I'll take the question.

I mean record again, correct?

Because it's now off.

Is that right anymore?

Okay, not come.

Well, going off again.

We should be fine.

Okay.

You'll come in here if you can't hear us.

Are we on?

Seven o'clock.

Okay.

Um it is seven o'clock.

I'm going to call the meeting of the personnel administrative affairs committee to order.

Today is Monday, February 2nd 2026.

It is 7 p.m.

and we in the all we are in the Aldermanic Chamber.

This meeting has been duly noticed in two places, including the city's website in accordance with the requirements of RSA 91A.

I'm gonna start by taking the roll.

Um Alderman Lopez.

I'm here.

Alderman Thibault?

Here.

Alderman Johnson.

Present.

Alderman Clemens said he was unable to make it.

Um I also see that we have alderman at large, Lori Wilshire with us as well as the mayor.

Um please mention yourself.

Oh yeah, I'm here.

Corporation counsel.

And corporation counsel.

Thank you.

Um okay, so we're gonna move on to the election of the committee clerk.

Uh call for nominations of our committee clerk Alderman Lopez.

I'd like to recommend Alderman Derek Kevo.

Okay, you've heard the nomination.

Any discussion?

I'd like to close nominations.

Then motion is to close nominations.

All those in favor are aye.

Any opposed?

All right.

Uh then we need to vote on the election of Alderman T bowt as the personnel administrative affairs committee for the 2026-2027 term.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed?

All right.

As Mr.

Tebow comes over, we are going to move into public comment.

You would like to address the committee, please come to the mic.

State your name and address.

Okay, I'm gonna start the so go ahead.

You can start.

Just trying to get the mics up.

Oh, okay.

I'll wait till we start.

What is it?

I'll wait until you start talking about that scare one eleven East Hobart Street.

Um here I have questions about the uh new the new business ordinances relative to flag polls on city hall grounds.

Um first question is will the proposed flag policy be a real change in behavior or just encourage people to give input privately to the mayor.

Will the will the city only fly flags it personally owns from now on rather than flying flags that have been loaned to it as previously?

And will you update update the policy to include flags and banners hanging from city lamp po lamp posts and other city property?

Thank you.

Any additional public comment?

Okay.

Communications.

Interviews.

Uh we have Ethics Review Committee, Justin Gersonfield, new appointment, uh 79 Gilson Road, Nashville, New Hampshire term to expire December 9th, 2028.

We'll do them all together.

All the ethics or all the ethics, yeah.

Okay.

Uh we also have Lou Juris, new appointment, uh 59 Haynes Street, National New Hampshire 03060, term to expire February 10th, 2029.

And also Adam Thompson, also a new appointment, uh 30 Front Street, Department 715, National New Hampshire 03064, term to expire February 10th, 2029.

Thank you.

Um so because I get to uh have a case against me on the ethics board, I will uh recuse myself from this vote uh with legal counsel and uh probably will not ask any questions so I don't look like I'm biased in any way when it comes to the ethics committee.

Thank you.

Um thank you, madam chair.

So the first nomination excuse me is Justin Gerstenfeld Field.

Um he is a very experienced uh educator.

You can see from his resume that he has uh various degrees, including a doctorate of educational leadership.

Uh he's been very active in the community uh in various respects.

He's has a very extensive resume.

Uh we have some uh openings on the ethics review committee, uh some pending cases as you've just heard.

Uh so we need uh and appreciate anybody who's willing to serve on that committee.

Um I know Justin, and he's a resident of Ward 5.

I know him uh to be a very fair-minded and uh intelligent person, and I think and I know he will do a fine job as a member of the Ethics Review Committee.

Uh but um just uh Mr.

Gersten Field is right here, and I will um turn it over to him to explain or to tell you anything else he'd like to tell you about himself and uh regarding his interest in serving on the committee.

So I signed up to volunteer to be a part of the ethics committee when I was looking through the various city committees, uh looking at ways to give my time back to the city of Nashua and the residents and uh find ways to use the experiences that I have.

I saw that as an opportunity to best serve the ways that I could uh for the the city and residents and looking back through my um background, having served in um university administration, having done ethics reviews in undergraduate serving on Title IX panels and hearing investigations through counseling and having conducted phenomenological research, uh focusing on people's lived experiences, um, and having to approach all of this with a non-biased uh applying the rules to that.

I felt that this would be a good fit for me and my background, and so that's when I was looking at the various committees to to sign up for.

I was like, oh, let me um let me uh volunteer my time with with the ethics review committee.

Okay, thank you.

Mr.

Mayor, do you want to introduce Mr.

Juris next?

Um, so the next nominee um next to Mr.

Gersten Field is Lou Juris.

Uh he is a resident of Ward 7.

He's a lifelong resident of the city.

His parents still live in Ward 7 on which street?

March Street.

March Street.

Uh and so he's been a lifelong resident of that uh Crown Hill or that neighborhood.

Uh he had a career at the MBTA uh for 25 years and has retired from that.

