To the Editor:

Hooksett firefighters had a busy weekend extinguishing two house fires in Hooksett, at 24 Evelyn St. and 30 Gailor Lane. Both fires caused minor damage to the buildings and no injuries were reported from either fire. Residents are asked to prepare for the winter months by cleaning your chimneys to prevent chimney fires.

Michael Williams
Fire Chief
Hooksett N.H. Fire-Rescue

To the Editor:

Hooksett voters will select four state representatives to serve in the New Hampshire Legislature on general election day Tuesday, Nov. 7. One of those running is Charlie Humphries. I am voting for Charlie Humphries, and I urge Hooksett voters to also cast a ballot for Charlie Humphries.

Charlie Humphries is very active in community affairs, and he presently serves as vice chairman of the Hooksett Budget Committee. He will bring his budgeting experience to Concord with an eye towards maintaining the “New Hampshire Advantage” by keeping spending down.

Charlie Humphries is committed to voting against a sales or income tax. We need to send another fiscal watchdog to Concord to protect our pocketbooks.

David R. Boutin
Hooksett

To the Editor:

I am writing to you today to endorse Charlie Humphries of Hooksett for state representative.

We need people like Charlie in Concord who understand what makes New Hampshire special and who will work hard to keep it that way. Charlie believes that an income tax is the wrong idea for New Hampshire working families. He will also work hard to solve the school funding crisis. He has volunteered his time on many town committees and has proven that he has valuable leadership skills.

Please join me in casting your vote for Republican Charlie Humphries. Thank you.

Liz Feren
Hooksett

To the Editor:

I have so many people in Hooksett to thank for their support, I do not know where to begin. I do not wish to slight anyone, so I am going to draw a pyramid in my mind and trickle it down.

George Longfellow will be thanked first, since he is the chairman of the town council and should be at the top of the pyramid. I wish to thank George for conducting an unbiased and fair inquiry. George is a newly elected chairman of the town council and was elected July 12 at approximately 7 p.m., and the charges were leveled at me that evening between 8:50 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. I am sorry, George, you had to bear this burden in your first term and your first hour. But, I do thank you for handling it superbly and without prejudice.

Next, I wish to thank all the councilors that voted for my retention. I also wish to thank the councilors that voted for my removal. I respect your right to vote as you see fit and honor that vote because, as a first-generation American, I am a staunch proponent of our freedoms. I hope we never lose them. My father was Italian and my mother German. Glad they were not in Europe in the ’30s ­ they may have killed each other instead of loving each other.

I wish to thank all the residents that attended the council meetings week after week. I know what a sacrifice you made in your personal lives to be there constantly. I know how uncomfortable those chairs can be. Maybe we can do a fundraiser to purchase soft, comfortable chairs for the council chambers in the new town hall. We could have a fund raising dance, have a great get together, meet and greet our neighbors and purchase comfortable chairs with the proceeds. When I first moved to Hooksett, there use to be dances in the Memorial School. I thank the residents that wore red in my support. A hardy thanks to all that sent e-mails, they were overwhelming. The phone calls and a few wonderful letters of support. I was so touched by your kind words and prayers.

Last but not least, The Hooksett Banner, the reporting of Nick Brown. Nick is a transplant from Texas and I do not know how he survives the winters up here. Kudos to Ginger, editor of The Hooksett Banner, for her exemplary editorials on this issue because we were at the opposite ends of the spectrum on the TIF district. She was truly the consummate professional, she never allowed her personal feelings to enter into play when she wore her reporter’s hat.

Politics is a strange bedfellow folks, one can be your bosom buddy at lunch and vote against you at a meeting that evening. If you get angry, you would be angry most of the time. I pray the Prayer of Jabez every morning, it works and has enriched my life.

Now that the presidential election are starting to heat up, my territory has been enlarged beyond the pale.

Pat Rueppel
Hooksett

P.S.: During his defense when on trial for his life, Socrates pointed out that dissent, like the tiny gadfly, was easy to swat, but the cost to society of silencing individuals who were irritating could be very high the role of the gadfly is to sting people and whip them into a fury, all in the service of truth.

To the Editor:

It’s fall, leaf-peeping season. New Hampshire is at its most beautiful, and thousands of visitors come from out of state just to see how pretty New England can be.

As they drive Route 4 through Epsom, they also admire the wonderful, historic meetinghouse which has been the home of the Epsom Bible Church. It’s a perfect example of New England frame church architecture, complete with stained glass and steeple.

But what happens next year? Will those same visitors zip right through, wondering whatever happened to Epsom? “Gee, Ma, we must have missed it! I didn’t see the big white church!”

We are in imminent danger of losing this irreplaceable landmark. Cumberland Farms is determined to tear it down and replace it with a convenience store before spring. The Friends of the Epsom Meetinghouse Committee have spent over a year researching how to save the structure, so it can go on being a visual asset as well as a useful space for the town. They’ve developed a viable plan which will actually save the town money over the next 10 years. It’s a win-win scenario!

But it needs your help and support. Please join in, get involved, and support this project. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a difference now that will be appreciated for generations to come. Help preserve Epsom’s landmark, and with your efforts, we can make our great town an even better place to live.

