FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2012
VOL. 20 NO. 170
BERLIN, N.H.
752-5858
FREE
Berlin residents urged to vote on redistricting Tuesday BY BARBARA TETREAULT THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
BERLIN – While New Hampshire’s first-in-thenation primary Tuesday is the topic of national attention, city officials are urging residents not to forget that an important city referendum is being held as well. Voters on Tuesday will be asked to approve a charter amendment that will eliminate the current four wards in favor of one ward that will encompass the entire city. Under the proposal, the eight city councilors will be elected at-large, or by all the city’s voters, as is currently the case with the mayor and school board positions. “The public should get out and vote on this city issue,” said City Clerk Debra Patrick. The need to redistrict the city is a result of the 2010 U.S. Census, which showed a dramatic increase in the population of Ward III because of the impact of the state prison population. While the population of the other wards remained about the same or declined slightly, the population of Ward III increased by 750. State and federal law require equal representa-
tion for residents, which forced the city to look at changing ward boundaries to make the population of the four wards approximately the same. But efforts to equalize the city’s population proved difficult because of requirements that the city use census blocks in developing new ward boundaries. After the council rejected several options developed by City Planner Pamela Laflamme, the body decided the fairest solution was to go with one ward. In making its decision, the council also recognized it would be repeating the entire process in ten years when the federal prison population is counted in the 2020 Census. Patrick is urging residents to vote yes on the referendum, which is on a separate municipal ballot. She said she believes having one ward for the entire city will benefit both residents and candidates. She said it will increase opportunities for people to run for council and for voters. “It’s beneficial for both the voter and the person running for office,” said Patrick. If voters reject the single ward proposal, Patrick said the council will be forced to move quickly to develop another option and hold a special election within the next two or three months. She said the city must approve a solution in time to allow candi-
dates to file for state positions in June. “This all has to be straightened out and done way before June,” Patrick said. Patrick pointed out that holding a special election to consider another option would also be expensive – she estimated it costs the city between $8,000 and $10,000 to hold a special election. One issue that has been raised is voting locations if the city moves to one ward. There is now a polling place in each ward. Patrick said the city could continue to vote in the same locations by setting up different voting precincts The city clerk noted that residents do not have to declare a party to get a municipal ballot and in fact can go to the polls Tuesday and ask just for a municipal charter ballot if they do not want to participate in the primary. “They don’t have to declare if they’re only voting for the charter amendment question,” she said. New Hampshire also allows same day voter registration as long as residents provide a photo identification. Residents with questions about the referendum can call the city clerk’s office at 752-2340 or go to the city’s web page for more information
Budget committee grills Chief for two hours BY GAIL SCOTT THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
A chunk of ice balances precariously on a rock in the Peabody River last week. (MELISSA GRIMA PHOTO)
Prison job info session this weekend The Northern New Hampshire Talent Team will be holding an employment information session to let veterans know about jobs at the Berlin Federal Prison. The event will be at the Berlin National Guard Armory on Saturday January 7 at 3 p.m. The information session will offer a comprehensive overview of available jobs, the hiring process, and the preparations that potential applicants should make. While the information sessions will be tar-
geted to national guardsmen and veterans, all interested applicants are welcome to attend. A similar information session will be held at the National Guard Armory in Manchester in early February. The Northern New Hampshire Talent Team includes organizations and individuals from across the region who are working collaboratively to help prepare the workforce for employment oppor-
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GORHAM—Although the Gorham Police Department managed to carve $18,056 from its 2011 budget of $459,116 to propose a budget for 2012 of $441,060, the Gorham Budget Committee sought more cuts during a lengthy budget committee meeting Wednesday. Gorham Police Chief P.J. Cyr was the department head on the hot seat this time, first going over the Police Department budget numbers line by line, as per instruction by Budget Committee Chairman Bruce Lary, and then responding to
questions from the committee, twice offering graphs to back up his explanations. The first graph broke down the total in the line attributed to permanent police position pay so that committee members could see, in detail, the wages being paid to the seven member police force. These wages ranged from the annual $58,141.00 of Cyr’s salaried position to the hourly rate of the newest officer, Eric Benjamin, at $20.38 per hour or an average annual earning (including estimated overtime) of $42,640.00. Cyr described the extra duties assigned to each officer in addisee BUDGET page 8
Isaacson issues WARN notices BY BARBARA TETREAULT THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
BERLIN - Employees at Isaacson Steel and Isaacson Structural Steel were given their 60-day WARN notices yesterday as Company President Arnie Hanson continues his efforts to sell the two businesses. Hanson called the notice a formality in case he is unsuccessful in his efforts to sell both the warehouse operation and the fabrication shop. He said he is still hopeful he can reach
an agreement to sell the operation. U.S. labor law requires companies employing 100 or more employees to provide a 60-day notice of plant closings or mass layoffs under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. Isaacson employs about 140 people. Isaacson filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last June. Two weeks ago, Hanson said he was in discussions with two companies interested in purchasing and operating the two companies in Berlin.
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