Benson Does A Shaheen
Just when it seemed we were finally about to shake the Statewide Property Tax monkey off our backs, Governor Craig Benson reneged on his campaign promise to eliminate so-called "donor" towns. Benson recently announced that he would support SB 302, a bill which revives the system by which NH communities are divided into two camps: donor and receiver.

If Portsmouth Mayor Evelyn Sirrell doesn't look too happy... well it's because she isn't. Pictured here with her is Manchester Mayor Robert Baines. They are part of a delegation of outraged municipal officials who journeyed to Concord on May 24 to denounce SB 302, a document that was concocted in secret session by legislative leaders.

SB 302 would funnel Newington property tax revenues to towns with some of the highest per capita incomes in New Hampshire, communities such as Amherst, Bedford, and Windham. Some Newington residents, particularly the elderly on fixed incomes, can ill-afford this redistribution of wealth.

Mayor Sirrell urged the Legislature to oppose SB 302, stating that "people will lose their homes, their jobs, and their faith in their government."

Newington Selectmen Jack O'Reilly commented that local "people with a fixed income are having the lifeblood sucked right out of them." Selectman Jan Stuart called the legislation an "atrocity".

SB 302 tags Newington for $1.7 million. For more information, see the Coalition Communities' web site.

FOX POINT SUNSET
5 MILE
ROAD RACE
& Fun Run

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2004

Sunday, September 19, was the Newington School Supporters' third annual Fox Point Sunset Road Race. The race raises money for the Newington Public School Playground Plan. The day was sunny and cool. The five mile race on a USATF certified course all through town drew 74 registrants from Newington , other parts of New Hampshire , Maine , and Massachusetts .

The overall winner was Mike O'Brien of Durham , who had a course record time of 25:37. Very close behind him was Tim Rider of Dover , at 25:47. The first woman to cross the line was Suzanne Brown of Lee at 36:28. She was followed by Wendi Cryan of York , ME , at 36:52.

Suzanne Lebell was the first Newington woman to finish the course, with a time of 37:18. The first Newington resident to cross the line, with a tenth place overall finish, was Zachary Leighton. Zach was one of the three youngest runners, and is a graduate of Newington Public School . A big thank you to all of the sponsors and the many windblown volunteers! A special thanks to Newington Wal-Mart for being our banner sponsor! Congratulations to all of the runners!

There was also a fun run for children 12 and under. The effort brought out tears for some, and smiles for most. 28 children ran the course of about a mile on Fox Point Road . Newington was well represented by Evan Anderson, Max Boynton, Lauren Brown,

Eddie and Elizabeth Carroll, Chase and Matthew Coleman, John and Joseph Downey,

Eric and Kelsey Frizzell, Christian and Nigel Leighton, Aaron Ronnquist, and Kyle Watson. The spectators and proud parents will all agree that each of the runners is a winner!

PHOTOS & COMMENTARY
from the 2002 Race

Pirates Strike Again
At 9:01 AM on March 28, 2002, the NH Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) dispatched a special collection agent to grab Newington's latest payment to the Shaheen statewide educational improvement fund. The DRA's take was a record-breaking $2,164,423.

Apparently, DRA Commissioner Stanley Arnold didn't buy the Selectmen's lame excuse about the check being in the mail, hence the personal visit by DRA Special Collection Agent ______.

Agent _____ was greeted by two Selectmen, the Tax Collector, the Adminstrative Assistant, the Building Inspector, and the Town Planner. A uniformed Newington Police Officer was stationed nearby in order to protect the aforementioned Town officials in case things got out of hand.

At 9:02 AM, Agent ______ received a phone call from headquarters inquiring as to whether the funds had been secured. Affirmative, he whispered, as he hurriedly scurried from the building and jumped into his State-issued sedan.

And you wonder why the Selectmen call them pirates?

Pirates Plunder Town... Again!

They came back again in 2003. This time the State's take was $2,268,767. That's an increase of $104,344 over the 2002 payment.

Wetalnds Ordinance Adopted in March
The Newington Conservation Commission recently engaged in a complete overhaul and modernization of the Town's wetlands protection ordinance. Toward that end, the commission retained the services of West Environmental in 2001 to conduct a town-wide inventory of Newington's wetlands.

The commission's primary goal was to revise the ordinance so as to better protect those resources that are particularly important to the ecosystem. The protection of resources of lesser significance, e.g. poorly drained soils, will no longer be pursued.

Newington's first wetlands ordinance was adopted in 1988. The new ordinance was approved by the townspeople at March 2004 Town Meeting. The Conservation Commission would be pleased to address any concerns or comments from Newington property owners. Alternately, you may contact our Town Planner, Tom Morgan, at 436-1252.