Alderman At-Large Dan Moriarty: July 2013

Alderman At-Large Dan Moriarty Biography

About Alderman At-Large Dan Moriarty

You almost certainly know one famous person from my home town of Atchison, Kansas: Amelia Earhart. It's unlikely you know that she grew up on the same street as me although obviously not at the same time. I like to tell people that I grew up in the inner city - inner city Atchison, Kansas, population 13,000. Typical of most mid-western towns the streets are laid out in a grid and there's an alley between every street. My neighborhood is 1/4 acre zoning so the houses are surprisingly closely spaced for being in a state with so much open space.

Atchison looks very similar to Nashua's North End with all its Victorian homes. My mom's house was (still is) a medium sized Victorian with a big porch in front. Since Atchison was settled in the 1760's it is filled with many impressive homes made of stone and brick, one with a set of gargoyles on the roof keeping watch. The house I grew up in is still there, same phone number since before I was born. A symbol of stability and reliability that has contributed to my personality.

Atchison residents are mostly blue collar, with the largest employer being the steel foundry along the river, formerly owned by Rockwell. Their claim to fame is having the ability to make the largest (at least while I lived there) single-pour castings: tank turrets, railroad trucks, etc.The second largest employer is Midwest Grain Products. Allegedly they produced more alcohol than any other location in the country, used in low-cost beverages such as vodka and gin that comes in plastic jugs and the grain-mash would be used for livestock feed.

I went to Central School (public) from K-5 and walked to and from home since 1st grade. Imagine these days letting your 6 year old walk home from school, make a snack, and wait for you to return home from work. note: never in my life did I have a key to my house because we never locked our doors. We often toss our car keys on the floor when we get out to go shopping. I spent the weekends with my dad who travelled during the week as a sales rep in the casting industry. My mom worked full time to support us five kids first as a waitress then for most of her career keeping the books for payroll at Rockwell. There were days I was home sick from school watching educational TV on PBS. My mom would call from work to check up on me (which annoyed me to no end). Now days that would be frowned upon but the whole arrangement instilled a sense of personal responsibility.

My dad was a sports nut and as such I first started competing in swimming when I was 6 and "retired" when I was 11. After that it was baseball, football, basketball, and soccer. Eventually I managed to stop playing basketball which I was never any good at and wrestled instead. By the end of high school it was just cross-country in the fall and track in the spring. I ran every single day for three years and managed to get 11th at the state champs in the 2 mile (10:02) and 4th in the 4x800 relay (8:17). The next day I hung up my shoes and essentially didn't run again until the summer before my 30th birthday....because while at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology my main focus was academics. There were times during the latter parts of the semesters when there weren't enough hours in the week to get everything done. So, we would skip lectures in order to get the homework done. Quizzes were a treat because it meant there was no eight hour homework assignment due that week. I was in electrical engineering which was the largest department at the Institute. I remember one class being so oversubscribed, (MIT had a policy that you could go to any class you wanted without ever having to get on a wait list) that the professor decided to crank up the difficulty of the homework until the students began to drop out of the class. Eventually through attrition he got the class down to a manageable size. (6.013, fall junior year.)

Aside from the obvious technical training, probably the single biggest thing I learned from MIT was what I call their "No Excuses Policy." If there was an assignment due on Monday and a gigantic snow storm left two feet of snow on Saturday morning making it next to impossible to get to the lab, the assignment was still due. You were supposed to know the storm was coming and start early. If there was any conceivable way the work could get done it shall be done. At the same time the students could apply this policy on the administration. There better be benches and test equipment available. The electronics better be available, and same with the teaching staff. The 'Tute gave us infinite resources and flexibility to accomplish our work and expected nothing short of perfection.

After getting a doctorate in applied physics in the department of Nuclear Engineering, my first job was in Los Angeles at TRW, an aerospace and security company. After two years I returned to New England to join the MIT Lincoln Lab, then four years at a telecom startup. Most recently, 9 years at BAE Systems where I am now. This is a great place to work: almost no corporate politics, a meritocracy, plenty of resources, driven toward deliverables. It's a lot like MIT; but, without the competition between peers. In my role as Alderman I often resort to my experience at my current employer as a guide of how things should function. At the moment I envision myself retiring here at BAE Systems.

I have one real hobby: racing triathlon. It's almost a profession since I train about 10 hours per week (150 miles on the bike, 25 miles running, 2 hours in the pool). My first race was in Hyannis, Mass in 1999. Since then I've competed in about 50 triathlons from sprint, to Olympic distance, to half-Ironman. I've raced three times for Team USA at the Age Group World Championships: Gold Coast, Australia; Budapest, Hungary; and Beijing, China. My best ranked performance was 10th in my age group at the Beijing World Champs.

