Home » Local Voices

February 24. 2013 11:00PM

Gate City Musings: Officials' tax excuses implausible

Editor's note: Gate City Musings, a column on City Hall happenings and other Nashua items, is published every other Monday. It is written by a veteran political observer whose identity is known to the editors but who wishes to remain anonymous, and breathing.

It never rains but it pours when elected officials try to explain why they didn't pay their taxes.

Cases in point: 2nd District congresswoman Annie Kuster of Hopkinton, Nashua Ward 7 Alderman June Caron and a few Manchester officials - all of whom fell over themselves a couple of weeks ago as they tried to "explain" why.

A blue ribbon for the top excuse goes to millionaire "Dancing Annie" for explaining that her two-year lateness was because she "forgot." How anyone as smart and on top of things as she is can say she can forget that taxes are due annually is beyond me.

Another implausible excuse goes to Caron. Her excuse was that "too many things were happening in her life and paying taxes was at the bottom of my priorities."

Musings finds it interesting to note she found the time to attend City Hall meetings during her three-month recuperative period.

As a couple, Caron and her husband are drawing two pensions from the city, so in Musings' mind finances and the payment of taxes shouldn't have been a problem. As for the Manchester city official/tax delinquents, that's nothing new for the Queen City.

Kudos to the Nashua Salvation Army's annual Ground Hog Day Celebration. A fun time was enjoyed by all including a humorous talk by the Publisher of Yankee Magazine.

A "pat on the back" to board of public works' commissioner, Dr. Kevin Moriarty, for his splendid commentary that our illustrious aldermanic board would be setting a very bad precedent by mandating that one elected body can set a meeting date for another elected body.

However, with the direction the aldermen are taking, nothing would surprise us. They increased our city's budget the past five fiscal years by millions and millions and then had the audacity to say they were saving us taxpayers tons of money by this action.

On another subject, we have the mayor, the board of aldermen (with the exception of two enlightened members) the chamber of commerce and the local newspaper all falling over themselves with glee now the state is going to spend nearly $2 million for yet another study aimed at telling us we need commuter rail.

Over the years our state and federal governments have already spent over $50 million more for land acquisition, the purchase of railroad engines and cars and a host of other studies which are gathering dust on office shelves in Nashua, Concord and our nation's capital.

There isn't a commuter rail program in our country that isn't being subsidized by the taxpayers. In other words, no commuter rail system in our nation is running in the black, aka making a profit.

Here in the Granite State, federal, state and local taxpayers will be expected to come up with a minimum of $300 million just to get the system operating. On top of that will be annual operational costs of upwards of $10 to $12 million. These monies don't just grow on trees, folks. They come out of your and my pockets.

Remember commuter rail enthusiasts, New Hampshire and our federal government tried an experimental commuter rail project from Nashua to Boston in the 1980s and it failed miserably, mainly because people wanted to travel in their cars. Serious doubts have arisen that this attitude has not changed.

Now we have the city standing in line to purchase a large block of land adjacent to a neighborhood near East Hollis St. for a "commuter rail parking lot and quite possibly a rail station." Just think what this would do for the neighbors and those folks who cross the bridge going to and from work each day.

Interesting comment the other day from Madame Mayor. When she found out that a reporter would be riding in a city plow truck during the "big storm of '13" to give readers a firsthand account of what it's like to plow city streets, she wasn't happy and was heard to say, "I can't have you people in one of MY plow trucks."

Musings didn't know the Mayor had personal control of public works trucks. Once again the board of public works and the city's street department know who their real boss is.

Mayor Donnalee Lozeau didn't shine when she removed former alderman Dave McLaughlin from the conservation commission. He was one of the most conscientious commission members and didn't deserve this shabby treatment.

A wise man (or perhaps it was a wise woman) once said you can get a lot more out of people with honey than you can with vinegar.

Remember ... if you have a subject, complaint or praise about what our city officials are up to or you have a suggestion for "kudos," email them to gatecitymusings@yahoo.com. Musings would love to hear from you.