Gatsas/Lopez: Back room politics at its worst

Not sure if it is old boy... (4.00 / 2)

If it is just two boys, but, it is not good government, and it is not a good budget.  The statements made at that meeting that this budget will not cause the school district to lay anyone off or cut back on programs is just flat out not true. The numbers were not accurate.

And the budget did not have to be passed that night - there was time under the city charter to give the public time to comment.  


"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 10:14:42 AM CDT

Are they old? (0.00 / 0)

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by: JimC @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 10:16:44 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Are they good? (4.00 / 1)

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by: FrankLloydMike @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 16:44:55 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'd say... (0.00 / 0)

To Jim: Yes
To FLM: You make the call!


America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand. -Harry Truman

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by: Peter Sullivan @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 18:45:14 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Now this is blogging! (4.00 / 1)

I'll be honest. I sorta cringed when I read this, 'cause it sure stirs the pot. But then I realized, this IS exactly why blogs are important.

If you wrote this as a LTE, there would be limited dialogue on the matter. Blogs present an opportunity to publically hash out topics of consequence.

Now we have to wait and see, if anyone else has the chutzpah to join in.

www.KusterforCongress.com  

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 10:18:39 AM CDT

yiddish patrol (4.00 / 1)

good usage of chutzpah...

Leo Rosten in The Joys of Yiddish defines chutzpah as "gall, brazen nerve, effrontery, incredible 'guts,' presumption plus arrogance such as no other word and no other language can do justice to." In this sense, chutzpah expresses both strong disapproval and a grudging admiration.

"Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It's that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that's what the poet does." Allen Ginsberg

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by: JonnyBBad @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 12:49:26 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

"When I was an alderman.." (4.00 / 1)

Why do I always feel so old when I start a conversation "When I was a ..."?

NH and Manchester specifically were suffering terribly under the first Bush. Wieczorek and the aldermen all acted like they were taking the budget process seriously. When I criticized the budget as too high, Wiz challenged me to offer up cuts. And I did! I suggested we do away with the city solicitor's office, except for a prosecutor working with the Police Department. I suggested we limit city employee salaries to no more than twice the average Manchester income. I suggested we sell the mayoral vehicle. I suggested cutting the mayoral staff and the city clerk's staff. I suggested six other cuts that I considered reasonable. Nobody supported any of them. In the end, Leo Pepino and I were the only aldermen to vote no on the budget.


Democrats solve problems, Republicans sit and say no.

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by: Ray Buckley @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 10:44:03 AM CDT

Typical tax-and-spend Republican Mayor. (0.00 / 0)

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by: This Was The Moment @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 17:32:51 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

"Manchester mafia Dem establishment" (4.00 / 1)

Apparently, Dana Houle is not a fan:

I Also Think With Bass... (3+ / 0-)

...that he didn't have fun with the pummeling we gave him in 2006.  He beat Paul by 20 points in 2004, and he thought 2006 was going to be another cakewalk.  But we didn't run the lame-ass campaign that the Manchester mafia Dem establishment wanted Paul to run, and we were extremely aggressive against him.  I think Bassmaster may want to be governor, and running against milquetoast John Lynch, who's never seen a controversy he's not convinced he can avoid (such as his cowardly aversion to backing same-sex marriage, which in NH is an extremely low-risk proposition), Bass might be a credible candidate.  But his record in Congress, and the ease with which we were able to tie Bush around his neck and sink him with it--the 2006 race wasn't even close in the end, with Paul winning by 8 points--I think he's very reluctant to get back in to that ring again.  

As for Sununu, I don't know why he thinks he'd do any better against Paul than against Shaheen.  I know the Dem establishment in NH would find this laughable, but I actually think Paul's a much stronger candidate than Shaheen, whose campaign was very cautious and uninspiring.  

"Dignified people, without a whimsical streak, almost never offer fresh insights, in economics or anywhere else." Paul Krugman

by Dana Houle on Fri Apr 24, 2009 at 08:50:48 AM PDT

This may piss some of you off. His comment isn't kind, but it sheds a view that is rarely heard. I can't speak to its veracity, but he gets my props for throwing it down.

Blog On!


www.KusterforCongress.com  

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 11:08:08 AM CDT

To quote Ben Franklin... (0.00 / 0)

"Most people repay small favors, acknowledge medium ones and repay greater ones -- with ingratitude."

Thats all I have to say about Dana Houle.

Democrats solve problems, Republicans sit and say no.

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by: Ray Buckley @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 12:33:17 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Why do these people from Michigan and Massachusetts think they can come to NH and tell us what is fair and right. (4.00 / 3)

http://www.bluehampshire.com/s...

"Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It's that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that's what the poet does." Allen Ginsberg

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by: JonnyBBad @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 12:52:47 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

This why... (4.00 / 2)

some call you Emperor.

www.KusterforCongress.com  

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 13:24:14 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Duly noted n/t (0.00 / 0)

www.KusterforCongress.com  

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 13:22:36 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Weird (4.00 / 1)

 Someone sent me something he wrote on Kos recently, which was full of inaccuracies - he said that John Lynch was paid consulting fees by the Democratic state senate caucus, for example. It was funny, becuase I didn't know who he was, so I googled the name, and said, ohhhh, that guy, he was with Hodes, I forgot about him.  So, no, that doesn't tick me off, because I know that the NHDP always encouraged people to run aggressive campaigns, and also it seems that for some reason he hates people in New Hampshire. He must have had some bad experiences.

