Mr. Hilliard's Plans For the Charter Commission

Somersworth Council Member Dana Hilliard has shown nothing but utter contempt for those residents who have supported forming a charter commission with the goal of adopting a town charter, allowing taxpayers to vote directly on budget items each year.

From the first days when he insisted that residents did not have the right to decided their form of local government, to his claim that the current charter prevented itself from being replaced, to now -- running for a seat on the Commission with the goal of dissolving it as soon as voters elect its members.

Mr. Hilliard had his chance to improve the City Charter this past summer when he chaired a committee to review. The only significant recommendation his committee returned was to remove the Mayor from the School Board -- removing the roadblock which prevented him, as a staff member of the school district, from completing his campaign for Mayor last fall.

When given the opportunity to make changes to the City Charter which would benefit Somersworth residents, he chose to make changes which were specifically targeted to benefit his own ambitions.

Vote on November 25th to elect commission members who want to give Somersworth residents control of their local government!

Todd Patten
Somersworth, NH