Rochester 2023 City Council candidate Chuck Grassie
Name: Chuck Grassie
Education: Bachelor of arts in management and leadership, UNH
Occupation: Retired municipal planner
Political or civic experience highlights: Current New Hampshire state representative and former city councilor
What would be your top three priorities if you are elected?: Safe, affordable housing for families in Rochester.
Improving the quality of our neighborhood schools and building our new school.
Working to deliver efficient and affordable services to all our citizens while keeping taxes under control.
What is the biggest problem Rochester is facing and how you would solve it?: Our educational system has struggled for many years due to reduced funding at the state level. Efforts to increase funding for Rochester schools has been met with opposition from anti-public education forces. I feel it is improtant for the City Council to work in conjunction with our School Board to advocate for greater funding for our schools within the state and federal budgets. Rochester taxpayers have always supported funding for our schools, but we have been stymied by cutbacks at the state level.
Should the city work to create below market rate housing, and where is the best site?: Yes. The city should work to create truly affordable housing for young families looking to stay in Rochester. Current market prices are unaffordable to our children and grandchildren who have been raised here and would like to stay in our city. Part of my job as a state representative has been to find state and federal funding to assist communities in developing the infrastructure necessary to reduce the overall cost of new housing and apartments. We need to look at locations near the downtown areas first as many young individuals and couples prefer to live near services. Also, we need to address the issue of the homeless. We need to find ways to increase the number of spaces either in shelters or micro units so that we can eliminate homeless encampments on public and private property.
Should the council address the pace and type of development in the city? If yes, how?: Having a well-developed master plan and updated zoning should allow the free market to address development in our city. the city should step in at times to assist in the availability of safe, affordable housing and to insure that our job market stays strong. At the moment, we have a greater need for housing, and I would support city efforts to encourage that.
Does the city need to make changes to its approach to parking as development increases?: Yes. Parking has been and will continue to be a concern as more development occures in Rochester. In the past Rochester started to look at inner city bus transportation connecting East Rochester and Gonic to the downtown and major shopping areas and I would encourage us to look back on that effort. With a large senior population we still need to address handicapped and parking for those who may have mobility issues. Housing within the downtown district for younger workers should not have the same demands that traditional housing had in the past. I would also encourage the city to look into future needs for a parking garage for the downtown.
What is the city doing well and where is there room for improvement?: For a city our size, Rochester does very well with far fewer staff than other communities in New Hampshire. Our water and wastewater facilities are recognized as some of the best in New Hampshir. Even though many would disagree our streets are rated higher than most other communities in the area. I would say that we need to increase staffing in our police services to provide better customer response times and reduce property crime in our city. There is also an unmet need for greater programing for the arts. I would like to see more venues for programing in Rochester. The city needs to work more closely with our chamber, the Opera House and Main Street to see more arts and entertainment in our city. Lastly, and most importantly we need to create a greater urgency in supporting our schools. Good local schools are the driving force behind every great community.
What is the city’s responsibility to its homeless population, both this winter and long term?: Rochester needs to continue to work on the homelessness problem as a regional issue. Rochester alone can not solve the problem. Working with neighboring communities to develope short range objective with shelters and transitional housing, and long range goals for for more stable housing for those in need, needs to be linked with available resources throughout the county. My position as a state representative allowes me greater access to state, federal and county resources.
Does the city need to do more to enforce codes regarding apartments in disrepair? If yes, what?: Yes. Affordable housing doesnt mean unsafe housing. Out of area landlords need to held accountable to safe, clean, lead free housing. Enforcement must be reasonable and enforceable. The city should make every effort to work with landlords to correct issues. Just laying down the law accomplishes little. Helping landlords understand the codes and working with landlords is a more successful way to solve problems.
Is the ethics policy recently approved by the council necessary and why?: Yes. The past few years have seen behavior that should not occur during a council meeting. It may be appropriate to revisit the policy if it is found to repress voices being heard, but for now I would support it.
This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Rochester 2023 City Council candidate Chuck Grassie
