Accomplishments
Ensuring Safe and Secure Elections
Investments in Roads and Sidewalks
Food Composting Drop-Off
Creative Funding for our Schools
Preservation of our Environment
Somersworth Fire Station
Through my work on the Election Review Planning Commission I helped to ensure that the 2020 elections were held safely and securely in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic. I helped update the city's polling locations to buildings that were better ventilated and provided more space for distancing - keeping voters and volunteers safe. I helped increase the election volunteer pay, and coordinated with the state to acquire PPE and improve the quality of our polling locations.
I have been an advocate for improving the quality of our roads and sidewalks. Along with my colleagues on the Public Works and Environment Committee, I ensured that the city complete an assessment of our sidewalks in order to make improvements, and I pushed for the prioritization of school walking routes. I also helped approve major improvements to our city roads, including the Cemetery Road complete-street project, as well as increased investments in roads and sidewalks in our recently approved budget.
Somersworth recently began participating in food-composting through Mr. Fox Composting. Residents are now able to drop-off food waste at the Public Works building. This service is not only free-of-charge to Somersworth residents, but it also helps residents save money on trash bags; less food waste in the trash means less waste being thrown into landfills, and fewer bags needed to be purchased.
I helped to make improvements to our wetland buffers ordinances, and further align these ordinances with state standards. I also approved beekeeping on residential properties, and have begun work on the preservation of monarch butterfly habitats, and worked to educate residents about these important species and habitats.
During the budget discussions of this past year, I was happy to be one of the members to support an ordinance change that allowed - with council approval - the school board to utilize budget surpluses from previous years in the new year's budget proposal. This roll-over rule, when enacted this year, saved the school district and taxpayers over $400,000, and allowed to budget to be tax-cap compliant.
This past year, the Somersworth City Council approved the construction of a new fire station. This fire station will provide 21st Century resources to our firefighters, keep firefighters healthier and safe, and potentially serve as a training location for firefighters throughout New Hampshire. During the funding phase of this project, I proposed an amendment that saved taxpayers nearly $2 million and kept costs reasonable for the city.
Ground-Breaking for the Veteran's Memorial Park
I am proud to not only serve as one of the city councilors to have broken-ground on the new Veteran's Memorial Park, but also to be a donor to allow this project to come to fruition. This park is both a memorial to the great people of our community who have served to protect our country, and a defining feature of the revival of Somersworth's downtown.