From the Union Leader…
MANCHESTER – The battle over a proposed city spending cap heated up yesterday, as proponents planned to take aldermen to court to force the question onto the Nov. 4 ballot.
An overwhelming majority of people responding to a UnionLeader.com survey said they want the issue on the November ballot. Of the 127 people responding, about 85 percent favor a November vote.
The survey showed 10 percent never want the issue put to voters, while only about 5 percent want a special election.
Meanwhile, two of the city’s financial advisors warned in letters yesterday a spending cap would make it more difficult to issue bonds, downgrade Manchester’s credit rating and increase the cost of bonds.
Hawkins Delafield & Wood LLP said a spending cap could also impact covenants and agreements contained in bonds the city already has issued, including those for airport construction.
Spending cap proponents plan a rally today at City Hall at 3 p.m. prior to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s special meeting at 4 p.m. on the spending cap.
Today is the deadline for the board to act to put the spending cap on the Nov. 4 ballot. If the board does not put the issue on the November ballot, a special election would have to be held.
The founder of the NH Advantage Coalition, Mike Biundo, said yesterday supporters will wait on filing a suit in Hillsborough County North Superior Court until after today’s meeting. Biundo said he wants to give aldermen a chance to change their minds before moving forward with a suit that would cost the city money.
The NH Advantage Coalition, which began the cap petition drive, will argue in court that state law is clear the referendum question has to be placed on the November ballot once the petition is certified.
“Once you go out and collect the signatures, it’s considered the expressed will of the voters,” Biundo said.
How a cap affects the city’s finances has no bearing because it’s a citizen initiative, Biundo said.
“Aldermen have had four months to get all these questions answered. Instead, they’ve taken four months to figure out how to keep it off the November ballot for what I believe are clearly political reasons.”
Mayor Frank Guinta and six aldermen favor Nov. 4, but Democrats, led by Alderman at-large Mike Lopez, favor a special election sometime later.
Lopez said this week the issue is too important to be rushed onto the November ballot, where it would be lost among the other races. He said the city needs more information from legal, bond, municipal, county and state officials on the potential fiscal ramifications of the cap.
The vast majority of people responding to the survey and commenting on stories on UnionLeader.com disagree.
Jeremy J. Olson, a Ward 3 resident of Manchester, wrote: “The reality right now is that the aldermen who are opposed to the spending cap are trying to spitefully waste $40,000 of the taxpayers’ money in an attempt to scuttle the ballot initiative. They have plenty of information on how such a spending cap would affect a city.”
A day earlier, the eight aldermen rejecting the move were roundly criticized in reader comments posted to UnionLeader.com. “Will eight residents stop the will of 4,000?” wrote Roger Wilkins of Manchester, referring to the number of petitioners.
“I find it disingenuous for several members of the board to try and push this item to a special election,” wrote Jonathan Teeling of Manchester. “With over two months until the general election, there is little reason that the voters of this city will be unable to make an informed decision regarding this proposal. Creating a special election for this initiative not only costs this city $40,000, but is also a deceitful way to influence the vote with lower turnout.”
In a telephone interview, Teeling, who is a Republican candidate for state representative, said this is about giving voters a voice. “It’s actually quite insulting to feel that the masses wouldn’t be able to understand this,” he said
The spending cap would limit city spending to inflation plus population growth and would require a two-thirds vote to override it.
At last Tuesday’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s meeting Mike Lopez, Bill Shea, Betsi DeVries, George Smith, Russ Ouellette, Mark Roy, Jim Roy and Dan O’Neil voted against the Nov. 4 referendum date.
Voting in favor were Mike Garrity, Kelleigh Domaingue, Ted Gatsas, Peter Sullivan, Ed Osborne and Real Pinard.
The NH Advantage Coalition also submitted petitions to place the spending cap on ballots in Concord, Somersworth and Rochester this year.
Both Somersworth and Rochester city councils have voted to put the question on the November ballot. Concord held a public hearing last night and the council was expected to take action as well.