Monday, November 4, 2013
The Pennichuck Proxy Ordinance
None of our three major news outlets in Nashua covered this but my "Pennichuck Proxy Ordinance" was passed in the last Board of Aldermen meeting. If you scroll down my posts to Jan - March of this year you will find several postings I made explaining my position on this. We have accomplished our goal. Each year the proxy from Pennichuck Corp for the annual shareholders' meeting will be discussed i...n the Board of Aldermen. More importantly because it will be on the agenda you will be able to make use of the portion of the agenda allotted for "period of public comment for items expected to be acted upon today." The by-laws of Pennichuck seem clear to me that the Board of Aldermen through its usual process acts as the "Sole Shareholder." This Ordinance insures that you, the taxpayer and owner, have a fair opportunity to offer your opinion.
Friday, September 13, 2013
The Moriarty Amendment
The back of my palm card which I hand to someone at their doorstep says I have "Protected the taxpayer with The Moriarty Amendment."
The one sentence description is that this amendment saved the taxpayer from a future cost estimated at more than $10,000,000 and it also protected the residential nature of the neighborhood surrounding the city's landfill and along all of West Hollis St.
The detailed description is as follows:
This past spring of 2012 a resolution was proposed to the Board of Aldermen to purchase three parcels of land along West Hollis St that abut our city's landfill. The total purchase price was approximately $700,000. (It's been a while so I have forgotten the exact price. But, for the sake of understanding the purpose of this amendment the exact price is not important.) When I received the resolution in my Aldermanic packet a purchase and sale agreement was attached. There was no explanation or justification for the purchase.
The resolution was referred to the Infrastructure Committee of which I am a member. The mayor, as the prime sponsor of the resolution, attended the meeting and gave a list of reasons to purchase the land. The main reason was something of the sort of "based on its own merits." One of the reasons mentioned was the possibility to relocate all of the city's Public Works facilities there.
One by one I considered each of the reasons given but found none of them to be individually sound enough to justify the purchase. I asked many questions and requested supporting documentation such as drafts of the many ideas proposed. No further documentation was provided. No details were given.
One of my duties at my regular job is to write proposals for technology development projects. It is common to provide 20 pages of justification for a $1M project. It is also common to provide 50 pages for a proposal for a $10M project. I didn't expect a 20 page proposal to justify this purchase but I did expect to be given at least a single page in addition to the purchase and sale agreement. No such document was ever provided
The Infrastructure Committee recommended Indefinite Postponement. At the following Board of Aldermen meeting there was a significant discussion. Since the purchase would require a supplemental appropriation that meant it would take 10 votes to pass. It failed to pass. Eventually it was tabled.
Later that fall, many weeks after the new fiscal year had began, the resolution was taken off the table. At this point the land was put on the capital improvements list and thus the mayor claimed that it no longer needed 10 votes to purchase it. Some of us argued this point but lost. During that meeting there was again significant discussion. After each of the Aldermen stated their positions it became clear that it was going to pass. So I thought that it was worth doing something to protect the citizens and the taxpayers. About a month earlier we had a public meeting at Mid-Dunstable School. In my view, about the only valid reason that we could all agree to purchase the land was to protect the residential nature of the neighborhood.
So I made a motion to amend the resolution so that the city may not do any development or construct any buildings that are outside the residential zoning of the surrounding neighborhood. The resolution was tabled and we adjourned for the evening.
During the next two days I lobbied for my amendment. When Thursday arrived it seemed that the majority had taken a liking to it. The mayor even endorsed it in her opening remarks. It passed 14-1. In the end I could have voted against the actual resolution as one final hard-headed "NO". But that would have been disingenuous to my colleagues who agreed to work with me on this amendment. I voted for the final purchase of the land.
I couldn't save the taxpayers the $700,000 it took to purchase the land but I think I saved them $10,000,000 it was going to cost in future expenses to relocate "the barn" to this spot. And this resolution truly continues to protect the residential nature of that neighborhood because had that barn been relocated there, there would be a convoy of trucks driving in and out all hours of the night during snow storms, not to mention the Public Works traffic during normal working hours.
Shortly after I lost a few of my most conservative supporters because of my final "yes" vote. Over time they have returned as supporters of mine. I am proud to list this on my palm card as an example when I risked taking a personal loss while I stood for principle against special interests in the defense of all the citizens of Nashua.
The one sentence description is that this amendment saved the taxpayer from a future cost estimated at more than $10,000,000 and it also protected the residential nature of the neighborhood surrounding the city's landfill and along all of West Hollis St.
