by Ed Naile
Wonder what is going on in the notorious town of Windsor?
Remember that pilonidal municipal cyst created by surveyor mistakes when New Hampshire was created back in the 1700’s – they are still one big mistake after another.
At this year’s Town Meeting the Selectmen had an acolyte read a prepared statement changing the rules for citizen videotaping of the meeting. Never mind losing one superior court case for trying to stop video taping several years ago, nope, they are back for more.
1. NEVER underestimate the stupidity of a peon level elected body in New Hampshire.
2. NEVER underestimate the arrogance of an elected board with a super majority in a small town.
Update:
The humble, but definitely dangerous, band of taxpayer activists in Windsor, who Attorney Chuck Douglass is representing, have jumped one more hurdle in their court case to retrieve non-collected taxes from the “Windsor Friends and Family Program,” the program where Windsor officials tried to ABATE their friends taxes which were never paid. Hence the well deserved nickname: Masterabaters. It is so fitting.
Enter RSA 491:24, a crafty little statute requiring an evidentiary hearing before you can sue a crooked public official – kinda like the Windsor Mob who did not collect property taxes from each other going back ten years we know of. (Well it could have been an accident – over and over again.)
This law, RSA 491:24, asks a plaintiff to do almost the impossible. You need to present evidence normally found during a case – to go forward with the case. Nice protection for elected officials who tax and abuse people they don’t like while not taxing their pals.
A few weeks ago, a superior court judge dutifully found there was not enough evidence to proceed with a suit against the offenders, as individuals, but did move along the case against the town itself – with one very important point of note.
The ruling of the court stated clearly that this is NOT a frivolous case. So much for any threatened counter suit by the Masterabaters! Bring it on – can you spell: d-i-s-c-o-v-e-r-y?
The case against the individual officials can in all probability be brought right back against individuals anyway through other means, such as a new plaintiff, so no big deal, the Windsor Selectmen leave plenty of victims in their wake.
There you have it – the roller coaster ride through litigation Hell.
Some people ride in the car – some are tied to the tracks.