In any event, to tjhe extent people think there is a Manchester Democratic cabal, please let me know when they are meeting, because I seem to have missed the notices!!  

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 13:29:23 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Here's The Link To His Last Story (4.00 / 1)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/5/20/162727/413

I got the same impression about his story, although I think the statement "it's quite possible that now the bill is dead for the rest of this legislative session" was the biggest inaccuracy.

The impression was impounded by the fact he was getting nasty with everybody in the comments section.

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by: Andrew Sylvia @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 14:04:45 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Hot under the collar (0.00 / 0)

He certainly doesn't mince words.

The dairy title is hyperbolic. Freekin' blogger!

www.KusterforCongress.com  

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 14:15:54 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Some familiar names in that thread (0.00 / 0)

One anyway; maybe two.

Which reminds, I hope some of our newer members stick around.

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by: JimC @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 14:26:11 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

"Manchester mafia Dem establishment" (4.00 / 1)

As a proud Manchester-er, I'd like to point out that this kind of Manchester-bashing (which is neither new nor an invention of Mr. Houle) is no more respectable than the San Francisco-bashing Republicans love to engage in.

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by: This Was The Moment @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 20:40:18 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Back to topic (0.00 / 0)

My understanding is that when you add up the teachers who will be laid off, plus the positions of teachers retiring that will not be re-filled, Manchester will have more than 100 fewer teachers this coming school year than currently.


"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 19:48:59 PM CDT

The Magical Adding Machine must not be working (4.00 / 1)

Sorry to the flatlanders for the inside joke...

America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand. -Harry Truman

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by: Peter Sullivan @ Fri May 29, 2009 at 21:30:20 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Manchester Update (4.00 / 1)

Friday night, the School Board voted unanimously to ask the mayor and aldermen to re-open the budget, in light of the fact that the city failed to take into account several million dollars in spending that the school district is legally obligated to spend.

Gatsas is quoted in the UL as saying, "The budget we gave them does not lay off anyone."

He is either delusional or purposely misleading the public.  Also, he is still not acknowledging the number of teaching positions that will be left unfilled due to retirement.  

If you are from Manchester, please call your aldermen and either ask them to re-open the budget, or to thank the three (Mark Roy, Betsi DeVries, and Peter Sullivan) who opposed this attack on our school system. Here is a link to their contact info:

http://www.manchesternh.gov/we...

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Sat May 30, 2009 at 07:45:58 AM CDT

Poor Teddy (0.00 / 0)

I vote delusional.

Democrats solve problems, Republicans sit and say no.

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by: Ray Buckley @ Sat May 30, 2009 at 07:58:16 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Where was Frank? (0.00 / 0)

Frank Guinta, the chairman of the board, apparantly skipped last night's school board meeting. The district, which already faces problems due to NCLB issues, is facing a reduction of over 100 teachers, and he could not go to the school board meeting?        

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Sat May 30, 2009 at 08:18:09 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Facts? We dont need no steenkin' facts (0.00 / 0)

In my expereince with Gatsas, if it's facts vs. sound bites, sound bites will win every time.

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by: Michael Marsh @ Sat May 30, 2009 at 15:59:09 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Sadness... (4.00 / 3)

I feel nothing but sadness over this Manchester budget process. I'm a teacher in Manchester, also a resident and native. I know firsthand the affect that Guinta's negligence has had on our once-great city.

Last Wednesday, after the Aldermen passed their irresponsible budget, was one of the saddest days of my career because I knew what that would mean for the future of our city.

Perhaps that's the price of the economy. But I do know that the city tax rate will still rise for the second straight year, despite the school district having been larger two years ago, and despite $7 million more given from the state for educational aid.

Gatsas is obviously misleading the city. The budget will force layoffs, and it will compromise student-services.

I don't comment often on BH, and as happy as I am at the recent tide of Democratic success, I still feel a hugh disappointment that this state's largest city cannot yet get its electoral act together. This is supposed to be a city of Democrats!?!?! This is supposed to be a city that wants a greater future for it's children?!?

Yes, lately this site has had some humorous digs at Mayor Frank as he prepares his Congressional run. But when you're living in Manchester, invested in Manchester, and see everyday that the city's children don't receive the services they need, then I can tell you that it is not quite as entertaining. It's the issues, the policies, the quality of life that this man has ruined.

Blue Hampshire, please help Manchester move on and fight for what's truly important. Please give as much attention to the November city election as you do to the recent special election. Manchester's budget battle should have been fought with just as much gusto because we actually had a chance to win this. We lost. Thank you Peter Sullivan, Betsi Devries, and Mark Roy.  But it wasn't enough. Let's start NOW for November!!!  

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by: MHT-ETD @ Sat May 30, 2009 at 10:05:15 AM CDT