My four kids keep me busy every other weekend and a few weeks a year. Amelia is now 13 and after a great first season of track is back to ballet. Rebecca, 11, is interested in gymnastics and saving money. Charlotte, 11, likes ballet and has a goofy sense of humor like her brother. Owen, 8, just finished his first season of T-ball. The girls, especially Amelia, are amazing artists.

Nashua suits me. It has everything I need and no traffic. But, I do miss the thunderstorms of Kansas' springs.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

There just isn't enough parking along Main St for everyone; but, there is plenty of parking downtown. By making improvements to the streets off Main Street we would change the perception we have about parking in the garages and walking to Main St. Even though the distance from the furthest garage to Main St. is much shorter than the length of a standard full-sized indoor shopping mall such as the Pheasant Lane mall we prefer to walk the extra length indoors rather than outdoors. To me it seems that making the walk no longer be "to" somewhere but "within" somewhere would be exactly what it takes to encourage people to park off Main St. Rather than the downtown experience begining the moment you get to a sidwalk on Main St. wouldn't it be nice if the downtown experience began the moment you stepped out of your car anywhere in a three block radius.

When you visit Portsmouth do you tell people you visited Market Street or Congress St? Or do you just say you went downtown?

Nashua has a boulevard down the middle of its downtown and that is a great advantage that many cities in New England don't have. But, this fact can be viewed as a detriment when we perceive the downtown experience as only being along that one boulevard.

If we were to spend the resources we are currently putting toward removing healthy trees and replacing functional curbs along Main St but instead put that effort into adding new features to Factory, High, Pearl, Elm, and Spring streets we would be much better off. Imagine the walk from the Factory Street Garage being along a grove of fruit trees with kiosks now and then displaying local artwork. We don't need raised mid-block crosswalks with fancy lights embedded in the ground to encourage people to cross in the middle of a bridge. We don't need to add traffic where there already is too much. We need attractive features elsewhere to make it pleasing and therefore encourage people to walk along the adjacent streets. We don't want to raise meter fees to discourage people from parking on Main St. We want to encourage people to park off Main St.

We don't need to take two steps backwards with the current misguided approach to modernizing Main Street and shrinking its appeal. We need to take a step forward by improving the surrounding area by expanding its vibrancy.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Complete Listing of Nashua Telegraph Articles covering my work as Alderman

Sunday, June 30, 2013 Proposed Nashua rail station study squashed for now, city moves ahead with Crown Street acquisition

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1009494-469/proposed-nashua-rail-station-study-squashed-for.html

Wednesday, June 26, 2013 Aldermen pass $251.5 million budget after trying – and failing – to make some cuts
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1009024-469/aldermen-pass-251.5-million-budget-after-trying.html

Sunday, June 23, 2013 Some Nashua aldermen call for transparency, accountability for downtown sidewalk project

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1008826-469/some-nashua-aldermen-call-for-transparency-accountability.html

Saturday, June 22, 2013 Moriarty starts parade for Nashua election petitions

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1008791-469/moriarty-starts-parade-for-nashua-election-petitions.html

Wednesday, May 29, 2013 Removal of trees in downtown Nashua sparks dual debates at Board of Alderman meeting

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1006188-469/trees-spark-dual-debates.html

Friday, May 17, 2013 Questions over budget presentation, city of Nashua employee raises dominates meeting discussion

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1004822-469/questions-over-budget-presentation-city-of-nashua.html

Thursday, May 16, 2013 Apples, oranges... Trying to make sense of the Nashua city budget

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1004690-469/apples-oranges...-trying-to-make-sense-of.html

Saturday, May 11, 2013 Nashua alderman may turn to Right to Know request to get information

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1004222-469/nashua-alderman-may-turn-to-right-to.html

Thursday, May 9, 2013 Memorial bike ride, walk slated for this weekend in Hollis

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1003982-469/memorial-bike-ride-walk-slated-for-this.html

Thursday, May 9, 2013 Future of rail unknown in Nashua with dismissal of ad hoc study on commute transit

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1003872-469/future-of-rail-unknown-in-nashua-with.html

Thursday, May 9, 2013 Cotton Mill project totals $28m, alderman questions use of government funds

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1003861-469/cotton-mill-project-totals-28m-alderman-questions.html

Tuesday, May 7, 2013 Sidewalk construction, and costs, an issue for downtown businesses and members of the board of aldermen

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1003624-469/sidewalk-construction-and-costs-an-issue-for.html

Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Nashua developer holds groundbreaking for Cotton Mill Square building, discusses trials and tribulations of project thus far

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1002225-469/story.html

Saturday, April 27, 2013 Former Nashua alderman’s beef with board members won’t go away

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1001880-469/former-nashua-aldermans-beef-with-board-members.html

Saturday, April 13, 2013 Aldermen Sheehan, McCarthy remain silent on apology to former Alderman Johnson