Uh and since then he's been very active here in the city.

He's a state rep.

Uh he's a he's a ward official uh and he is a substitute crossing guard.

Uh he um is very interested in public issues and uh I'm sure he'll do a great job here on the on the ethics committee.

Uh and therefore I strongly recommend that you um approve him uh for this appointment.

And with that, I will turn it over to um Mr.

Juris for any comments he wishes to make uh regarding his background or regarding his interest uh on the committee.

Thank you, Mayor, and good evening, uh Alderman.

Uh in my if if I were uh elected or chosen to serve, I would certainly look at each case uh that came forward with uh some impartiality uh in fairness and make sure that whatever's brought forward passes at first at first glance passes the this both the smell test and the silly test, if you will.

Uh and uh it'll it'll be done with with fairness and in accordance to the the rules and in accordance to the guidelines that are given.

Uh yeah, and uh as the mayor said, uh I've been around for a while.

I've been in and out of this uh earlier my in my earlier years I lived in town and I lived uh down in down in the North Shore of Mass as well.

Uh had some different experiences in life.

Uh you know, lately in the legislature, certainly at the transit authority, and uh I've had trainings as such in uh in ethics and in uh uh you know and in generally speaking the rules and policies.

So I've learned from those uh those experiences in the uh at during those times and certainly can bring my experience forward and uh and help out and also serve as a member uh to the best of my ability.

Mr.

Mendy introduce.

Um thank you, Madam Chair.

And the third nominee is Adam Thompson.

Uh Mr.

Thompson is a resident of Ward 3.

He is a Marine Corps veteran, uh having served in the Marine Corps for I think four years, right?

And he's also a former public school educator.

Uh he is the ward clerk, uh, in other words, award official, uh uh election official, ward ward clerk of uh ward three.

Uh he's also been involved in various other community activities.

Uh he in his experience as an educator has been involved in um hearing hearings and other confidential matters.

Uh so he would uh certainly be a um a strong nominee.

He is a strong nominee for um the ethics committee.

Uh and again, we need to fill several positions, and so I appreciate his willingness and the willingness of Mr.

Juris and Mr.

Gersten Field.

But with that, I will turn you turn it over to Mr.

Thompson for any comments he wishes to make.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Uh Alderman, I appreciate the opportunity.

And Mr.

Mayor, I appreciate the uh promotion there to clerk, I'm a selectman.

Emma might not be uh Emma might not be too happy to hear that, but I wouldn't regardless, I appreciate it and I appreciate the trust he's showing there.

Uh my name is Adam Thompson.

I'm a former uh uh public uh school educator and a disabled veteran.

Uh I started I moved to the city five years ago and became very interested in the city as I became uh more familiar with it as I learned more about the city, walking around talking to people, and I really developed a uh quite a fondness uh for the city, uh so much so that it's kind of reinvigorated my interest in public service.

And so when I found out uh about the committees, I perused them and uh uh I thought this was a good opportunity to uh step up and serve again.

Uh I believe in accessibility and transparency.

It's one of the reasons that I ran for uh selectman and uh uh partially for the disability rights things that I'm uh also interested in.

So uh I appreciate the opportunity to serve again.

Thank you.

Okay, great.

Um so just to the alderman, I'm gonna open it up for questions.

If you have a question for a specific person, just let me know who that's directed to if you want it to all of them, also mention that, and then for our panel, our panel interviewees, however we want to put it.

Um just make sure you say your name before you speak, just for our transcriptionists so that they can denote who's been speaking.

So I will open it up for questions.

Alderman Johnson.

Thank you very much.

Um, my first question, I guess will be directed to Corporation Council.

Um I did send an email to attorney clock.

Um I don't think this is the appropriate time for questions for me.

Well, then I'll just give my opinion about this then.

I don't understand.

Well, I figured I'd ask because there's a term policy according to the NRO, there's a discrepancy on the term of one of the um appoint new appointments.

And according to the NRO, it does not coincide.

So I don't have to ask you the question.

I'll just bring it up and we might have to get an answer later on to this.

Um I don't understand the appointment for um the ethic review committee is a three-year term.

But Mr.

Gerstenfield has it for a two-year term.

And the NRO is very clear, it's a three-year term.

So I don't understand why it's two years versus three years.

So uh Mr.

Mayor, do you want to?

I b I believe but we can verify this.

There have been resignations on this committee.

So when someone resigns in the middle of a term, the the uh new appointment serves the remainder of that three-year term.

So I believe what's happened is someone has resigned, and uh I'm appointing Mr.

Gersten Field to fill the remainder of that term.

That was my understanding as well.

Alderman Johnson.

Thank you.

Um, but I guess it would be great if you let some of us know about this because then I wouldn't have to.

It seems like I'm targeting him, but I'm not because of the fact that if it's a three-year term and you're only putting two, you should have let us know that he will be filling the remainder of somebody who has resigned from the board.

So then this way it's not in conflict with the NRO.

It's generally the way this committee has run.

If someone's filling it, we know that as people who've been on it.