The detailed description is as follows:
This past spring of 2012 a resolution was proposed to the Board of Aldermen to purchase three parcels of land along West Hollis St that abut our city's landfill. The total purchase price was approximately $700,000. (It's been a while so I have forgotten the exact price. But, for the sake of understanding the purpose of this amendment the exact price is not important.) When I received the resolution in my Aldermanic packet a purchase and sale agreement was attached. There was no explanation or justification for the purchase.
The resolution was referred to the Infrastructure Committee of which I am a member. The mayor, as the prime sponsor of the resolution, attended the meeting and gave a list of reasons to purchase the land. The main reason was something of the sort of "based on its own merits." One of the reasons mentioned was the possibility to relocate all of the city's Public Works facilities there.
One by one I considered each of the reasons given but found none of them to be individually sound enough to justify the purchase. I asked many questions and requested supporting documentation such as drafts of the many ideas proposed. No further documentation was provided. No details were given.
One of my duties at my regular job is to write proposals for technology development projects. It is common to provide 20 pages of justification for a $1M project. It is also common to provide 50 pages for a proposal for a $10M project. I didn't expect a 20 page proposal to justify this purchase but I did expect to be given at least a single page in addition to the purchase and sale agreement. No such document was ever provided
The Infrastructure Committee recommended Indefinite Postponement. At the following Board of Aldermen meeting there was a significant discussion. Since the purchase would require a supplemental appropriation that meant it would take 10 votes to pass. It failed to pass. Eventually it was tabled.
Later that fall, many weeks after the new fiscal year had began, the resolution was taken off the table. At this point the land was put on the capital improvements list and thus the mayor claimed that it no longer needed 10 votes to purchase it. Some of us argued this point but lost. During that meeting there was again significant discussion. After each of the Aldermen stated their positions it became clear that it was going to pass. So I thought that it was worth doing something to protect the citizens and the taxpayers. About a month earlier we had a public meeting at Mid-Dunstable School. In my view, about the only valid reason that we could all agree to purchase the land was to protect the residential nature of the neighborhood.
So I made a motion to amend the resolution so that the city may not do any development or construct any buildings that are outside the residential zoning of the surrounding neighborhood. The resolution was tabled and we adjourned for the evening.
During the next two days I lobbied for my amendment. When Thursday arrived it seemed that the majority had taken a liking to it. The mayor even endorsed it in her opening remarks. It passed 14-1. In the end I could have voted against the actual resolution as one final hard-headed "NO". But that would have been disingenuous to my colleagues who agreed to work with me on this amendment. I voted for the final purchase of the land.
I couldn't save the taxpayers the $700,000 it took to purchase the land but I think I saved them $10,000,000 it was going to cost in future expenses to relocate "the barn" to this spot. And this resolution truly continues to protect the residential nature of that neighborhood because had that barn been relocated there, there would be a convoy of trucks driving in and out all hours of the night during snow storms, not to mention the Public Works traffic during normal working hours.
Shortly after I lost a few of my most conservative supporters because of my final "yes" vote. Over time they have returned as supporters of mine. I am proud to list this on my palm card as an example when I risked taking a personal loss while I stood for principle against special interests in the defense of all the citizens of Nashua.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Biography of Dr Daniel Moriarty
Please visit my web page
www.aldermanmoriartycom
I no longer maintain this blog.
Dan Moriarty, Daniel Moriarty, Alderman 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 12 and after a great first season of track is back to ballet. Rebecca, 10, is interested in gymnastics and saving money. Charlotte, 10, likes ballet and has a goofy sense of humor like her brother. Owen, 7, 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.
www.aldermanmoriartycom
I no longer maintain this blog.
Dan Moriarty, Daniel Moriarty, Alderman 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 12 and after a great first season of track is back to ballet. Rebecca, 10, is interested in gymnastics and saving money. Charlotte, 10, likes ballet and has a goofy sense of humor like her brother. Owen, 7, 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
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.htmlWednesday, 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.htmlThursday, 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.htmlWednesday, 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
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.htmlMonday, 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.
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.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
A little extra precaution for the kids walking to school in Ward 9
As you all know Ward 9 is a very safe neighborhood but sometimes a little extra precaution doesn't hurt.
Commuters who travel along Tenby Dr. in Ward 9 northbound near Westwood Dr should find a new road sign warning you of the possibility of school children on the other side of the hill. Let me know if the sign is located in a good position. I haven't seen it myself but I plan to visit the location soon.
Also, there should be a new crosswalk where Lockness intersects Tenby. That will appear when the crosswalk painting season begins.
Commuters who travel along Tenby Dr. in Ward 9 northbound near Westwood Dr should find a new road sign warning you of the possibility of school children on the other side of the hill. Let me know if the sign is located in a good position. I haven't seen it myself but I plan to visit the location soon.
