Headline reveals Portsmouth Herald bias in City Council race: Letters

Headline reveals Portsmouth Herald bias in City Council race

Sept. 14 — To the Editor:

I am addressing the Sept. 14, 2023 front page headline: “Mayor and Incumbents face familiar foes.”

WOW, The use of the word “foes" clearly sets a negative tone for all to see from the editors of the Portsmouth Herald.

The ink on the final roster was barely dry and your negative statements on your created label of the “Becksted 5” were starting!

Yes, your bias is obvious right out of the gate, as many of your readers have commented!

Seems the Portsmouth Herald editors and your columnist are coming from a different place, Mr. Splaine is calling for civility and the editors’ negativity towards certain candidates is blatant!

Just to make it perfectly clear — I do not consider any of my fellow City Council candidates as “foes." In fact, quite the opposite, I respect all who step up to put themselves out there to serve our city.

It is easy for anyone to just hide behind a keyboard and hurl ones’ criticism and opinions, it takes a different type of person to volunteer to bring their skills and experience forward to serve for the benefit of all in the public.

As Mayor McEachern stated, there are 17 individuals running for City Council, we all have different backgrounds/skills and opinions on how to best serve the residents of this city, it will be up to the voters to decide among the 17 in November, but thanks for showing your position this early.

Petra Huda

Former city councilor and current candidate for City Council

Portsmouth

Current Council failed. Vote Becksted, Trace, Whelan, Huda and Kennedy

Sept. 17 — To the Editor:

It appears the stage is set for an interesting City Council election cycle. With current incumbents challenged by previous council members and a couple of new entrants it will be up to the residents of Portsmouth to make a decision between two differently postured groups who’ve had a chance to govern our city. It demands taking the ruler out and measuring this current city council in what has transpired during their tenure.

Let’s start with our city budget increasing by $19 million with not one ounce of fiscal restraint, challenge or inclination to do so. Under their tenure city employees increased by the largest amount ever (38) which in some cases might be justified but clearly excessive and without doubt future fiscal implications.

In Ward 3 this council tried to ram through the future use of the Sherburne School property with a huge work force housing plan without neighborhood input. They were shocked to witness 400-plus residents show up to express their opinion and concern. Residents are still waiting for an empty promise by Mayor McEachern for a “Blue Ribbon” committee to investigate possible uses.

They have done nothing to follow up on or advance the sound barrier issues of the previous council’s successful accomplishments. They have “kowtowed” to every developer’s wishes in the exploitation of our city into an extended suburb of northern Massachusetts with homogenized box buildings robbing the character of our beloved city. They have accomplished record setting (69) “non-public sessions” with no divulging of even the subject topic. That is not reflective of their public transparency policy claims during their campaigns.

The elephant in the room still remains with the McIntyre building fiasco as it lingers with pending lawsuits still percolating. A litigation mess beyond comprehension with this current council conceding to pay Mr. Kane $2 million and still allowing him to litigate against the city again, which he has. The previous council had the insight to sever the relationship with Kane, concluding he would never be an equitable and co-operating partner.

Let’s thank the New Hampshire attorney general’s office in determining the shenanigans of former mayor Steve Marchand in the last election and warning him to right his wrongs in the future. In my opinion, he has no place in Portsmouth politics as he is a North Hampton resident.

As much as I might despise the term “Becksted 5” it identifies individuals that had to govern during a difficult time of our history with the terms of COVID-19. That council did the best with what was handed to them and with significant accomplishments in the most difficult of times. They had a fiscal consciousness attuned to the concerns of the core residents of Portsmouth and the changes rapidly consuming the city. They were transparent and respectable of the public process and in opinion far more sensitive to retaining a texture within Portsmouth that had made this city special and was recognized as vanishing.

I hope the voters of Portsmouth will give Rick Becksted, Peter Whelan, Esther Kennedy, Petra Huda, and Paige Trace a chance to continue a legacy in what I think is the right course for this city. Even as unelected officials they have maintained engagement in city matters in public process at their own expense and time, committed to the values of the residents of Portsmouth. When the measuring is done, plain and simple they deserve your vote.

Erik Anderson

Portsmouth

In response to columnist Kerr, if GOP is a clown car, Democrats are a dumpster fire

Sept. 16 — To the Editor:

I will keep this short as there is no need to respond at length to D. Allan Kerr’s latest diatribe. In his last, he simply calls the Republican Party a “clown show,” and I can understand where he is coming from. He is a liberal and that’s all that needs to be said. If the Republican Party is a clown show then just what would you call the Democrat Party which is led by a senile, hair sniffing, and crooked to boot, village idiot with Ms. Word Salad as his No. 1. I might call that party a raging dumpster fire. Apparently Kerr didn’t appreciate the relative prosperity that flourished in America during Trump's first three years after which a pandemic happened. Apparently like most Democrats, Kerr embraces personality over policy when it comes to Trump.

Now quickly look at the Democrat Party that won’t even acknowledge the presence of RFK Jr. as a presidential primary candidate. Last, one has to appreciate all the letter writers that continue to excoriate Trump. Last I heard, he has been out of office for roughly three years. How about focusing on the man who is currently in office. Lots to write about there with little of it being good.

Dan Hurley

Dover

Speaker McCarthy needs to stand up to 'radical fringe' in his caucus

Sept. 16 — To the Editor:

Congress needs to pass the 12 appropriation bills that fund the government by the end of September.  The Senate has done so, but the House has passed only one.  Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy won’t bring any of these bills up for a vote unless they can pass without any support from Democrats.  He does this even though the most radical fringe of his party told him they will not support the budget he negotiated with the White House and most voted to approve back in May.

These radicals want to keep the government from functioning and are trying to force a government shutdown. It is time Speaker McCarthy stood up to them and by the budget he negotiated. It is time he brought the appropriation bills up for a vote. They would pass with wide bipartisan majorities. It is time Speaker McCarthy cared more about the country than keeping his job as leader of a dysfunctional party.

Walter Hamilton

Portsmouth

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Headline reveals Portsmouth Herald bias in City Council race: Letters