So happy to answer any questions you have about things like that before meetings.

Do you have questions for anyone around their experience?

The point is well taken.

So in the future I can make that clear on the appointment form that it's the serving the remainder of a of an unexpired term.

Thank you.

That would be great.

Um can I continue with some questions?

Alderman Johnson.

Thank you very much.

Um I guess I'm gonna start all three of you on the panel.

This is fun.

This you know.

Um this will be for all three of you, and I think it will be kind of good.

Um can you describe a time when you had a difficult uh describe a time when you had to make a difficult decision?

What factors did you consider?

We'll start with Dr.

Kirstenfield, go this way.

So I had to do one Justin Gersonfield.

Uh I was making one today before I came here, which is why I flew in to the door.

Um working with a student who is looking to return to complete their education after taking almost two decades off of their education, and policy states that the student has to uh retake courses that expire after 10 years, and but it's also up to the college or university to decide whether or not the student has to um do that.

And in this particular student's case, if we don't make them do that, they can graduate with only taking two classes at a Massachusetts community college for free, or we can make them take 15 classes at the university for $60,000.

And I don't agree with that.

And so it was a lot of discussions that had to be taken on what is the correct thing to do for someone who has been working in a business field for the last 22 years to come back and take two classes that don't apply to their business degree on whether or not we should push them to be sixty thousand dollars more in debt just because we feel like we should follow a policy that we have the ability to waive.

And so it was challenging people to look at the other perspective and see why are we doing it the way that we're doing it, and do we do it this way just because we feel like it, or we want to dig our heels in, or do we want to admit that maybe we should make an exception and look at it from the other side and do the right thing by the person that's sitting in front of us.

Thank you.

Oh, uh sure.

Uh Adam Thompson, a uh I'm actually dealing with something uh right now with an organization that I'm involved in.

Uh and what I've done is uh contacted all of the parties involved to understand their perspective and where they're coming from, uh, and then compared that along with our uh guiding documents to make sure that nobody's overstepped or uh broken any trusts, and then uh settled it's uh following the guides.

Thank you.

So there they're uh in in the act of life, there's there are always decisions to be made uh almost uh on a daily basis, some of them more important than others, but I can recall the time in my uh professional career at the uh transit authority where I had to make a decision whether it's similar to to what this appointment is about uh whether to pursue a a case uh in front of a board uh over a violation of some rules.

It was pretty petty.

Uh the uh the union was involved.

Uh we were gonna go to it was an arbitration thing.

And so after after some debate and some back and forth, we had decided to go forward with the arbitration, even though it was gonna cost uh some time and money uh to to hear the case in front of an impartial arbiter.

And uh it was decided that uh for people not to do this again that it would be wise to to go forward with it.

I could have dropped the whole thing or went went through it and it was you know there was some a little bit of tension there, certainly some stress.

Um so that's I I guess one thing that sticks out here uh if if I could uh in the spur of the moment.

Thank you.

You got it.

Additional questions?

I'll let somebody else and then I'll come back.

Thank you.

Almost Lopez?

I don't have questions, just a comment.

I appreciate all of you taking the time to serve.

Um looking at your resumes.

I typically do have specific questions, but I think the experience that you guys are presenting and the comments that you've made do um support the role you're doing.

Um so I think the mayor made some pretty good uh appointments here, and I think we need to get our ethics committee back up to staff uh and uh and I think you guys are the ones with the job, so you'll be getting my supportson.

Thank you.

Um mayor when if these nominees go through, is your ethics committee going to be exactly where it needs to be with all the members, or you're gonna still be short.

I think the positions will be filled, although there's been that there's the possibility that other people could leave, but if that doesn't happen, I think we'll be full we'll be complete with five members.

Okay.

And may I ask one final question?

Alderman Johnson.

Um this is really directed to all of you about does do any of you know any if there's any outstanding cases um hearings that have to be done, and if so, do you know anybody?

I will put aside the alderman here outside of that.

Anybody, anybody else that uh might with your decisions of listening to cases out there, what's gone on?

Uh Adam Thompson, uh, I'm walking into this with uh fresh eyes, and I'm unaware of uh anything outstanding, and uh if anything gets presented to us, they'll be done so with fresh eyes.

Okay, thank you.

It sounds like a plan uh I would concur with uh with Adam uh fellow appointee.

I don't know of any cases uh uh that uh that are present or that are being are are pending uh again you know looking at them in whatever comes forward looking at it impartially and and fair and fairly for sure.

Thank you.

Uh Justin Gersonfield and outside of the one that you mentioned, not aware of any other of any other cases, and regardless, all cases, what you may hear outside of it unless you're in the room and presented with all the facts, you have to look at them with fresh eyes because you don't know what is being said because you don't have all of the information.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any additional questions.

All right, I'm gonna ask a hard one.

Um so thank you first of all, all of you for stepping forward to serve any time someone comes forward before us.

We know it's time that you're giving to the city, so I appreciate that.

