Dover tax cap override and a call to action on affordable housing in Portsmouth: Letters

Councilor Retrosi: Why Dover needed to exceed tax cap

April 5 − To the Editor:

I want to acknowledge the difficult decision we were facing in voting to override the tax cap this year. It was not a decision that I took lightly, as I understand the concerns of residents about increasing taxes.

However, in this particular year, due to factors like rising costs and reductions in state funding to our school system, simply maintaining the current level of funding requires us to exceed the limitations set by the tax cap. After careful consideration and thorough analysis, I firmly believe that this decision was necessary to address the pressing needs of our city and ensure its continued growth and prosperity.

This was necessary to prevent cuts to crucial services and programs that our community relies on.

I want to clarify the decision to override the tax cap in this instance was not primarily about increasing funding for schools, but rather about preserving the current level of funding to maintain the status quo. Difficult decisions  were made during the recent budgeting process, resulting in cuts to various programs and services that we would have liked to have maintained. While these decisions were not taken lightly, they were necessary in order to address the financial challenges facing our community.

While I support overriding the tax cap in this instance, I agree that it should not become a recurring practice. It is important for us to strive for fiscal responsibility and explore alternative sources of revenue to fund essential services without placing a heavy burden on taxpayers.

Moving forward, I will continue to work diligently to advocate for prudent budgeting practices, prioritize spending, and seek out cost-saving measures to prevent the need for future tax cap overrides. It is crucial that we carefully consider the financial impact on residents and make decisions that are in the best long-term interests of Dover.

I appreciate the understanding and support of residents as we navigate these challenging circumstances and commit to continuously reevaluating our budget priorities to ensure that tax cap overrides are not a regular occurrence.

Tony Retrosi

City Council Ward 3

Dover

A call to action for affordable housing in Portsmouth

April 8 − To the Editor:

As a long-time resident of Portsmouth, I've witnessed firsthand the escalating challenges our community faces regarding affordable and worker housing. Recent discussions, notably the "Places to Live Study Circle Dialogue Report Out," have brought to light a critical need for diverse housing options to maintain our city's vibrancy and economic health.

Portsmouth prides itself on being inclusive, yet the reality is that many of our essential workers and young families find themselves priced out. The ripple effects are palpable, affecting local businesses and the fabric of our community. The study circles have provided actionable solutions, from zoning adjustments to innovative housing initiatives, highlighting the urgency for change and community-wide support.

It's time for our city leaders to take bold steps towards addressing this issue. We need more than discussions; we require actionable strategies that reflect our values of inclusivity and community support. By fostering collaboration between the city, developers, and community members, we can create sustainable solutions to ensure that everyone who contributes to Portsmouth has the opportunity to live here.

Let's not let another report sit on the shelf. It's incumbent upon us, as a community and its leaders, to move from conversation to action, making Portsmouth a truly "City of the Open Door."

Catherine Keenan

Portsmouth

The obstacle to peace is Palestinian hatred of Jews and Israel

April 5 -- To the Editor:

In their April 2 letters, Messrs. Odell and Turner demonstrate a total misunderstanding of the situation in the Middle East.  Odell claims to know that Israel has killed tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians during the IDF campaign to eliminate Hamas.  But how does he know?  Is he simply parroting the casualty numbers fabricated by Hamas and accepted without critical review by CNN and the NY Times?  Several statistical analyses have demonstrated that the casualty figures Odell "knows" are nothing more than propaganda inventions by Hamas.

Dr. Turner's letter is less fevered but demonstrates a serious lack of historical understanding about Israel and the Palestinians.  The so-called Green Line has never been an international border. It was simply the truce line that was drawn after newly born Israel survived an invasion by several Arab armies in 1948.  Before and after 1948, the Jews of Palestine repeatedly offered to share the land with the Arabs of Palestine.  Those offers have been repeatedly rejected because the Palestinian (Arab) leadership cannot accept the existence of Israel on any parcel of land, no matter how small.

The Oslo peace accords permitted the creation of a Palestinian Authority to administer part of the "West Bank."  Those accords also permitted Israel to administer the less populated portion of the "West Bank" and to use the IDF to prevent terrorist attacks launched across the Green Line.  Despite the efforts of Bill Clinton to broker a two-state solution, the Palestinian Authority launched a campaign of terrorist attacks inside Israel that murdered hundreds of civilians.  To this day, a major expenditure of the Palestinian Authority is payments to the families of terrorists who have died while attempting to kill Israeli civilians or who have been imprisoned for terrorist acts.  Is it any wonder that a majority of Israelis, most of whom long for peace, now believe that a two-state solution won't happen anytime soon?  The true obstacle to peace is not Benjamin Netanyahu.  It is hatred of Jews lurking in the minds of many Palestinians.

Richard England

Durham

Remembering my first newspaper route

April 8 − To the Editor:

As promised, my newspaper was in the mailbox by Sunday morning, and once again nostalgia struck. One of the things that Boomers growing up in the 1960s and 70s experienced were the numerous peers with paper routes. Competition for routes was pretty fierce, and as a kid who moved around a bit, those jobs were closed out as were snow shoveling jobs.

We now live in a nation where only children are seen as more of a new normal, if couples can even afford to raise one child. The days of four or more kids in a family are long gone. The small city my family lived in was where my first paper route was memorized. It wasn’t my route, but that of an older friend, who would have me fill in for him when he couldn’t do it.

It was a bit of a brotherhood, where some older man would pass out the counted stacks of newspapers to the paperboys and any route/customer changes would be discussed. The newspapers were folded and placed in a strapped canvas bag, printed with the newspaper’s name, and then diagonally slung over one shoulder. The delivery vehicle was typically a 20” bicycle with high handlebars and a “banana” seat. Sometimes, the strap was wound around the handle grips so the bag was hanging in front of the bike. Paperboys collected the money weekly, typically via envelopes behind storm doors, and brought it back to the meeting place after subtracting any tips. This is back when families living in apartments could save up to buy a house someday, as mine later did. Those days are also now long gone.

Don Cavallaro

Rye

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Dover tax cap override and Portsmouth's housing needs: Letters