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Jim Dannis

  • Tax Liens

    A recent list of "tax liens" circulated to the board of selectmen includes a former department head who served the town until several months ago.

    In the private sector, when I moved from one job to the next, I was asked to settle up all outstanding accounts with the [...]
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    Posted: June 18, 2007, 11:47pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Duke Lacrosse and Milford

    Isn't it interesting that the prosecutor who pursued what now appear to be false accusations against the Duke lacrosse players will now be disbarred? And subject to claims from the Duke players?

    And isn't it interesting that Duke University has apparently made a financial settlement with the lacrosse players?
    [...]
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    Posted: June 18, 2007, 11:13pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Should the Blog Go "Invitation Only"?

    There continues to be a lot of blog traffic from what appears to be the Milford town offices.

    This could potentially raise a concern about time management, productivity and value-for-taxpayer dollars.

    I'd hate to have this effort at good disclosure for taxpayers end up having the unintended effect [...]
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    Posted: June 18, 2007, 10:47pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • What Happened to Disclosure?

    Go onto the town website and click through to the selectmen's meeting agenda.

    You know, the agenda for the next meeting. The place the selectmen are supposed to keep the public informed as to what we will discuss.

    Oops. As of the time of this post, the most [...]
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    Posted: June 18, 2007, 10:19pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • From the BOS Email File

    Not to sound like a broken record, I believe the public has the "right to know" what the BOS is discussing by email.

    I submitted (for the public email file) an email I sent on June 8, regarding the Nashua Street traffic light issue.

    Here are some excerpts [...]
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    Posted: June 18, 2007, 9:54pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Most Recent BOS Email on Oval Signs

    As regular bloggers know, I am strongly in favor of full and fair disclosure, to taxpayers, of information regarding government proceedings.

    I believe taxpayers have the right to know what town government is doing.

    Reprinted below is the most recent BOS (board of selectmen) email on Oval signs.
    [...]
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    Posted: June 18, 2007, 9:31pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Concord Thinks Strategically About Spending and Taxes

    Today's Concord Monitor online has an excellent article about Concord's long-term budget planning.

    Click HERE for the article.

    Milford faces many of these same challenges. It is good to see Concord taking a serious and sober look at the financial future.

    Thanks, Jim [...]
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    Posted: June 12, 2007, 4:37pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Walgreen's/Lorden's Plaza Stop Light -- Oops, No Public Hearing Because the BOS Already Effectively Approved It!

    "We screwed up." That was chairperson Noreen O'Connell's comment.

    She's right. The selectmen failed to serve the interests of taxpayers on this one. And we look pretty silly to boot.

    It turns out that the selectmen's decision to hold public hearings on whether or not to approve the [...]
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    Posted: June 11, 2007, 10:50pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • ATVs at Mile Slip

    At tonight's selectmen's meeting, the town administrator gave an update on ATV use at the town-owned Mile Slip property.

    As I understand it from the discussion, the chairperson of the town's conservation commission has emailed a recommendation to the full conservation commission to close Mile Slip to ATV use [...]
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    Posted: June 11, 2007, 10:38pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Oval Signs -- Abolished

    By a 3-2 vote, the selectmen decided tonight to prohibit all signs from the Oval.

    This puts to an end the selectmen's longstanding practice of allowing a limited number of signs from non-profit organizations on the Oval. This practice may at one time have been reflected in a town [...]
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    Posted: June 11, 2007, 10:28pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Selectmen's Minutes -- Not Yet Ready for Prime Time

    The selectmen's meeting minutes continue to be prepared and approved in a manner that does not, in my view, provide reasonable and adequate information to the public about our discussions.

    In my view, the minutes are simply too "summary" in form to be useful. Further, in certain cases the [...]
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    Posted: June 11, 2007, 9:47pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • New Walgreen's/Lorden Plaza Traffic Light on Nashua Street (Route 101A)

    The draft minutes of the May 29 selectmen's meeting report "the consensus...that the board of selectmen is responsible for traffic signalization". This is clear as a matter of state law.

