Weare News : elections

Seventh-grader begins middle school student council

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:44:00 GMT

While most middle schoolers in Weare enjoyed their time off from school during the summer, 12-year-old Lindsey Dutton spent her time trying to make her school a better place.

The seventh-grader worked with school administration to begin a student council at Weare Middle School.

“I saw that our school needed some help, and contacted Mrs. Potter over the summer,” said Dutton. “We, as a bigger group, could work to make things better.”

Potter received the idea with enthusiasm. “I’ve wanted a student council here for years,” she said. “I couldn’t wait for someone to be motivated to do this,” said Dutton.

Over the next several weeks, Potter, the school’s assistant principal, had Dutton do some research, and Dutton met with the assistant principal at Henniker Community School, which already has an established student council. Potter noted that Dutton had to take some risks if she wanted to get the project off the ground.

“She hates being in the spotlight,” Potter laughed.

Plans were in place by the beginning of the school year, and students warmed up to the idea immediately. Twenty-four seventh- and eighth-graders ran for positions, and 12 fifth- and sixth-graders came forward as well.

Elected positions on the council include president, vice president, homeroom representative and social committee chairman.

Those running for election to the council had to first write an essay, detailing why they wanted to run for student council and what they hoped to accomplish. They also had to have a campaign, complete with posters and speeches, and students voted for the candidates during lunches.

“Running made me feel more responsible,” said Garrett Thomas, who ran for vice president.

Eighth-grader Austin Boisvert added that in running, students had to promise to “try to do,” rather than say, “I will do.”

“You have to know that not everything you want to do will be done,” said Boisvert.

Potter hopes the student council will provide middle school students with an organized way to get information, and while the council will be taken seriously, not all policies will change because of council recommendations.

“We can’t change every policy, but students will gain a better understanding of why things are the way they are,” said Potter. Dutton is happy with the results of her labor this summer.

She admitted that she did not expect to have such a large group respond to her idea.

“I just want people to feel good about themselves here,” she said. Fellow student Cam Bonenfant, agreed.

“We want to make school fun, and be a place kids want to go, not just have to go.”

Many big items denied in Weare

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:34:00 GMT

BY STEVEN ANDREWS

Voters appeared to have the volatile economy on their mind as they voted on town warrant articles on Tuesday, March 11.

The operating budget, a new public works facility, improvements to Bolton Field and many fire and police department staffing requests were denied.

About 27 percent of voters showed up at the polls to shoot down the requests.

The town’s proposed budget of $4,658,578 failed with voters, even though it was just $128,708 higher than the default figure, by 803-734.

Town officials hoped to get a proposed budget passed to cover increased fuelrelated expenses.

The tax rate with the default budget will be $2.12 per $1,000 of assessed property value. There is a difference of about $45 between the projected tax bills the proposed and default budgets would result in for a $300,000 home.

The passing of all warrant articles would have added another $1.52 to the rate already determined by the budget.

The $975,000 bond to construct a new public works garage in town failed 779-759 vote.

A warrant item asking voters to authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into a bond for $435,000 to fund the first phase of necessary improvements to the Bolton Field Memorial Complex failed by a wide margin of 1,293 to 246, even after the original bond for $1.25 million was reduced by voters at the deliberative session.

Warrant articles asking voters to fund two new full-time police officers and two firefighter/ EMTs also failed.

An article proposing $57,028 to implement a new pay scale for town employees failed 779-790.

Republican Gary Hopper won the state representative vote over Democrat Stephen Brzozowski 851-599.

Keith LaCasse and Richard Butt were elected to the Board of Selectmen; Joshua Solomon and David Bougher were also running.

Special election set – Primary Feb. 5, election March 11

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 20:33:00 GMT

BY MICHELLE KIM

The Executive Council voted to grant a special election date to fill the District 7 state representative vacancy, which represents Weare and Goffstown, on March 11, with a primary on Feb. 5.

The vacancy was created by the death of Rep. Bruce Hunter in September. He had been a state representative for three terms.

The Goffstown Board of Selectmen had initially requested a special election at the earliest possible date of Jan. 22. Weare’s Board of Selectmen had voted to request holding the special election along with another vote, such as the March 11 town vote or presidential primary, to deflect the cost of having a separate special election, which could run upwards of $5,000. This would put a strain on the town’s already tight budget, according to Weare Town Administrator Fred Ventresco.

Weare wrote a letter to the Goffstown selectmen expressing these concerns.

“We want to fill that seat but do it so that it’s fiscally prudent on our part,” said Weare Selectman Heleen Kurk.

Goffstown’s selectmen then revoted, 4-1, on Monday, Oct. 29, to change the requested date to coincide with the Town Meeting. Selectman Phil D’Avanza expressed concern that the towns would miss out on the committees the late Rep. Bruce Hunter had served on and voted no. Selectmen Nick Campasano said he would be willing to present a united front with Weare, and Selectman Scott Gross said the shortage of one representative for the initial six-and-a-half weeks of the 2008 session would not be so bad considering there are seven other representatives.

John Caprio, chairman of the Goffstown Board of Selectmen, and Kurk both appeared before the Executive Council on Monday, Oct. 31. The governor asked if the two selectmen were in agreement and thanked them for working it out between the towns, according to Kurk.

While there will be some expense associated with holding the Feb. 5 primary, Weare is looking to do so as minimally as possible, according to Town Clerk Evelyn Connor. She said she expects a low turnout for the special election primary.

Candidates may file Dec. 24 to Dec. 31 with the town clerk’s office during normal business hours or at the Secretary of State’s office until 4 p.m. More information is available on Secretary of State’s Web site at www.sos.nh.gov/goffstown.htm.