Sharon Ann Burnston
Epsom

To the Editor:

When you go from troublemaker to councilor, life changes. As a councilor (trustee) your decisions are no longer your own. You can still pontificate outside of chambers, but while serving, the “wig and robe” hold you to a higher standard which overrules your own desires. Strangers become more important than yourself. Conscience and duty determine your decisions. Honesty and objective impartiality is expected and demanded (downright biblical).

As a troublemaker, I would pounce upon any semblance of doing otherwise. Each opportunity was a chance to hold their feet to the fire. I finally got a dose of my own medicine and gained new understanding, previously unattainable. I realized how harsh I had been, but don’t regret it. It is the duty of the citizenry to be on the watch and holler when something looks fishy, even if it isn’t. Being responsive to constituents’ concerns is a trustee’s duty. Even though it took about an hour, on the back stairs after a meeting, I listened and debated. Having never received such respect myself, it felt good to offer it to someone else. I hope it was appreciated.

Apparently, there seems to be some confusion as to how much freedom of speech a councilor has. Of course, while in session, we must adhere to council rules, reasonable rules of etiquette and some cumbersome parliamentary rules, but once the hammer hits the table, we are free American citizens possessing all the rights protected (not granted!) by the Constitution of these United States of America. We can talk, receive mail, hear solicited and unsolicited advice, respond in any manner and engage in any lawful interaction with anyone, without having approval from anybody.

Getting input from different sides of any issue is edifying. If there is evidence of an act that conflicts with a trusted position, that is when we’ve stepped over the line, not before. Public trustees should say and write what they think needs to be heard or read, publicly and candidly. Personal insults are never fruitful, but personal and professional criticisms are fair game when you’re in the public domain, provided they are valid and supported by evidence.

If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen. The heat is the burden of proof, and you can’t cook without it.

David Ross
Hooksett

To the Editor:

My name is Brenda Bernard and I am writing this letter for my friends John Sevigny and Hiedi Lawrence Sevigny, currently of Allenstown. Both John and Hiedi grew up in New Hampshire, John from Bedford and Hiedi from Auburn.

Mother’s Day 2006, a day that should have been the beginning of a bright future, became the beginning of a dismal one. This day should have been the celebration of Hiedi’s pregnancy as a mother-to-be. Instead, John and Hiedi were evacuated from their home as they fell victim to the severe flooding. While enduring the stress and financial difficulties of almost losing their home, Hiedi’s body just could not handle the pregnancy and stress and was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. Hiedi at this time was put on bed rest and was not able to return to work.

On June 21, Hiedi was admitted to the hospital and an emergency C-section brought the birth of their son, Russell Paul. Although Russell was born healthy, Hiedi suffered a severe stroke and the doctors were not hopeful for her recovery. Hiedi fought for her life and was able to survive. However, the stroke has left Hiedi as a quadriplegic. She spent three months in Spaulding Rehabilitation in Boston, and has recently returned home. Family and friends assisted in not only her care but the care of her newborn son. Her husband, John, had to take a leave of absence from his employment due to these circumstances.

During these past months, Hiedi and John and their family have not only faced the stress and repairs of the flooding but are faced with a future of uncertainty. Hiedi is currently homebound because she is in a wheelchair and they do not have transportation to accommodate her. Family is still assisting in the care of their son, Russell, because the everyday chores and simple tasks that we take for granted cannot be accomplished by Hiedi. John has recently returned to work with minimal hours and is not sure if he will be able to return to work full time. This family must also adapt to a barely minimum one-income household.

We are hoping to obtain assistance from our community. We are asking for all types of donations, monetary, coupons, gift cards from local merchants, formula and diapers, also it could be a service or items for the home, for example; items/services to assist in preparing their house to be wheelchair accessible.

Hiedi’s family will be hosting a fundraiser Harvest Dance on Nov. 18 from 7 to 11 pm at Auburn Village School. If you cannot offer something for John and Hiedi directly, maybe you could donate something that can be raffled so that the proceeds can be given to this family.

All donations, no matter how small are greatly appreciated. John and Heidi are more than deserving of our help. Please take the time to assist us in this cause. You may contact me with any questions at 365-5394 or 49 Palomino Lane, Bedford, NH 03110. Thank you in advance.

Brenda Bernard
Bedford

To the Editor:

We hope that the voters of Auburn and Londonderry would like to know how their state representatives in Concord voted on HB 616, the bill that reduced state educational aid to Auburn and Londonderry by approximately $3 million.

On April 20, 2005, three of our local reps voted for it - D. Dumaine, J. Headd, and P. Smith. cWhen Republicans Dumaine, Headd and Smith had the opportunity to “kill” this unfair and unconstitutional bill, they took a pass. The vote on HB 616 was 181 in favor, 178 against. Their three votes sealed the loss of over $400,000 in state aid to Auburn and nearly $2.5 million in aid to Londonderry. Do such legislators deserve another term?

Many of us will remember in November that Republicans cost our kids and hurt our seniors in having to pay higher property taxes to compensate for the loss in state adequacy money. Isn’t it time for Auburn-Londonderry Democrats to have an opportunity to try and “fix the mess” in Concord? As Democrats, we pledge to be independent voices who will truly represent the best interests of the people of Auburn and Londonderry.

Wendy and Will Thomas
Auburn