    In other words, the decision of whether or not to put up a new stop light on any public [...]
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    Posted: June 08, 2007, 11:36pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Today's Hail Storm
























    When one of these almost-golf-ball-size hail stones hits you, it hurts! Sandy and I got nailed with some nice [...]
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    Posted: June 05, 2007, 7:08pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Selectmen Unanimously Oppose SB88 ("Democrats' Payback to Big Labor")

    At last night's worksession (and after a lengthy series of email exchanges that can be viewed in the public email file), the selectmen voted unanimously to oppose SB88. A letter from the selectmen expressing strong opposition to this bill is being sent to Concord.

    SB88 is a remarkable set [...]
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    Posted: June 05, 2007, 6:18pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Work Session on ATVs

    Last night the selectmen held a work session on ATV usage in Milford. Participants included the police chief, the local Fish & Game officer and Diane Fitzpatrick for the conservation commission.

    Three matters were discussed.

    1. Selectmen's input to conservation commission's process regarding ATV trails on town-owned Mile [...]
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    Posted: June 05, 2007, 5:45pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • The East/West Divide on Benefits Costs (and Strategy)

    From today's public BOS emails...

    I sent this email to the other selectmen to encourage a discussion at the next strategic planning meeting.

    Thanks, Jim

    ***********

    [TEXT OF EMAIL]

    I wanted to forward another matter we may want to discuss as part of strategic planning.
    [...]
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    Posted: May 31, 2007, 10:13am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • The North/South Divide on Taxes (and Strategy)

    Franklin, New Hampshire
    (from today’s Concord Monitor)

    “The tax increase for Franklin's school spending could have been bigger.

    School District Superintendent Jo Ellen Divoll presented a budget proposal to the city council yesterday that calls for $14.6 million for education, a $923,537 increase over last year's approved [...]
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    Posted: May 31, 2007, 8:34am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Oval Signs -- Maybe None at All...

    At last night's selectmen's meeting, the selectmen were given a handout from planning staff about Oval signs.

    The bottom line, as previously suggested here (see results of April 23 meeting), is that a sign regulation that allows certain non-profit organizations to put up signs on the Oval but does [...]
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    Posted: May 30, 2007, 2:59pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • ATVs in Milford

    At last night's selectmen's meeting, the Milford conservation commission organized a broad-ranging discussion of ATV riding in Milford.

    This afternoon's email traffic indicates there may be a selectmen's worksession on ATVs on Monday, June 4 (time to be announced).

    The participants last night included representatives of the conservation [...]
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    Posted: May 30, 2007, 1:50pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Tax Abatement Procedures

    At last night's selectmen's meeting, the selectmen were advised that taxpayers who are seeking tax abatements (that is, taxpayers who have filed formal requests for abatements with the town assessing office) are not given any advance notice of the date that the selectmen are meeting to decide whether to grant [...]
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    Posted: May 30, 2007, 1:43pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Transfer Station/Pay as You Throw

    At last night's selectmen's meeting, the selectmen voted to request the facilities committee to assess the alternatives for the best location of the transfer station. Consideration will be given to the potential benefits and costs of moving the transfer station to a new location versus keeping it where it is.
    [...]
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    Posted: May 30, 2007, 1:39pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Proposed Traffic Light at Walgreen's/Shaw's Location

    At last night's selectmen's meeting, the selectmen decided to hold a public hearing on June 11 (5:00pm) regarding the proposed new traffic light on Nashua Street at the Walgreen's/Shaw's location.

    The hearing will be open to members of the public so that they may comment on the benefits, costs [...]
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    Posted: May 30, 2007, 1:27pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Brox and ATVs

    At Monday's selectmen's meeting there was a request by an individual for permission to use the town-owned Brox property for ATV riding.

    After a lengthy discussion, the selectmen vollied the request back to the individual to see if he can put together a group of potential riders who would [...]
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    Posted: May 16, 2007, 9:12pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • June 11 -- Joint Meeting of Milford BOS and Amherst BOS

    There will be a joint meeting of the Milford and Amherst boards of selectmen on June 11.

    Any topics that should be put on the table for discussion?

    The selectmen (as in Milford selectmen) discussed some possible topics at Monday's meeting. These include sharing of resources to improve [...]
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    Posted: May 16, 2007, 9:07pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Nashua Street Traffic Light

    The process for approving new traffic lights was discussed at a joint meeting of the BOS and the planning board last week.

    This discussion came out of the planning board's approval of a proposed new traffic light that would give access to the Walgreen's site on Nashua Street. The [...]
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    Posted: May 16, 2007, 8:20pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Comcast Cable Internet Access

    After some weeks of intermittent (or totally unavailable) cable internet access at our home, the Comcast line crew got us back up today.

