Glenn Oullette for Mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire in 2009!

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10/18/2008

Glenn Oullette has my vote for Mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire in 2009! He has a lot of good ideas, including saving taxpayers money by consolidating government programs and reducing costs per governmental units. I look forward to volunteering for Glenn Oullette's campaign committee next year. I hope he delivers on his promises to provide real reforms in city government, unlike the current Mayor and his false promises to cut taxes, improve public education and fight REAL crime in the Queen City. Moreover, I believe Frank Guinta is the WORST Mayor in the history of the WORLD! I hope Glenn Oullette wins the Mayoral race in 2009 because he is a man of the people who meets his duty and obligations even as a mere citizen always standing up for and defending ALL of the people! I endorse Glenn Oullette for Mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire in 2009!

Sincerely,
Jonathan Melle,
The ANTI-Frank Guinta!

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"Lack of support disappoints housing group"
By JIM FENNELL, Staff Sports Writer, NH Union Leader Online, 11/17/2008

MANCHESTER – The Granite State Organizing Project was hoping its annual meeting yesterday at the Grace Episcopal Church would serve as a rallying point for political leaders in the city and state to make a concerted effort to improve inner-city housing conditions the citizens group calls deplorable.

It doesn't appear that happened.

Lead organizer Sarah Jane Knoy said the GSOP, a coalition of religious, labor and community organizations active in community issues, believed its voice was being heard after U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes, D-N.H., delivered the keynote speech at its fifth anniversary dinner in June. The group was anticipating a strong showing by state and city officials invited to yesterday's meeting to hear reports on the condition of several low-income housing apartments in the city.

That's why she said it was "shocking and surprising," only state Reps. Pat Long and Will Infantine of Manchester were among the 50 people in attendance. The group also expressed frustration about previous attempts to be heard by the city's aldermen.

"I don't want to say they don't care, but they don't see this as a viable issue," said Maurice Lamy, a parishioner of St. Anne-St. Augustin Church who has been an advocate for refugees in the city for more than a decade. "It's really sad."

Lamy presented a report that painted a picture of neglect and indifference among some landlords and city inspectors. He said he has visited numerous apartments deemed compliant by the city that have holes in the ceiling, water damage, hazardous wiring and infestation by rodents and insects.

"There has been a lot of complaints, but nothing ever seems to get done," Lamy said. "We get no cooperation from the landlords or the city."

"What we're looking for is help from people in authority," said GSOP board member Erica MacKillop.

Long, who has attended several GSOP meeting, said he agreed with the GSOP that no one should have to live in such conditions and agreed to further meetings with the group.

"There's no reason for this," Long said. "I don't believe Manchester is a community that welcomes this."

Infantine said the city's building department does not have enough inspectors to monitor the complaints. Both representatives agreed more stringent penalties need to be levied against landlords that are not compliant.

Raymond Marquis of Derry, a member of Iron Workers Local 474, thinks the GSOP needs to be more active if its expects to initiate change.

"People aren't going to notice you just by being nice," Marquis said. "You have to get in their noses."
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Readers' COMMENTS:
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Most people here seem to be jumping all over the landlords and blaming them. I'm not saying that landlords are perfect by any means, but being a landlord isn't any easy task, you constantly have to deal with tenants trashing the apartments, trying to fill vacant units. Much of the damage is probably caused by the lower income tenants (since they don't own it, many of them don't care if they trash the apartments), or landlords de-motivated by having to constantly repair damage to apartments caused by tenants or tenants who they have to chase for their rent. I definitely don't feel like tenants are victims by any means, and if they don't like the apartment than they can move to another section 8 apartment. If they can't find another section 8 apartment, its probably because the landlords that fix their apartments probably don't want to deal with Section 8 tenants. To all of those who say that the city needs more live in landlords, many of the apartments in Manchester are 2, 3, or 4 families which don't have very much profit margins and there aren't enough landlords or people with business sense to fill the vacancy. In addition to the other troubles there isn't very much of an economy of scale to cover costs. This includes some outrageous property tax rates.

Just like the mortgage crisis everyone is to blame here. Section 8 itself limits the rents, the tenants who may not move on, and the landlords who may not put the effort in. I think that Andrea is correct though, Section 8 housing should be a temporary measure and people should be trying to move forward with their lives. If the government wants buildings which are perfect and rent controls, then the government should take smaller apartment buildings by emminent domain, knock them down and build larger apartment buildings (hey we are socializing everything else right now, why not public housing too?).
- Mike, Manchester

Our newly and re-elected officials have already disappeared into the woodwork, Where are Sen-Elect Shaheen, Congresspersons Shea-Porter and Hodes Governor Lynch even Sen. Judas Gregg were not to be found at this hearing, the only elected representatives were Pat Long from Ward 3 and Will Infantine from Ward 6. Better yet where were our elected representatives on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen? All missing in action, it just goes to show that we cannot trust the majority of our officials to really care after they get elected. In my book the no shows Democrat and Republican are sniveling cowards and are all talk and no action. We could fill many hot air balloons for more than one year with the miasma that these no shows can make.
- Richard L. Fortin, Manchester