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/1000275-469/aldermen-sheehan-mccarthy-remain-silent-on-apology.html

Friday, April 12, 2013 Kudos to Moriarty for seeking apology

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/opinion/letters/1000025-465/kudos-to-moriarty-for-seeking-apology.html

Thursday, April 11, 2013 Aldermen pass ordinance barring businesses from parking inventory for rent, sale, lease on Nashua streets; downtown owner calls it “stupidity”
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/999967-469/story.html

Tuesday, April 9, 2013 Nashua alderman proposes ad hoc committee to study feasibility of bringing commuter rail through city

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/999593-469/story.html Nashua alderman proposes ad hoc committee to study feasibility of bringing commuter rail through city

Friday, March 29, 2013 Lozeau says casinos the wrong fit for Greater Nashua, state

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/998494-469/lozeau-says-casinos-the-wrong-fit-for.html

Saturday, March 30, 2013 Former alderman questions board member’s conflict of interest with Nashua Children’s Home, funding legislation

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/998656-469/story.html

Sunday, March 24, 2013 Nashua officials, residents air concerns during Pennichuck’s first city-owned shareholder meeting

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/997989-469/nashua-officials-residents-air-concerns-during-pennichucks.html

Wednesday, March 20, 2013 Main Street sidewalk upgrades to continue with light-up crosswalk, director says
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/997406-469/main-street-sidewalk-upgrades-to-continue-with.html

Saturday, March 16, 2013 South Nashua Citizens’ Forum planned at New Searles Elementary School

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/996887-469/south-nashua-citizens-forum-planned-at-new.html

Tuesday, March 12, 2013 Records of Mayor Donnalee Lozeau’s Texts

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/csp/cms/sites/Telegraph/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=sIN5Gy$yQZvHhs3FVwBgi4LPSAuVam5jTiAj1deALcJU$H9sQgwjuxM3E3mSQCQh4Aw$6wU9GSUcqtd9hs3TFeZCn0vq69IZViKeqDZhqNLziaXiKG0K_ms4C2keQo54&CONTENTTYPE=application/pdf&CONTENTDISPOSITION=Lozeau%20texts.pdf

Tuesday, March 12, 2013 Sunshine Week: Is your alderman listening during the meeting, or just hanging on Facebook?

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/996541-469/sunshine-week-is-your-alderman-listening-during.html

Tuesday, March 12, 2013 Sunshine week: Text messages a way for Nashua mayor to get crime, storm updates quickly, records show

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/996538-469/sunshine-week-text-messages-a-way-for.html

Thursday, February 28, 2013 Nashua aldermen agree with clerk; election to replace Ward 8 rep will wait until municipal election in November

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/995216-469/nashua-aldermen-agree-with-clerk-election-to.html

Tuesday, February 26, 2013 Meeting times, records rankle Nashua residents

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/995012-469/meeting-times-records-rankle-residents.html

Thursday, February 14, 2013 Nashua board OKs $1.4m Crown Street purchase for park and ride, potential rail station

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/993548-469/nashua-board-oks-1.4m-crown-street-purchase.html

Wednesday, February 13, 2013 Nashua Crown Street park and ride approved

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/993523-469/nashua-crown-stree-park-and-ride-approved.html

Thursday, January 24, 2013 Aldermen’s committee approves spending $1.4m for commuter rail station on Crown Street

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/991308-469/nashua-board-of-aldermen-weighing-1.4m-for.html

Tuesday, January 22, 2013 Aldermen will weigh Nashua rail station on Crown Street again after tabling bill in April

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/991077-469/aldermen-will-weigh-nashua-rail-station-on.html

Friday, January 4, 2013 Bridge enhancements are debated

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/989058-469/bridge-enhancements-are-debated.html

Friday, November 30, 2012 Nashua aldermen accept two easements on ‘Parcel F’ for city sports field, conservation land

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/985495-469/nashua-aldermen-accept-two-easements-on-parcel.html

Wednesday, November 28, 2012 Minutes of meeting between Nashua Mayor Lozeau and aldermen to stay secret

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/985189-469/minutes-to-stay-sealed.html

Saturday, November 17, 2012 Nashua aldermen say bulk of closed-door meeting should have been public

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/984138-469/nashua-aldermen-say-bulk-of-closed-door-meeting.html

Tuesday, October 16, 2012 Nashua boards discuss costs of lowering class sizes in city

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/979495-469/nashua-boards-discuss-costs-of-lowering-class.html

Sunday, September 30, 2012 Nashua...From the inside: ‘Moriarty Amendment’ helps make West Hollis Street land purchase more palatable

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/977354-469/moriarty-amendment-helps-make-west-hollis-street.html

Friday, September 28, 2012 Aldermen OK West Hollis St. land buy

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/977130-469/aldermen-ok-west-hollis-st.-land-buy.html