    The Comcast technicians do a good job. Thank you!

    It was sometimes frustrating, however, to deal with the "1-800-COMCAST" call center. At one point when [...]
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    Posted: May 16, 2007, 8:07pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Results of April 23, 2007 Selectmen's Meeting

    Here are some highlights from last night’s selectmen’s meeting:

    1. Appointments. The selectmen reappointed Joan Dargie to the Recreation Commission, appointed Ben Frost as a Planning Board alternate, and approved the promotion of Officer Shawn Pelletier to Patrol Sergeant.

    Ben Frost is a planning professional and a lawyer [...]
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    Posted: April 24, 2007, 9:19am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • The Path to Carbon Neutrality in New Hampshire -- Clear Cuts?

    Here's an interesting piece from the BBC (the UK state broadcasting company). It summarizes an interesting recent study on global warming and northern forests.

    Somewhat perversely, the academics suggest (once you get into the article and past the disclaimers) that a way to assist in combating global warming in [...]
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    Posted: April 10, 2007, 11:35pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Results of April 9, 2007 Selectmen's Meeting

    Here are some of the items from last night’s meeting. The humor isn’t until the very bottom.

    1. Frank Fraitzl, the new Fire Chief, kindly stopped by to say “hello” to the selectmen.

    2. The selectmen reappointed Diane Fitzpatrick and Audrey Fraizer to the Conservation Commission.

    3. [...]
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    Posted: April 10, 2007, 4:29pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Agenda-Lite

    Tonight was selectmen's meeting night. It was a 1/2 Diet Coke meeting. Home at 8:30pm.

    The selectmen met with the new fire chief, reappointed two members of the conservation commission, handled some administrative matters, and had a few general discussions.

    Beyond that, the selectmen didn't "do" much substance. [...]
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    Posted: April 09, 2007, 8:49pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Global Warming -- Another Perspective

    For those who value multiple sources of information and different perspectives, here is an interesting "counterpoint" to the current party line on global warming.

    The program was aired by one of the major London (UK) TV channels.

    It's fascinating. If you can spare the time, I promise it [...]
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    Posted: April 06, 2007, 9:08am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Zed, Seatbelts and Cell Phones -- Is This What You Want?

    Here's how it could soon play out in the new world brought to us by the unique intersection of (1) increasingly whacko Concord legislation, (2) incredibly expansive Supreme Court canine-sniff case law and (3) our own Zed, Milford's drug-sniffing dog.

    First, Concord. Assume the following bills pass and become [...]
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    Posted: April 05, 2007, 9:49pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Another Episode of Real World vs. Government

    "NASHUA – Administrators are shutting down schools Friday, as some 240 school employees are expected to be out. Late Wednesday night, Acting Superintendent of Schools Christopher Hottel said the district was left with no choice but to cancel school, after approximately 240 requests for personal days were submitted for Good [...]
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    Posted: April 05, 2007, 11:19am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • When Will Government Pay Be Based On Productivity?

    There’s an interesting “thought piece” in today’s New York Times that uses the recent Circuit City layoffs as a window into the relentless race for efficiencies in (of course!) the private sector.

    Click HERE for the full article.

    Although not intentionally, the article shows up the yawning [...]
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    Posted: April 04, 2007, 8:58am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • "It was just easy, and easy isn't necessarily correct"

    "We all have such busy schedules," said Selectwoman Noreen O'Connell, a farmer who grows and sells flowers and vegetables. Calling and e-mailing "just seemed easier," she said. "There wasn't any deviousness involved. It was just easy, and easy isn't necessarily correct." – Concord Monitor, April 3, 2007.

    That’s it. [...]
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    Posted: April 03, 2007, 9:29am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Where Are the Taxpayers' Yachts?*

    I thought I’d toss out some questions for discussion, debate and odds-making.

    1. Will the “new” board of selectmen (“BOS”) support a tax cap for 2008, to keep any town tax increase in line with inflation and increases in taxpayers’ own incomes?

    2. Will the new BOS lower [...]
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    Posted: March 29, 2007, 9:00pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Welcome Milford.nh.gov Bloggers!