I get a kick out of those who say they don't have enough building inspectors. It wasn't too long ago one was stealing taxpayer money and having it covered up by his aunt. How about making building inspectors work harder. Use the UPS Model and they could double their work efficiency without hiring anyone. Everyone knows city, state and federal employees are slugs who are retired on active duty. They usually spend a significant amount of their workday doing little to nothing and then also whining about how hard they work begging for more help. They need to roll up their sleeves work harder, and work additional hours without overtime if they are exempt. I'm so sick and tired of these slugs whining when they couldn't even hold a real job.
- Jay, Concord

I tend to agree with Adam, but obviously you don't want to completely eliminate Section 8 because there may be some who are using it to get ahead. But then there is no incentive for landlords to spruce up their building because they aren't making a profit or barely a profit. There needs to be a medium that works for both sides, perhaps a tax break from the state government or some kind of grant would motivate me to renovate/improve a building.
- Andrea M, Hooksett

I don't understand Section 8 housing. I've never used it and I hope I never do. To my mind it strikes me that it should be a temporary situation. If you don't like where you live then you need to make it a priority tp change your life. Learn a new skill, get a second job, *something*! The government (taxpayer - me) is not the answer.
- Brent T., Manchester

First off let say how disgusted I am at those putting blame on Section 8 housing! Section 8 is not just for "Welfare" recipients but also for elderly and handicapped and for single parented families who cannot make it without a bit of help, to provide safe and affordable housing for their children.

I agree that landlords are mostly to blame, well, absentee landlords who rarely visit their properties and how do not fix any problems. We NEED more live in landlords... and I have seen certain neighborhoods which have improved just by having more landlords living in their buildings.

As for the Alderman, it would be nice if more showed up at the groups gathering, in a perfect world, but why not go to them and make your presentation?

But to make things right you shouldn't start at the alderman... you should start with the court system (land) because they slack. Just take a look at some of the cases that go to court... also the fine system, which we saw some improvement with a certain case with an individual on (if I remember correctly) Grove street, where the landlord had a dump of a yard (literally). Fines can be shunned off without punishment, the courts can be manipulated... it needs to stop!

If more and more people, disgusted by the properties in the city, made an appearance in front of the alderman and state reps... if we ALL push hard enough--change will happen. But don't ever expect "them" to come to you...
- Brian F, Manchester

I am on Social Security Disibility, and I receive Section 8. Without it I would not be able to have a place to live. Section 8 makes anyone pay 33% of their total income for rent. Many individuals and single parents with children receive $600 or less per month. Adam F. of Merrimack, tell me how these people are supposed to survive with the rising prices and the economy the way it is!
Most of the time the problem lies with scumlords who apply and get the privilege to rent with Section 8. They do not keep their buildings up, and they do not care about their tennants. They only care about collecting the rent and do as little as possible to keep this privilage. The city of Manchester needs to focus on hiring more inspectors with experience in the building trade. They need to crack down on these types of landlords! If not the issue is only going to get worse. I say, stricter building codes and city ordinances are needed.
Adam F., not everyone lives as easily as you. If everyone thought the way you do, we would be seeing cardboard shacks on the sidewalks and long soup lines.
P. Searles, Manchester
- Paul Searles, Manchester

I am on Social Security Disibility, and I receive Section 8. Without it I would not be able to have a place to live. Section 8 makes anyone pay 33% of their total income for rent. Many individuals and single parents with children receive $600 or less per month. Adam F. of Merrimack, tell me how these people are supposed to survive with the rising prices and the economy the way it is!
Most of the time the problem lies with scumlords who apply and get the privilege to rent with Section 8. They do not keep their buildings up, and they do not care about their tennants. They only care about collecting the rent and do as little as possible to keep this privilage. The city of Manchester needs to focus on hiring more inspectors with experience in the building trade. They need to crack down on these types of landlords! If not the issue is only going to get worse. I say, stricter building codes and city ordinances are needed.
P. Searles, Manchester.
- Paul Searles, Manchester

In the long term, how many jobs will more section 8 housing create?

Zero

Thank the new Senator "elect"/ former Governor for making NH a haven for sec 8 and welfare recipients.
- Don Rubby, Exeter, NH

Welcome to what happens when you do Section 8 housing. Slumlords have zero incentive to keep the properties up, because they can just charge the residents a whole lot, let Section 8 subsidize it so they only pay a little, the resident only pays about $200 a month so really doesn't complain, there's lots of transients, and the landlord doesn't bother to background check...the more apartments they fill, the more fat government checks they get.

End section 8, and you'll see this problem solve itself.
- Adam F., Merrimack

What are you tring to do rise rents? that is all that will happen and we don't need that with the econemy the way it is.
- william mcfarli, suncook

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