Um so my hard question is that this committee, as the mayor has pointed out, has had a number of resignations because oftentimes um it can get very heated.

Um so I'm interested in what your conflict resolution style is if there's you know a lot of uh frustrations and things happening in a meeting.

How about you, Lou?

You want to go first?

Sure.

Uh conflict resolution.

Uh uh first thing that comes to mind is uh you know I guess you know being being a parent, uh it's uh uh it's it's it's certainly more difficult as uh the the uh children could move up into adulthood, that's for sure.

Uh so there are things that come up that still you have to help uh help resolve and uh help manage.

Uh but you know, going back to my earlier comments, uh certainly look at things with you know just look at each matter as they as it comes and and and call balls and strikes and try to be uh try to use some relaxation techniques and uh uh you know, some breathing and and just uh I've been in situations where things can get difficult, they can get uh, you know, like you mentioned, heated.

Uh they can get kind of hot, and yeah, I I I worked and uh I've been involved in in situations like that, and in the in you know, even up to now, going to hearings up at the uh the state house.

Uh you know, you feel it, you'd be sometimes you become a little bit numb to it, but you know they're out both sides, and it's important to have it's important to have understand what the what the rules are and and if they've been if they've been crossed or violated, but it's also important to have uh some understanding and empathy uh to those who are being brought forward and to those who are making the case as well.

So keeping that in mind, I would keep that in mind going forward while while uh performing these duties.

Uh Adam Thompson.

Uh in my time uh as the mayor pointed out serving in the Marine Corps, I've had uh a lot of situations where we needed to remain calm and uh collected while we dealt with uh different things.

Uh same thing when I was uh teaching in uh Brockton, Massachusetts.

I worked at a school that was for students that had been kicked out of the other schools, and they were often very emotional uh as they were pleading their case.

And that the challenge is to, and the key is to remain calm yourself uh and to remain as level-headed as possible, and as uh Representative Juris pointed out, it's important to also practice our own mindfulness and our own forms of meditation so we ourselves don't get overwhelmed.

Uh I've done uh significant amount of de-escalation uh trainings uh both through uh the school systems and as well as my own recent personal capacity.

Uh and it's important that as we're working that we do so considering part five, chapter five of the city code sinfield.

Well, and ditto to what they have all said, but I would say, in a in addition to that, uh part of my professional role or part of my professional research is looking into hostile work environments and finding ways to make sure that they don't happen and stopping them and um figuring out what's what makes people feel triggered in those areas, and so through that I have learned quite a few ways to deal with being in hostile work environment situations or just hostile situations in general.

Um been in numerous times where campuses well, not numerous, just twice, have been on campuses that have been locked down to to active shooters.

Uh one most recently just this past fall with the Mastlow um incident where we were on lockdown for an active shooter.

So it's like Adam Thompson said, remaining calm and working to de-escalate the situation and just being being present and taking time and breathing.

Good job.

Um additional questions or thoughts from Alderman?

And if you guys want to add anything before you go, we'll take up your nominations after.

I'll just add briefly.

Yeah, we've taken, I think all of us have probably taken some sort of de-escalation.

That's a good uh good topic there.

Uh de-escalation uh training, the hostility, that kind of those matters, uh certainly inclusion training, uh, you know, the most of the companies do, you know, and and it I think even this the school system now, there's trainings that that are being put forward online, and part of the one of the uh segments is de-escalation and dealing with students uh de-escalation and uh uh understanding uh uh those techniques and how to develop those techniques.

So thank you.

Anything that uh Adam Thompson, I just want to say thank you for the opportunity to uh serve the city.

Thank you.

Okay, likewise.

Thank you very much.

We'll be taking up your nomination a little bit.

I appreciate it.

Bless you.

Thank you.

All right.

Uh Mind Falls Park Advisory Committee.

And hopefully I don't mess up any of these names.

Uh Joss Justin Hoppe, new appointment, 29 Lutheran Drive, National New Hampshire, 03063, term to expire January 13th, 2029.

Kamal Massand, uh new appointment, 28 Jennifer Drive, National New Hampshire, 03062, term to expire February 10th, 2029.

And we have Michael Sleewa, new appointment, 28 Woodfield Street, Nashville, New Hampshire 03062, term to expire March 10th, 2029.

Right.

Thank you very much.

Uh have the mayor will do it in the same order.

Uh thank you, Madam Chair.

So all three appointments here are for the Mindfalls Advisory Committee.

Um the main criteria here is people who are interested in the park and who are willing to uh put time into serving the park.

Uh we have a you know, this is a very large park.

The committee, not mindful advisory committee over the years has done a really good job in both helping to advise and guide the city regarding its treatment of the park, but also uh a lot of volunteer and cleanup days that are conducted um uh in an effort to keep the park clean and just keep it as in as good a shape as possible.

Now I appreciate anyone who wants to be on this uh committee because we need as much help as we can get in Mindfalls.

Um we have first um Mr.

Hopperich who uh has been volunteering for uh some years, a couple of years doing these cleanups.

