxes. Even an apartment rented for $1,580. requires a salary of $75,840. before taxes for it to be affordable. So no, I don't think those rates are affordable for working people.
Ask questions. How did you arrive at this rate and why? More importantly, can you find ways to the lower rents? Portsmouth Housing Authority is a nonprofit. It's responsible to ask to ask them these questions and expect possible adjustments.
Q5. Should the city commit to using more city-owned land to build truly affordable housing or has Portsmouth done enough?
And my question to the question is, "Who is building the housing?" Building truly affordable housing on city-owned land isn't likely to be a solution unless the city is actually paying for the housing also. Giving more city land to developers is simply wrong without a rock solid wiggle proof commitment in writing that "truly affordable housing" will be the only housing built. Good luck enticing developers to do that. We've sadly got two thousand units to be built in this city but no-one paid attention to whether they'd be affordable. Most will all be market rate. In this context, Portsmouth has not done enough. Allowing the rampant build of 2,000 units, most of them unaffordable to the average working residents is the city government acting irresponsibly without a great deal of thought for the future of Portsmouth.
Q6. Should the city reconsider the scope of a potential police station and City Hall renovation and upgrade project with a projected $42 million cost?
How much time and money has already been spent on the discussion? We go from one idea to another and back again. We need an affordable police station that works. I said affordable not a replica of some unattainable unimaginable overbuild. A police station that fits our needs and works. The problem is one overestimation of what city residents can bear. First it was partial renovation of city hall. Then it was renovation of the police station. Both were done. Then it was new police station. Now it's police and city hall renovation. I dare ask, tongue in cheek, would anyone else like to pile on?! And you wonder why the budget is as large as it is? We've spent way too much just talking about what we'd like to do. The city's even probably spent money discussing what they wouldn't like to do. I say reconsider only if the reconsideration is free. Then make up your minds and have residents vote on it.
Q7. Should Portsmouth do something to encourage development at the McIntyre building site, where the owner says city zoning has made redevelopment difficult?
I was once on the McIntyre Subcommittee not so long ago. I served with the current Mayor, then a councilor. With all due respect, Portsmouth had the chance and then some to "do something to encourage development." We had the chance to purchase the McIntyre building. This city council voted not to. The building could have been a police station or city hall or better yet, affordable housing. That train has left the station. The building will likely be demolished and the owner will start fresh with by far, some of the most valuable land in the city. The chance was had by the city. The city council could of, should of, but didn't.
Q8. The City Council has put forward ideas to address traffic flow and walkability in high-profile locations like State Street and Congress Street. What is your opinion on these efforts?
Stop wasting the residents time and money discussing the traffic flow becoming two way on either State Street, Congress Street or Daniel. And please don't insult those residents who remember State street being a dirt road for two years while the infrastructure was upgraded and separated underneath. Anyone remember the temporary repaving of State for a bicycle road race that was contracted for. How much did that cost? For a weekend. So Islington was one thing. It had hundred year old pipes for infrastructure. Paying for expensive plans to redo again sidewalks and traffic patterns is a ridiculous waste of taxpayer's money. How obtuse can we be when so many are having a hard enough time to afford living here. Let's just slow down a bit. Smell the roses on South Mill Pond. The state of NH will thank you for not interfering with a state governed road.
Q9. Should the city begin looking for a site where it can build its third municipal parking garage? If so, what part of the city makes the most sense? If not, how can the city meet its increasing parking demand?
The city should look at city owned property feasible for a location but maybe in an area closer to where all the future build will occur and not necessarily downtown. The alternative answer to meeting parking demand without the cost of further build is higher priced parking for nonresidents in town and maybe a satellite lot on the perimeter of town that's less expensive to park at. All this requires a better handle on our public transportation issues. But maybe that's less expensive than a new parking garage. Like our housing, we need more affordable parking for those working in Portsmouth.
Q10. What else would you like voters to know about you?
I love historic Portsmouth, but I realize that Portsmouth is made up of different areas, each with its own personality and attractiveness. Each area with needs. I hope to listen first to you and then to propose on your behalf. I would like to see a Portsmouth more affordable for everyone. We need to have a more sustainable budget. We need to pay more attention to what is necessary for all. Portsmouth is a wonderful City full of all types of thinking caring people. We need to keep it that way. I hope that you'll consider giving me one of your nine votes. Thank you.