    Just a few of the recent blog visits from the Milford.nh.gov web host:

    o March 28 -- Milford.nh.gov blogger A, signed on at 7:41am and stayed on for 2 hours 58 minutes.

    o March 26 -- Milford.nh.gov blogger B, stayed on for 4 hours 2 minutes, from 9:58am [...]
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    Posted: March 29, 2007, 4:41pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Another Interesting Perspective

    The Milford Observer's writeup of Monday's board of selectmen meeting (click link to Observer at right and then go to "Selectmen's Meeting Notes") can't avoid some well-targeted sarcasm when it describes the selectmen's, um, "process" for setting goals. Ouch!

    Any thoughts?

    Thanks, Jim [...]
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    Posted: March 28, 2007, 9:36am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • An Interesting Perspective

    Len Mannino's blog (link at right) has an interesting perspective on the now possibly unnecessary new permanent firefighter position approved by voters just a few weeks ago. Any thoughts?

    Thanks, Jim [...]
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    Posted: March 28, 2007, 9:32am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Results of March 26 Selectmen's Meeting

    Here are some of the key results and discussions from the board of selectmen (“BOS”) meeting. The selectmen also met with several appointees to town boards and commissions (thank you, volunteers!), and the selectmen were introduced to Police Captain Toom.

    1. BOS officers. Noreen O’Connell was elected BOS chair [...]
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    Posted: March 27, 2007, 10:12am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Why I Support NOC for BOS Chairman

    At least in theory, there are two "viable" contenders for BOS chairman -- Gary Daniels, the current chairman, and Noreen O'Connell.

    These are the only two selectmen with more than one year's experience on the board.

    In previous posts, I pointed out what I see as significant failures [...]
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    Posted: March 24, 2007, 11:19am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • A Move Away from Open Government

    What a disappointing start for the “new” board of selectmen.

    We haven’t even had our first meeting yet, and “openness in government” has already taken a body blow.

    Actually, if you want to be honest, we’ve had our first meeting. It just wasn’t a legal, public meeting out [...]
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    Posted: March 24, 2007, 10:56am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • A Quantitative Assessment of the Political Risks of Being Honest About the NH Pension Crisis

    Some quick numbers show why real politicians stay light years away from the pension issue. It's definitely toxic.

    Disclaimer: all figures, assumptions and guesstimates below are exceptionally rough, so don't even bother chucking stones. Assumptions are marked with an asterisk (*).

    Statewide

    o 70,000 -- Number of [...]
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    Posted: March 20, 2007, 8:38pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • And the Winner Is...Check the Emails

    The board of selectmen adopted a town-wide email policy in May 2006. The goal was to do better at making town government open and accessible to the public.

    When town boards conduct business by email, the public is left out of the picture. There is no chance for the [...]
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    Posted: March 20, 2007, 9:30am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Blue State Pensions

    Today’s Union Leader headlines some of the excesses and funding problems in New Hampshire’s pension program for state and municipal employees. Here’s the article: PUBLIC PENSIONS A NEW GOLD STANDARD.

    Several points leap out for those who read with a taxpayer perspective.

    1. Less than a year [...]
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    Posted: March 18, 2007, 4:05pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • A Different Approach

    From the Coos County Democrat, March 14, 2007:

    The Town of Dalton is accepting proposals for cemetery maintenance for the 2007 mowing season. The cemetery sexton duties should be included in the proposal. Proposals are due to the Board of Selectmen by April 2, 2007. If you have any [...]
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    Posted: March 16, 2007, 3:36pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • "New" BOS -- Internal Governance

    It’s time to turn our gaze forward and look at the opportunities for the “new” board of selectmen (BOS).

    With the strong likelihood of a new chairman, a lot of new directions are possible.

    One important area is internal governance of the BOS.

    Here are some initial [...]
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    Posted: March 16, 2007, 3:20pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Thank You to Larry Pickett

    On behalf of Milford taxpayers, I would like to thank Larry Pickett for his hard work, dedication and service to the town as a selectman.

    Larry is not a politician. He didn’t talk or act for the camera, the newspapers, the audience or the minutes.

    Larry worked for [...]
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    Posted: March 14, 2007, 9:18pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Results of March 12 Selectmen's Meeting

    Here are some key items from Monday's selectmen's meeting.

    1. Thank you to Steve Sareault. The selectmen thanked Steve for his service over the last nine months (with a cake and applause).