Uh and he would like to step up and be on the committee, which seems like a very um admirable, admirable and reasonable request.

Uh he is a resident of Ward 1, he works for BAE uh in quality control, I believe.

Uh and um therefore I'm glad to be nominating uh him for this position.

Uh we also have Mr.

Massard Massand, who also has been actively uh engaged with at the park for quite a period of time.

Uh he's a Lions Club member as well.

Uh again, um anyone such as uh who's willing to put time in out there uh and help the city in that way.

I think we want to uh welcome them on to this uh committee.

So I'm certainly enthusiastic about his nomination as well.

And finally we have Mr.

Sla Sla Sliwa, who lives in Ward 5 um Woodfield Street, which is relatively near an entrance to the park.

Um he obviously enjoys the park and has been a lot of time there.

Uh he would like to be on the committee.

Um he has uh extensive professional experience um, you know, as in various companies, and you can see his resume.

Um but the principal qualification again I would come back to the beginning.

The principal qualification is a willingness to uh help us uh with respect to uh one of our more most important uh parks in our principal wilderness park.

So in all three, with all three, I'm just uh very glad that they're willing to serve, and I'm sure the committee can put them to good use.

And so I will first go to Mr.

Hoprich and ask him if he has anything to either regarding himself or his interest in uh Mindfalls.

I'm Justin uh Hoprich.

I first fell in love with the park uh running cross-country for the high school, and uh since then I've always been coming back and kind of exploring the trail and uh getting real familiar with everything.

Uh after college, came back from Florida and started volunteering with the committee, and uh that was a really nice opportunity to kind of uh give back to the park that has treated me so well.

Uh and after attending one of the board meetings uh and seeing a little bit more of the inner workings of the board, I wanted to join uh to both um give my input and maybe some expertise on you know from press professional experiences.

Um so I'm excited to to learn about you know more about the inner workings and contribute.

Thank you.

Um one thing I'd like to add there is that um it would be great to try to um encourage colleges to use minefalls as a cross-country course, like maybe University of Lowell, um other nearby colleges, and um uh Mr.

Hoprich's experience may enable him to be able to facilitate that.

But uh and so hopefully the the committee could pursue that.

In any event, we also have Mr.

Massand, and I will um turn it over to him again to say anything he would like to about um his his interest in the park uh or regarding his uh background there.

Yeah, come in the sign.

I actually going into park for last 25 years plus now.

I used to go and take the photograph for the fall for Lich near the Ali Fell in Lau.

Then I started helping out during the volunteer days, starting the cleaning up, the dock booth, bottles, everything.

Then Avadas, can I can I handle the hard work?

So I first time picked up the sledgehammer and try to break the stones and help out quite a bit there.

So it's been 10 15 years plus cleaning up and cleaning up.

That I was approached two years in a row that why don't you come to our advisory committee?

Why don't you join?

I thought I don't have time.

I run a full-time business, I don't have time.

But this year they said, oh, we need you badly.

So I said, okay, the the put my name, and if I do get nominated, I'll be happy to provide my expertise from my business expertise, my legal expertise.

I have a legal background, I have a three PA, I got all the degrees.

I can help you all the inside outside.

So I'll help you.

But definitely I love cleaning up and working there on the field.

That's my goal.

Keep patrils clean and get more for traffic there.

That's the goal.

Thank you.

And Mr.

Sliwa, who I already indicated is very interested in the park and uh would like to serve, and so I'll turn it over to him to say anything he'd like to regarding himself or regarding uh his interest in being on this mindfalls committee.

Thank you, Mayor, and good evening, Alderman.

Um I've been a national resident for about 40 years, and um you know, speaking of 40 years, is it the 40-year anniversary of the Patriots and the Bears?

This guy moved out here from Chicago 40 years ago.

And so um since that time I've been going to mindfalls, walking, running, taking my kids there, and now it's come full circle, and now I do have the time because I just recently retired, so I'm looking for things I'm passionate about Mindfalls as one of those things.

It's probably one of our greatest athletes in this in this city, and I really want to contribute to the uh committee so that um you know, so I can help preserve and maintain falls over the years.

So um thank you, and uh happy to answer any questions you have.

Okay, thank you very much.

We'll open up to questions from the Alderman.

Alderman Tebum.

Thank you, uh Chair.

Um so uh it's not a question, it's more just a comment.

Um, Mindfalls, like you said, is it's really one of our jewels.

That and Greeley Park are our two main jewels of the city, it's why people come here.

Um I've coached there, my kids have run through there and cross-country on for school.

So um it's definitely to see for this committee to see people that are passionate to want to help.

That's where really what I care about on this, right?

It's it's this is more of a willingness to help.

It doesn't you can be from any walk of life and want to be out there helping clean up the park.

So thank you for all coming forward.

I I think uh everything you guys have said has been great so far.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Alderman Lopez.

Um, so fair warning.

I'm the alderman for Ward 4, and uh Alderman Johnson is ward five, so we pretty much have Mindfalls like bookended.