Thursday, September 13, 2012 Vote on purchase of 3 tracts delayed

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/975131-196/vote-on-purchase-of-3-tracts-delayed.html

Friday, September 7, 2012 Nashua aldermen weigh procedures, make-up of Review and Comment Commission

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/974319-196/nashua-aldermen-weigh-procedures-make-up-of-review.html

Sunday, August 26, 2012 Nashua...From the inside: Nashua alderman misses podium, but makes triathlon world championship

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/972908-196/nashua-alderman-misses-podium-but-makes-triathlon.html

Saturday, August 18, 2012 For Nashua alderman, it’s tri, tri again

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/971922-196/for-nashua-alderman-its-tri-tri-again.html

Wednesday, August 15, 2012 Nashua aldermen approve $2.4 million in escrow items; tax rate could increase 2.5-2.7 percent

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/971451-196/nashua-aldermen-approve-2.4-million-in-escrow.html

Wednesday, August 1, 2012 Lozeau presents $2m sidewalk plan to city boards

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/969815-196/900k-downtown-sidewalks-plan-to-be-presented.html

Wednesday, July 11, 2012 Budget changes similar

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/967365-196/full-board-to-review-fiscal-2013-budget.html

Monday, June 18, 2012 AP history class at South explores city’s history

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/964816-196/ap-history-class-at-south-explores-citys.html

Sunday, May 27, 2012 Hats off to Nashua alderman for clarifying comment

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/962296-196/hats-off-to-nashua-alderman-for-clarifying.html

Saturday, May 19, 2012 Like it or not, some Nashua aldermen on Facebook

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/961454-196/like-it-or-not-some-nashua-aldermen.html

Wednesday, May 9, 2012 Nashua aldermen table plan for 3 tracts on West Hollis Street

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/960083-196/nashua-aldermen-table-plan-for-3-tracts.html

Sunday, April 29, 2012 Heat in the horseshoe at Nashua aldermen meeting

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/958926-196/heat-in-the-horseshoe-at-nashua-aldermen.html

Saturday, April 28, 2012 Infrastructure Committee weighs Nashua’s possibilities, priorities in land buys

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/958886-196/infrastructure-committee-weighs-nashuas-possibilities-priorities-in.html

Thursday, April 12, 2012 Aldermen approve bonding up to $2 million for Charlotte Avenue HVAC improvements

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/956852-196/aldermen-approve-bonding-up-to-2-million.html

Thursday, April 12, 2012 Board’s vote against Parcel F purchase seals land’s fate

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/956832-196/boards-vote-against-parcel-f-purchase-seals.html

Tuesday, April 10, 2012 City attorney: Texts during meetings are public records

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/956601-196/city-attorney-texts-during-meetings-are-public.html

Saturday, April 7, 2012 Aldermen to propose $250k resolution to ease police budget woes

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/956426-196/aldermen-to-propose-250k-resolution-to-ease.html

Friday, April 6, 2012 Resolution to spend $650k on W. Hollis Street tracts tabled again

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/956139-196/resolution-to-spend-650k-on-w.-hollis.html

Thursday, March 15, 2012 Last piece of developable Pennichuck land may be purchased by city after all: Public hearing set for March 26

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/953494-196/aldermen-authorize-parcel-f-bond-public-hearing.html

Wednesday, March 14, 2012 Aldermen reject reconsideration of Parcel F acquisition

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/953435-196/aldermen-reject-reconsideration-of-parcel-f-acquisition.html

Friday, March 2, 2012 Parcel F looks bound for development after Nashua Board of Aldermen rejects funding

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/952085-196/parcel-f-looks-bound-for-development-after.html

Sunday, October 23, 2011 Alderman, Ward 9

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/935788-196/alderman-ward-9.html

Monday, July 8, 2013

Board of Aldermen meeting - Monday July 8th, 7:30 pm

The Board of Aldermen meeting for this week will be tonight at 7:30 pm instead of it's usual Tuesday schedule.

There is one item on the agenda for Old Business: the ordinance prohibiting the sale of alcohol within 500 feet of schools (all current establishments excepted.) I will vote against this ordinance.

There are a few contracts that need to be approved. All of them request that the reconsid...eration period be waved so that the process can be expedited. Every bill voted by the BoA can be reconsidered at the next BoA meeting. That's standard procedure. I'm willing to waive the reconsideration period on occasions of an urgent matter; but, I don't think it should become a habit to shortcut the process. I will vote against all of them.

Finally, one of the contracts is to outsource the capital improvemnts paving project. It is worth $1,000,000 and accounts for essentially the entire city's road repair for a year. As a matter of principle I don't mind contracting out this type of work; however, it does seem prudent to clarify the difference between $1M of road repair not done by the Department of Public Works versus $1M worth of Main St. repairs which is being done by the DPW.

About Me