    2. Blasting ordinance. Work has been done by town staff to revise the town’s blasting ordinance [...]
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    Posted: March 14, 2007, 6:29pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Election Results! (Partial)

    [Posted at 9:22 pm; revised 9:44 pm]

    Here are the results from today's election, as read out tonight at the polls. Sandy wrote down the numbers and phoned them to me. We apologize in advance for any errors.

    The number of votes "for" is shown for each candidate. [...]
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    Posted: March 13, 2007, 8:48pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Apology

    I want to apologize to our town employees (and anyone else) who was hurt, troubled or offended by the post from an anonymous blogger several days ago that referred to obesity. I specifically want to apologize to the people in the photo on the cover of the Voters’ Guide.

    [...]
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    Posted: March 13, 2007, 8:31pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Please Come Out and Vote Tuesday March 13!

    Even though it was a heck of a BOS meeting tonight, I am going to hold off on reporting it until Wednesday.

    Let's keep all the focus on Tuesday's election.

    Thanks in advance to all the taxpayers who come out to vote, and to the town staff and [...]
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    Posted: March 12, 2007, 11:00pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • BOS Minutes Fail the Spot Check

    The selectmen voted a while back to move from detailed minutes to “summary” or “sanitized” minutes that provide limited disclosure.

    I voted against that change. I did so for two reasons.

    First, I believe taxpayers have the right to know the details of BOS discussions. Summary or [...]
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    Posted: March 12, 2007, 11:46am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • John McCain "Town Hall Meeting" at Heron Pond School in Milford on Saturday, March 17, 10:00am

    This notice came in by email from Steve and Martha Sareault.

    Thanks, Jim

    ***********

    It is early, but let’s show the country that local retail political action is still valued and important to the citizens of Milford, the Souhegan Valley, and New Hampshire. Senator John McCain will [...]
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    Posted: March 12, 2007, 9:37am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Milford/Merrimack Mixup

    This morning's Telegraph sort of snidely reports an unfortunate mistake in assembling, proofing and printing up Milford's Annual Town Report.

    It turns out that Milford's Town Report contains, through an innocent error, 18 pages of Merrimack's financial disclosures.

    The town administrator told the selectmen about this last week.
    [...]
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    Posted: March 12, 2007, 9:12am EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Escaping the Year Without a Performance Review

    That doesn't happen for most of us. Except in elected positions in government.

    In the private sector, it's all about establishing goals and measuring performance. Apparently not at the Milford board of selectmen.

    I read and re-read our agenda for Monday night's meeting. This will be the last [...]
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    Posted: March 11, 2007, 3:34pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • How I'm Voting on Tuesday

    DEAR VOTERS!

    Please come out and vote on Tuesday at the Milford Middle School. Participation is the best way to make your voice heard.

    As promised, I’ve set out below how I plan to vote. Prior posts on this blog have detailed discussions of the reasons for my [...]
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    Posted: March 11, 2007, 2:37pm EDT
    by Jim Dannis

  • Thank You, Steve Sareault!

    Monday evening will mark Steve Sareault's last meeting during his interim tenure as a Milford selectman.

    I wanted to take a moment and say "thank you" to Steve, and invite bloggers to do so as well.

    Steve, a professional engineer and long-time planning board member, kindly stepped forward [...]
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    Posted: March 10, 2007, 4:28pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Full Outsourcing

    It was interesting to talk with selectmen and officials from other towns after Friday's pension presentation in Concord.

    With health insurance and pension costs going through the roof, smart managers are looking for alternatives to adding permanent employee costs to the budget.

    I spoke with one official who [...]
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    Posted: March 10, 2007, 11:00am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • What Are These People Doing?

    When Sandy and I read the local Thursday paper online this morning and saw their "investigative" coverage of the Milford treasurer's race, we just scratched our heads.

    Is there any possible explanation for what these "journalists" choose to cover, versus what they choose to omit? It's very hard to [...]
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    Posted: March 10, 2007, 9:35am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Watch the Candidates' Forum Online and Win a Prize!

    An email just came in from the PEG folks giving a heads-up. The Candidates' Forum is now available online!

    The editors have broken the forum out into separate questions, so you can pick and choose what you want to watch. This works well.