Um Mindfalls is a very diverse spot, and there's a lot of different people trying to do a lot of different things.

The mayor mentioned uh an interest in college cross-country, but there's like high school students that are always training.

There's uh marathon uh athletes training through Gate City Striders.

Um there's people walking, and it's people walking their dogs, their um their children, all kinds of stuff.

A lot of things happening in the same place.

And as Alderman Thibodeau mentioned, uh geez, here we go.

Alderman Tebow mentioned um there's also a lot of uh organized uh recreational sports.

Um and there's a lot of neighbors.

There's a lot of the boys and girls club is next to it, the YMCA uh is adjacent.

Um so there's a lot of competing interest for that particular area, and as uh many of you stated, it is a jewel of Nashua.

So um my first question is um have you attended the mindfall advisory board committee meetings before?

Um, and do you have experience being on a committee?

Um and then my second is um given that we have a number of development projects uh underway that might affect the park, you know, the um animal dog park development, the NIMCO building redevelopment um more.

Um how will you best be able to advocate for giving the city the advice and the guidance that it needs on that committee?

And how do you see yourself doing that?

That's referred.

Have you have you attended have you ever served and then preserving?

So uh I justin Hoprich have only attended one of the board meetings to an observance.

Um I have not been uh on any city committee before.

And in terms of all these very fluid projects that are going around a lot of um different attendees using the park.

Uh I think it's very worthwhile to to make sure there's open communication between uh like the committee and all these different bodies or organizations.

Uh so you kind of you're able to share information on and know what's what's going on, what people need, what people want, and then be able to to kind of triage that um to to best use your resources um so you can satisfy you know what's priority.

Um but I don't know if that answers your question.

Yeah, just to clarify in politics, the longer the question is, the more the information the person is trying to deliver information.

So part of my phrasing was to express my concerns and my priorities.

So if you're able to address that tonight in this spot, I'll be pressed.

But my support doesn't contingent and doesn't rely on you having all the answers at the beginning.

It's more just are you willing to give it a shot, try to answer it and figure it out from there.

So ultimately I wouldn't I wouldn't second guess it.

Okay.

All right.

Uh I haven't uh attended any mind fault committee meetings before, so this will be my first.

But I've been on the board of directors for a lot of indornment and nonprofit.

That's not my first rodeo.

So I know whatever the problem to come.

Being coming from doing MBA and all that, I know how to develop action plan, look into what the proposal come, go into deep, look both the legal type, the net fight, and then try to make a rational decision and take the all at the same time learn how to do that.

So it's gonna be a learning code a little bit, but I think I'll be FOSC learner.

Thank you, Mike Stuart.

Um so yes, um, I have attended um some of the recent committees in the end of 2025.

I've done some trail days in the past, but then more recently I did a trail day, and that's what really inspired um taking that next step to join the committee.

And you know, um yes, I've been a uh part of enhancement committees, steering committees, um, so there is some experience there, and it's really about listening to everybody and getting everyone's thoughts before proceeding with uh action plan.

But um happy to hope that answers your questions for now.

It does, and I think the mayor has picked a diverse group of experienced uh volunteers, so as I did with the previous group, I appreciate that you're willing to step forward and volunteer.

Um and I am pretty pleased by most of the answers that I hear, and I think everyone's coming at this with uh good intentions, and I just hope that you know food for thought.

It's good to check out what the committee's been up to and how it operates ahead of time so that you can hit the ground running.

Alderman Johnson.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, gentlemen, for wanting to serve on that committee.

Like Alderman Lopez says, he's on one end of Mind Fault, and I'm on the other side.

I'm on the Stello side of Mind Falls, so I can walk right through my neighborhood and get right to Stellos right to Mindfall.

And Minds Falls is beautiful.

I used to walk there many years ago, do two to three miles a day to Mindfall.

Um what used to concern me sometimes with the bicycles, people running the bicycles to almost run you over.

And I really think that people should clean up after the dogs.

I mean, I'm a dog owner, two dogs, and you know, it's just the right thing to do.

Um with that being said, thank you for volunteering wanting to volunteer to keep Minds Falls beautiful.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

We'll take up your notation in a bit.

Yeah.

Next up, we have Board of Health.

We have Stephanie Ballantyne, MSRN, APRN FNP-BC, 9 Barlett Avenue, National New Hampshire with 3064, term to expire December 31st, 2027.

There's a lot of the entire alphabet there.

No, right.

Mr.

Mayor, I know you would want to introduce, but I also know that um Alderman Walsh are here to speak as well.

You can say well, it's my honor to introduce Stephanie Ballantine and the alphabet behind her name, which is very impressive, by the way.

She has uh great experience, she's an advanced practice.

Registered nurse.

Sorry, I I knew what it I knew what it was, but my my bad.

Um and I most recently ran into her in the mobile clinic from St.

Joe's.

They actually came to our um to my work and did flu shots for people.

Yeah.

So she's very immersed in the community, she's very well educated.

Um, she's done a lot of great things.

I mean, she was even a public school nurse substitute at one point.