Also, there should be a new crosswalk where Lockness intersects Tenby. That will appear when the crosswalk painting season begins.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Guest Editorial Regarding Commuter Rail Ad-hoc Committee
I am writing in response to your recent editorial titled, “Caution First, Nashua needs no rail study yet.” First I feel obligated to point out that my proposed Resolution will not cost tax payers a penny. Nowhere in the text of the resolution does is suggest spending money. My choice of words for its title, “Commuter Rail Feasibility Study Ad-Hoc Committee” was meant to suggest that this small group would take advantage of and interact with the current State-run feasibility study. I agree that there is no need for Nashua to spend any money on another study at the moment. If you rightfully remove your primary objection that the City of Nashua spend money I ask you to answer this question, “should a group of motivated individuals be allowed to volunteer on behalf of the City of Nashua to ascertain the implications of commuter rail on future actions required by the Board of Aldermen?” Second, “should a group of volunteers directed by Nashua’s Board of Aldermen be allowed to interface with the State group conducting the current study?” The answer to each of those questions is, “Yes.”
Second, in regards to the two substantial reports of prior commuter rail feasibility studies which you allude to in your editorial I ask, “Have you read them?” When I asked that question in the Nashua Aldermanic Chamber the response I got was a collection of blank stares. I have read the most recent study (with the term “Capital Corridor” in its title.) In my opinion it does not draw the conclusion, as you claim, that commuter rail is not feasible. But, it does itemize substantial cost estimates broken down into categories such as one-time construction, or ongoing maintenance, and by extent of service (e.g. Nashua only, the Manchester Airport included, the City of Manchester included, or Concord included). While reading the report it became clear to me that much work needs to be done to take advantage of the reports which already exist. In my opinion a decision to disallow a group of volunteers to read the reports and summarize them for your benefit is tantamount to a choice “to remain uninformed.”
The concept for this committee was offered to me by an individual with substantial experience at the local and state level, with decades of experience as a business man and as an appointee on state level commissions. Since its first reading in the Board of Aldermen I have been contacted by other individuals requesting that they participate – individuals who are both for and against rail. Without the Aldermanic endorsement of an ad-hoc committee these volunteers cannot perform the work they feel is necessary. Further, the Charter of the City of Nashua has clauses which make it difficult for an individual Alderman to perform work without the endorsement of the full board. There is no harm in allowing motivated and responsible volunteers work on behalf of the City of Nashua.
With the above ideas in mind please read the full text of my resolution and either watch an online re-broadcast of, or read the full minutes of the Personnel and Administrative Affairs Committee Meeting (May 6th, 2013) where I elaborated further. The timing is right for a group of motivated volunteers to act upon the results of previous studies and interact with the current study to help prepare the Nashua Board of Aldermen enable commuter rail service that is sustainable without requiring tax subsidies from the state.
Sincerely,
Nashua Ward 9 Alderman Dr. Daniel T Moriarty
10 Barrington Ave. Unit 206
Nashua, NH 03062
Monday, April 29, 2013
Update on four Police Union Contracts
Here's an update on the 4 policeman related union contracts which are up for a vote at the next Board of Aldermen meeting.
They are long but readable. The only items which the BoA have jurisdiction over are the cost items, i.e. parts of the contracts which deal with money coming from the city budget (salaries and benefits.) There are four contracts including the police supervisors (captains and liutenants), communications staff, UAW, and. The police patrolmen's union is the last remaining yet to come to an agreement with the police commissioners.
As background, all other city employee contracts (Fire, Teachers, Library staff, etc) have been approved. There are two main items of note: the employee's share of their health care premiums, and their annual pay increase. They made concessions to accept health care premiums of 20% or 30% depending on level of service beginning Oct 2011. They all accepted 0.5% pay increases for each of the past two years and the upcoming year. The net effect for most employees was a reduction in their takehome pay.
The four police union contracts are different but none of them have accepted both concessions: the 20%/30% beginning Oct 2011 and the 0.5% pay increase. By my calculations the net effect is a cost to the city of about $1000 per employee per year for the three years these contracts are applicable.
There have been comments about fairness and comparisons to industry, etc. I am choosing to focus on uniformity amoung the city emplyees only. Fairness is a difficult thing to define and quantify. If we apply a uniform standard then I would have to vote against approving the four contracts. And I will have to hope that the unions agree with this logic and are able to come to agreeable terms without too much further delay.