    To watch on your PC, [...]
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    Posted: March 09, 2007, 10:33pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • A Pension Band-Aid

    As the selectmen’s representative to the Local Government Center (LGC), I went up to Concord this morning to hear the LGC's “Employer and Employee Working Group” proposal to fix the gaping, multi-billion dollar hole in the state pension plan. Unfortunately, what I heard was a band-aid, not the necessary structural [...]
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    Posted: March 09, 2007, 5:16pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Candidate News

    A few scoops from one of the local papers (the one that comes out on Thursdays):

    o "If [Noreen O'Connell] is successful in winning the select board's chairmanship in March, she will make addressing communication, including the blog, a top priority."

    o "[S]electman's candidate Tim Finan says the [...]
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    Posted: March 08, 2007, 2:20pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Change Takes Time

    A basic building block of democracy is for candidates to explain who they are and what they stand for. That's necessary to give voters the chance to make an informed choice at the polls.

    That's true even if the only choice available is between voting for an incumbent who [...]
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    Posted: March 07, 2007, 10:50am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Welcome Milford Observer!

    As I've said many times, the market works. In media, when people want a new viewpoint, a new business will spring up and provide it. And it just happened in Milford.

    I want to extend a warm welcome to Milford's new entrant in the newspaper field, the Milford Observer!
    [...]
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    Posted: March 07, 2007, 10:22am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Libby and Honor

    The idea that Lewis Libby was convicted of serious crimes for executing a presidential PR strategy is sickening.

    I don't fault the jury. They did their job on the facts and law that were before them.

    What is wholly unjust is for the president and/or vice president and/or [...]
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    Posted: March 06, 2007, 11:52pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Blogs, Tax Cap and Strategy "Win" at Milford Candidates' Forum
















    To the headlines in a second.

    First, the preliminaries.

    On the good news front…

    The candidates’ forum featured all four selectman candidates (Kevin Federico – 3 year seat, Tim Finan – 3 year seat, Larry Pickett [...]

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    Posted: March 06, 2007, 10:37pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Candidates' Forum -- Tuesday (tomorrow!), 7:00pm, Room 4, Milford High School

    I was asked by an interested citizen to put up another notice of tomorrow's candidates' forum.

    Below is the "official description" of the event, including the ground rules.

    Please attend!

    This year the questions for candidates will come from the audience, not the "We the People" students. [...]
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    Posted: March 05, 2007, 1:08pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Where are the Minutes?

    I wanted to check a point that was discussed at a recent selectmen's meeting, so I went to the town website to read the official minutes.

    Oops, bad idea.

    The most recent BOS minutes available online are from September 25, 2006. That's more than five months ago.

    [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: March 04, 2007, 8:36am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • My Policy with the Local Paper

    I’ve been asked to explain once again why I do not comment on the record to the local paper.

    The reason is quite simple. The local paper has a deep pro-spending, pro-tax, pro-big government, anti-taxpayer stance that they actively push in an attempt to influence local political decisions and [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: March 03, 2007, 2:12pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • A Selectman's "Top 10" Achievements

    With the end of my first year as a selectman just around the corner, I wanted to highlight a “top 10” list of accomplishments. I double-checked this week’s editorial in the local paper and, strangely, none of these achievements was mentioned.

    1. Keeping taxes down: Because Milford tax increases [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: March 03, 2007, 11:40am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Update on Candidate Blogs/Websites

    Here's an updated list of the Milford candidate blogs (or if no blogs, websites) that I know about. I wanted to put them all in one place so it's easier to get to them.

    BLOG: KEVIN FEDERICO – selectman candidate (3 year position).

    BLOG: LARRY PICKETT [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: March 02, 2007, 5:57pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Larry Pickett Open House -- Sunday 6:00PM

    This is Sandy, not Jim. I am hijacking Jim’s blog for a public invitation.

    Bloggers and friends are invited to an open house for Selectman Larry Pickett. Larry is running for re-election for the one-year seat. The open house will be a chance to meet Larry, hear his ideas [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: March 02, 2007, 3:12pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Focus Group -- New Merchandise

    It was a humbling experience to receive the rare and coveted "toxic selectman" award from the local paper.

    Being a market-driven type, I'm researching whether to launch a new line of clothing and fashion accessories to leverage off this great new brand. We're thinking t-shirts, sweatshirts, caps, buttons, bumper [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: March 01, 2007, 7:52pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Candidate Qualifications and Full Disclosure

    This post came in below, and it's already generated an active discussion. It deserves its own space, so here it is.