So, you know, that says a lot about her.

Um I think she'd make a great addition to the Board of Health.

And uh if the mayor has something to add, you can.

Um I think Stephanie's a great nurse.

She's she's given me various advice regarding minor injuries, and she's always been very good.

So uh I think uh have knowing her that she will be a great uh uh more seriously knowing her, she'll be a great addition to the committee.

Uh we do not have currently a nurse uh and therefore this will be a valuable perspective in my opinion.

Thank you.

Stephanie, you want to introduce yourself, please?

I'm Stephanie Ballantan with all the alphabets.

Um I have been a nurse, a registered nurse for this is scary, but um I can't do the math.

48 years.

Um I have been a uh board certified nurse practitioner since 2009.

Um so I've uh I've been in, like you said, uh I've I've been in a lot of different areas um as as both um roles.

Uh I have a very broad look back and perspectives on uh various aspects of of population and individual health.

And when the city charter was changed at the last election to allow for a registered nurse and a social worker to serve on the board, I thought that just sounds like something I'd be good at.

So I retired from my full-time faculty position at Riviera in the uh graduate nursing program last May.

Um so I I continue to work as a provider on the mobile health clinic, um, providing primarily um acute care to the umhoused population.

Uh but we also do a lot of community outreach uh like we did at the children's center, uh, the children's home.

But since I'm not working full-time, I find that I have a lot more time and I still have a lot of energy.

So I thought I would be able to offer a different perspective and uh my my expertise on the board.

All right, thank you.

I'll open up to questions from the committee or comments.

Alderman Lopez.

Um so first I don't really usually see the family nurse practitioner credentials, so um it doesn't need to be said looking at your resume.

Wow, what a well-rounded person.

It looks like you spent your entire life in health care.

Um, and a good part of it educating other health care professionals.

Um I I guess I was curious, the only thing that could possibly be missing here is other activities beyond that.

I mean I can see Actually, I have a three-hour tennis match scheduled tomorrow.

So you have your work life balance, that's good.

And um, I spend a great deal of time in the summer um cycling through mine falls.

I apologize for my fellow cyclists.

Um if they've run you down.

They almost run me down too sometimes, but yeah, I know what you mean.

Well, at least you're a position to help if something happens.

I'm sorry.

I said at least you're in position to help if you need um, but I I really appreciate all the act the activities that you've been doing.

Um it seems like you've been very much immeshed in the communities, at least the ones that I'm aware of, like at Riviera and uh St.

Joseph's.

Um I typically when I see anybody associated with public health ask about their their experience with outreach and uh their knowledge of the different um crises that the city of Nash was uh navigating.

Um but I see you out there, so I don't really have to ask those things.

I see you a lot too.

Thank you for making extra time out of all of your your activities to come and serve.

Alderman Johnson.

Thank you very much.

I just want to say thank you for coming forward to want to serve.

And I said to you on Friday, I never haven't seen you in years.

And now I saw you on Friday, and I see you on Monday.

And you know, thank you for wanting to serve.

Thank you.

The boy.

Thank you.

I'm sure I'll show up a third time.

Hi third time to talk.

Good things, Montrees.

Exactly.

I'll say that Alderman Wilshire has made this very easy, bringing such an incredible person forward.

I also see you out there, and you know, to what my one of my colleagues pointed out right now, there's so much going on, and I know you're in that community, you're connected to what's going on, and I think that's gonna be really critical as a voice on the Board of Health.

So thank you for stepping forward.

Any other questions?

We're good.

Okay.

I just want to say these chairs are a lot softer than those bins.

Yeah, but after the third hour, that's amazing.

I was hoping to sit here a little longer, but you have to ask for that special chair.

Well, I know the next folks want to come in here and have this chip.

Uh next up we got the arts commission with uh Stephanie Mole, new appointment, 15 uh Ledgewood Hills Drive, Nashville New Hampshire 03062, term to expire March 10th, 2029.

Ums Mole is joining us on Zoom.

Do I need to ask her about if she's by herself and all these things?

Okay.

Can you hear us?

All right, well, uh thank you, Madam Chair.

Um Ms.

Mole uh nominating her for the Arts Commission.

Uh she is on Zoom.

Uh as you can see from her resume, she's been very active in performing arts uh for quite some time.

Uh she's on the Nashua Theatre Theater Guild as the corresponding secretary, uh, where she performs various duties, but also has been a volunteer usher uh for a number of performance companies, uh the actors singers here in Nashua, also at the Nashville Center for the Arts at the Palace and Majestic Theaters in Manchester, uh and over in the Seacoast at the Rep Seacoast Repertory Theater in Portsmouth.

Um and she of course has professional experience uh professional employment experience that you can see from her resume.

Uh we can certainly use uh people with this level of um experience in the performing arts on the arts commission, and therefore uh I believe she will be a valuable addition.

But with that, I will turn it over to Ms.

Maul to tell you anything else she'd like about herself and uh regarding why she's particularly interested in the National Arts Commission.

Ms.