They are long but readable. The only items which the BoA have jurisdiction over are the cost items, i.e. parts of the contracts which deal with money coming from the city budget (salaries and benefits.) There are four contracts including the police supervisors (captains and liutenants), communications staff, UAW, and. The police patrolmen's union is the last remaining yet to come to an agreement with the police commissioners.
As background, all other city employee contracts (Fire, Teachers, Library staff, etc) have been approved. There are two main items of note: the employee's share of their health care premiums, and their annual pay increase. They made concessions to accept health care premiums of 20% or 30% depending on level of service beginning Oct 2011. They all accepted 0.5% pay increases for each of the past two years and the upcoming year. The net effect for most employees was a reduction in their takehome pay.
The four police union contracts are different but none of them have accepted both concessions: the 20%/30% beginning Oct 2011 and the 0.5% pay increase. By my calculations the net effect is a cost to the city of about $1000 per employee per year for the three years these contracts are applicable.
There have been comments about fairness and comparisons to industry, etc. I am choosing to focus on uniformity amoung the city emplyees only. Fairness is a difficult thing to define and quantify. If we apply a uniform standard then I would have to vote against approving the four contracts. And I will have to hope that the unions agree with this logic and are able to come to agreeable terms without too much further delay.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
My Vote Against an Additional $300,000 grant to Cotton Mill LLC
At Tuesday's Board of Aldermen meeting I was one of three to vote against a resolution to steer another $300,000 in Federal block grant money to the Cotton Mill LLC project. In general I support the goals of the project. The current building is an eyesore on Nashua's downtown and it has collected substantial toxic wastes. After it is re-developed it will be very similar to the Clocktower Place apartments: 106 apartments of mixed income with about half of them being at less than market rate.
The building was purchased in 2006 by Mr. Stabile for about $1.75 million. This development project is funded by about $11 million in tax credit investors, about $10 million in a permanent loan from HUD, $700,000 from the previous two years of the City's HOME block grant from the federal government, and about $600,000 in brownfields funding (toxic cleanup). Mr Stabile is contributing about $2 million but will get that back as the project proceeds.
The rent from the project will go (99.9%) to the tax credit investors, for the first 15 years. After 15 years full ownership and control of the entire project will go to Mr. Stabile. It is hard to project the value of the property in 15 years, so being conservative, essentially a $1.75 million investment will turn into $25-30 million after 15 years.
It is my opinion that Cotton Mill LLC does not need another $300,000 in HOME funds. It can proceed in very fine financial shape without this grant.
As a member of the Human Affairs Committee, in the past 18 months, I have participated in a few meetings about these types of projects. As part of discussion of this particular $300,000 I have been told that there are no other agencies currently requesting these funds. Meanwhile there are many other properties around the city that need to be redeveloped. These funds can be spent anytime in the next two years. There are other agencies that manage Community Home Development projects around the state. It is my opinion that this $300,000 will be much better spent on a new project (or projects) around the city.
I have tried to spread the word in the past year about available CDBG funding for non-profits yet this year we had surplus funds. Regarding these HOME funds, as a member of the Human Affairs Committee, possibly I could take some of the blame for not finding other appropriate agencies; however, I was under the impression that there is a group within the administrative branch which handles this.
The building was purchased in 2006 by Mr. Stabile for about $1.75 million. This development project is funded by about $11 million in tax credit investors, about $10 million in a permanent loan from HUD, $700,000 from the previous two years of the City's HOME block grant from the federal government, and about $600,000 in brownfields funding (toxic cleanup). Mr Stabile is contributing about $2 million but will get that back as the project proceeds.
The rent from the project will go (99.9%) to the tax credit investors, for the first 15 years. After 15 years full ownership and control of the entire project will go to Mr. Stabile. It is hard to project the value of the property in 15 years, so being conservative, essentially a $1.75 million investment will turn into $25-30 million after 15 years.
It is my opinion that Cotton Mill LLC does not need another $300,000 in HOME funds. It can proceed in very fine financial shape without this grant.
As a member of the Human Affairs Committee, in the past 18 months, I have participated in a few meetings about these types of projects. As part of discussion of this particular $300,000 I have been told that there are no other agencies currently requesting these funds. Meanwhile there are many other properties around the city that need to be redeveloped. These funds can be spent anytime in the next two years. There are other agencies that manage Community Home Development projects around the state. It is my opinion that this $300,000 will be much better spent on a new project (or projects) around the city.
I have tried to spread the word in the past year about available CDBG funding for non-profits yet this year we had surplus funds. Regarding these HOME funds, as a member of the Human Affairs Committee, possibly I could take some of the blame for not finding other appropriate agencies; however, I was under the impression that there is a group within the administrative branch which handles this.
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