    Voters make the decision about who is best qualified for an elected office. To make an informed decision, they need to know the facts about candidate qualifications.

    [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: March 01, 2007, 3:42pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Another Candidate Blog -- Kevin Federico

    Kevin Federico, who is running for the 3-year selectmen's seat, has just put up a political blog.

    To go to Kevin's blog, click HERE.

    Kevin's opponent is Tim Finan.

    Let's thank Kevin for having an interactive dialog with taxpayers!

    Thanks, Jim [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: March 01, 2007, 11:16am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Issues Advocacy

    I want to give “equal time” to our local paper for their editorial viewpoint. Click EDITORIAL.

    While I’m flattered by the attention, it’s important to understand what is really going on.

    The Milford media market is becoming a mini-version of what we see on a national level. [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: March 01, 2007, 10:04am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Back...

    Apologies to regular bloggers who expect same-night meeting coverage!

    I was away for two days and "blogless", so Sandy kindly posted comments as they came in.

    I missed Monday's selectmen's meeting, so this'll be the first time to watch PEG meeting coverage gavel-to-gavel. Review to come...

    Two [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 28, 2007, 6:07pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Fair and Equal Justice for All

    How do you reconcile these three reports, from today's Sunday News?

    1. "Two full-time police officers...allegedly admitted vandalizing the town fire station while on duty last weekend... The state Attorney General's Office...declined to issue any criminal charges..." (p.A1)

    2. "A New Hampshire Institute of Art student and a [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 25, 2007, 10:52am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Every Student Has "Special Needs" (and Should Have a Fair Claim on School Resources)

    “There’s so much funding for special education. The well for gifted students is dried up.”

    That’s the quote from a high school debate coach at the top of a fascinating article in today’s Telegraph.

    The article profiles a stunningly successful high school debater from Hollis.

    The story [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 24, 2007, 10:50am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Holding a Deliberative Session Accountable

    From today's Union Leader.

    A petitioned warrant article was "gutted" in another town, and the petitioners went to court. The judge just heard the arguments.

    It will be interesting to see how this case comes out. Has anyone heard of any similar situations in New Hampshire?

    Thanks, [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 24, 2007, 7:33am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • School Budget and Other School Matters

    There's another interesting school discussion going on several posts down below. Two School Board members, Peter Bragdon and Paul Dargie, have given some helpful "what if" insights into the school budget in light of the "Lynch plan".

    I wanted to move the discussion up here so people can participate [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 22, 2007, 8:01pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • More Concord Budget Humor

    Sorry, I can’t think of a better word than “humor”.

    1. Cannon Ski Area. Governments are not good at running businesses. Even if they were, our state government is generally not known as the paradigm of management efficiency.

    Yet, for some reason the state is tenaciously hanging on [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 22, 2007, 9:31am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Political Sign Sightings

    Seeing "who is supporting whom" -- that is, what candidate signs are in what yards -- can give a window into a candidate's beliefs and alliances.

    Or maybe not, because there could be all sorts of reasons why a candidate sign ends up in a particular person's yard.

    [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 22, 2007, 8:39am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Blog Risks

    This is from today's BBC news.

    Geez, and the poor fellow didn't even get into the really touchy stuff like performance pay, sign enforcement, tax caps, reserves and voting for new positions.

    Thanks, Jim

    ***********

    Egypt blogger jailed for 'insult'

    An Egyptian court has [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 22, 2007, 8:24am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Results of Voters' Guide Worksession

    Tonight’s selectmen’s worksession on the Voters’ Guide produced some good results. All five selectmen participated, as did Ron Pieper for the budget advisory committee and Len Harten for the cemetery trustees.

    The Voters’ Guide will now add the important disclosure that the town is using $409,000 from the “rainy [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 21, 2007, 10:06pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Voters' Guide

    The selectmen will be meeting tonight at 7:30pm to go over the final proof of the voters' guide and make the last changes. The meeting is at Town Hall in the planning department meeting room.



    The draft "minority reports" have already been challenged by one selectman (in a public email) as [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 21, 2007, 3:32pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • The Sins of the State Budget

    The political game of unveiling new budgets is always the same. The spotlights are shone on the wonderful government programs. New spending commitments are marched out, one by one, arm-in-arm with the deserving, smiling, grateful, sound-bite friendly beneficiaries.

