City Council At Large

My name is Samantha Clattenburg and I am running for City Council at large. I am a lifelong resident of Concord, with the exception of one year that I lived in Georgia and gave birth to my oldest daughter. My interest in the involvement of our City Council is much akin to Alan Herschlag’s analogy of the city when he said “okay, you have no say in whether or not we build the house, but you can choose the color of the drapes”. This is the most insightful interpretation I have heard thus far. There are many important issues facing our city over the next few years, and I would like to address a few of them with you to explain where I stand.

Complete Streets Main Street- Who would not love a beautiful downtown? It is true that Concord does not have the most inviting looking downtown to tourists. I believe that the city could do something to aid in beautification, but disagree with the attitude that in order to get a project done, the first thing we should do is look at federal grant monies available. I am not hard line against federal grants, but they should be used judiciously, and beautification for the sake of tourism is not on my list as an ethical usage of federal taxpayer’s dollars. Federal money is not free money, and our national debt climbs higher every minute. I believe that cities across the country need to start living within their means, as families have to do every day.

Langley Parkway Phase Three- I am not in love with this project as it stands. The rights of way for this project were procured decades ago, and I feel too much has changed in the way of abutters, and the usage of all the surrounding roads by joggers, especially Concord High and Bishop Brady sports, ie. cross country etc... The Mayor has gone on record in saying that we do not have enough money for this project, and that it is not on his list of priorities, but in the interview in the October 28, 2013 Concord Monitor, he cited it as one of the top competing priority projects. I am not dissing Jim Bouley. What I am asking for is consistency, and since it remains on the C.I.P., I have to view it as a contender of our resources. I have proposed to explore an alternative, and yes more costly endeavor in rerouting Langley Parkway to exit 16, over the next 10 years. I am proposing the feasibility of starting at the hospital location, hugging around the east side of Wynant Park, traveling on either side of the wet lands (which ever is less violating to a Little Pond Road intersection), traveling northeast to intersect at Little Pond Rd. and again at North State Street behind the impending women’s correctional facility, then going east to exit 16. (There would be a bridge over the river.) This sounds convoluted to be sure. But if you take into context the time saved for additional access to the hospital from Penacook and over the river towards Mountain Road, this creates new access that was not previously considered for multiple wards, and Boscawen and Salisbury. It would also create new access for the hundreds of employees and visitors for both prisons, not to mention easier access to Penacook, which would aid in future development. It is my opinion that if we are going to delve in to infrastructure development, we need to consider the optimum benefits for generations to come.

Homelessness- The question is: What roll should the city play in solving the increasing homeless problem? First, I will say that it should not be a crime to be homeless. My gut instinct is to remind myself “ there but for the grace of God, go I”. I have lost a job before. Only because I have such a strong network of family and friends that would not let me fail, was I able to work obscure jobs and live off my savings until I found permanent employment. It was frightening. I know that mental illness and drug and alcohol abuse play a significant roll in homelessness, but again, I am not willing to crucify people for being down and out. We should not be citing panhandlers when the solution is as easy as walking away. Capitalism works, and if a panhandler thinks that he/she can get money this way, they will keep coming back. Habitually citing someone with no address is a waste of police personnel, therefore a waste of taxpayer’s dollars. It is different is someone is accosted by a panhandler. That would be assault, and there should be no distinction in reasons why someone is charged with such. I believe that an economically thriving city would help reduce homelessness, and one way to aid in expanding the tax base is to lift some restrictions that alienate small business from choosing Concord as opposed to somewhere more inviting, such as signage prohibitions, zoning, trash collection, etc...

I humbly ask for the opportunity to serve on our City Council, as I believe that no matter the issue at hand, constituent input should be the most important factor in casting my vote. Thank you sincerely for your consideration.

Samantha Clattenburg