    But nobody interviews or takes photos of the people who have [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 21, 2007, 11:23am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Another Milford Candidate Joins the Blogosphere

    Len Mannino, a school board member running for reelection, has joined the blogosphere. Welcome Len! To get to Len’s site, click LEN MANNINO.

    Here are the other Milford candidate websites or blogs that have been publicly announced to date. Click on the name to go the site.

    [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 19, 2007, 3:08pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Oversight and Micromanagement

    The Julia Earl situation is a good lesson for school boards, boards of selectmen and other “policy and oversight” boards everywhere.



    When a board exercises real oversight, the automatic response is to howl “micromanagement”. The Milford selectmen hear that all the time.



    Today’s Telegraph editorial shows the other side of the coin. [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 18, 2007, 10:05am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Planning Boards and Zoning Amendments -- "Live Free or Die"?

    The post on flood plain regulations generated some good discussion on “just how far can land use regulations go”.



    In other words, can zoning regulations tell a property owner that she really can’t do much of anything with her land? Can the town take away most of the value of a [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 17, 2007, 6:39pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Voters' Guide Preview -- Why I Am Voting Against the Operating Budget

    I will be voting against the town’s proposed 2007 operating budget.

    Here are some of the key reasons why.

    1. New full-time employee positions should be on separate warrant articles, not in the operating budget

    Full-time employee positions are by far and away the largest expense [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 16, 2007, 9:59pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Milford Candidate Forum Night -- Tuesday, March 6, 7:00pm at the High School

    Here is the invitation to the Candidate Forum that went out from Milford's terrific "We the People" team to all candidates in town.

    Please mark this event down in your calendars. If you attend, please pull aside Dave Alcox and his students and say "thank you"!

    Thanks, Jim
    [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 14, 2007, 1:10pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • 7% Finally Rules in Concord

    Many months ago, this blog reported that the NH retirement system uses unrealistic, inflated assumptions about future investment returns. In fact, the NH pension fund has been using some of the highest investment return assumptions in the nation.

    It’s one thing to project world-beating returns if you’re a world-beating [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 14, 2007, 7:58am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Your Federal Tax Dollars at Work -- FEMA on the March Ballot

    Part of the 25+ pages of zoning amendments that are up for vote in March is a set of amendments to the town’s “Floodplain Management” ordinance. We discussed the amendments at tonight’s Planning Board (PB) worksession. A representative from the NH State Office of Energy and Planning joined the meeting [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 13, 2007, 10:39pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • "Illegal" Policy Suggestions

    This post just came in below and I want to put it up here.



    The post responds to a blogger who ridicules Larry Pickett's suggestion of providing health insurance to call firefighters. It quotes the blogger's ridicule, and then blows it away by showing what's on the table in other states.

    [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 13, 2007, 1:58pm EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • School Budget and School Matters

    Here's a place to talk about the school budget and other school matters. There are several school conversations going on down in the posts below, and I thought it might be easier to have a space here.

    Thanks, Jim [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 13, 2007, 12:27am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Results of February 12, 2007 Selectmen's Meeting

    We imitated the US Congress and managed to turn what should have been a 3-hour meeting into 5 hours (of which 4 hours were public). Sorry PEG viewers!



    Here are some highlights:



    o Ledgewood abutter issues. An abutter, Joan Dargie, outlined her concerns about the town approvals, compliance and neighborhood impact of [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 13, 2007, 12:20am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • Fair and Equal Enforcement of Town Rules



    "No off-premises sign may be established in any public right of way." -- Milford Sign Ordinance, Article 7.067(H)(7)





    "The following signs are prohibited: Any sign located within a public street or right of way." -- Milford [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 11, 2007, 10:34am EST
    by Jim Dannis

  • A Taxpayers' Guide to Town Health Benefits

    Health insurance is one of those areas with enough complexities to make it hard for taxpayers to “follow the ball”.



    There’s a simple bottom line.



    When the value of the health benefits provided under the town's benefit plan increases rapidly (as in recent years), taxpayers are paying for a substantial “net economic [...]
     | Rate | Archive
    Posted: February 09, 2007, 11:03pm EST
    by Jim Dannis
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