Mull.

Thank you very much, and uh appreciate you letting me join from Zoom since my flight home was canceled.

Oh no.

I think they had like uh one inch of snow in Charlotte, and that was too much.

So uh anyway, I moved to Nashua about five years ago, and I knew I immediately wanted to get involved in the arts, and in addition to volunteering for all those different theaters and organizations, I also my face is in the hippo every week, and I go to everything artsy that I can.

Uh I loved the international symposium with the sculptors and meeting the sculptors, uh, the new art hub that opened on Main Street, the uh sculpture walk, the um murals walk, the new alleyway, I forget what it's called.

So uh I have time and I have interest and I have energy, and um I was recommended two years ago by Judith Carlson, but at the time I couldn't commit to going to the meetings because of my work career, and then a few months ago, Lindsay Rinaldi also then invited me.

And because of my work schedule, I'm now able to attend the meetings.

And I really want people to experience all the different types of arts and to know more about what's going on in the city, and also lend my services and my help to any new art experiences or anything art related uh that could be developed in the city.

Okay, thank you very much.

Uh we will comments or questions from the alderman.

Alderman Thibault.

Thank you, madam chair.

Um the others, uh, you know, I also say thank you for stepping up.

Um Judy and Lindsay obviously are two great recommending two rec great recommendations from them.

They're awesome um people and and they do a great job with the stuff they do in the city.

Um so I thank you for stepping up.

My question is um what's Nashua missing in the arts?

And I think the you know, I'll I'll say that with I think a city needs art.

Some form of art, all form of art, right?

Whether it's stage or whether it's it's murals or I think for uh a growing city like us, I think art is important for people because you know, for for kids that maybe aren't you know into sports or aren't into engineering or they might find their niche in art, right?

So I think it's important to to have that and see.

But what's Nashville missing for art?

I think the first thing that they're missing is just publicizing and somehow motivating people to experience everything that we already have.

I asked people my age.

Oh, did you know about the international art and symposium?

No.

Well, you know, when you walk through Mines Falls and you see those um those sculptures, do you know where they come from?

No.

Did you know we have a whole sculpture map that you could walk around?

No.

Um I think the first thing we have to figure out is how to get more people to experience the wonderful, awesome things we already have.

I don't know exactly how to do that, but I I'm a person who reads the book Hippo every day, and now we also have the downtowner, which I think is great.

If you haven't subscribed to that, definitely should.

But I think if there's a way to hype those things and make them, I don't know, more interesting to attend or make sure people know about them.

I would say that's the first thing.

In terms of what else it might be missing, I mean we have art exhibits.

We have the one in the Nashua Center for the Arts.

There used to be an art gallery on the corner next to Martha's.

I don't know if that's still there.

Um but really I think my first priority is to figure out how we can get more people to experience the wonderful things that we already have.

Thank you.

That's a great answer.

And uh I I am a subscriber to the downtowner, so I'm also Alderman Lopez.

So first I appreciate the previous question, and particularly the answer that you gave because I uh as Alderman I've noticed um over you know the recent couple of years, we sort of keep looking for new things and fresh things, and we have moved away from things that were new and fresh that are still going.

And I think as a result, the the spotlight kind of moves on to whoever the most recent player in town is, and we haven't integrated movements that have themselves built a lot of groups, followings and um activities.

Uh, some of the earliest uh and most successful, I think, um events that like positive street art used to do was in partnership with um the drawing of blank note with um with ballet with um different music forms um uh orchestral music.

Um you put different, seemingly different styles of art together, but when you put different artists together, they usually produce something new and amazing.

So I think part of what our city really really needs is what you were describing, more awareness of opportunities and activities to allow for that engagement and then some more cross um collaboration between different groups to kind of see what they can come up with and see what's fresh, but also to bring people that have already connected with different place groups and feel comfortable in those particular scenes into new ones.

How does the National Arts Commission have a role in doing that?

How can you build communities uh amongst uh artist groups?

I think we have to look at what works first.

So I can tell you that I always attend the holiday stroll.

I love the holiday stroll.

Um thousands of people attend the holiday stroll.

We have music there, we open up the shops.

I brought my friends into the art hub.

They had never been in.

I said, come in.

You've got to see this place, it's really cool.

And so I wonder if we had some kind of event.

I mean, the Greeley Park art show is great, okay.

Um, I don't know if there were a lot of children's things there other than people selling balloons or whatever.

But I wonder if there's a way to have an art stroll where we can have paint lessons, not that we paint your face, but you paint something.

Um, and maybe it's a scavenger hunt.

We want you to find five sculptures, and if you can find three sculptures, and you can find two murals and this, and you bring it to the city hall, you know, you get a prize or something.

Um some kind of fun event because if the kids come, the adults come, and uh, and usually people like my age will come anyway, um because we just will, but I think go with the things that we already do that work in the stroll works and the concept of the stroll works.

So maybe adding something like that that's focused on doing art, and maybe at that stroll you have people from the music school perform.

For instance, another event I love is the Milford Pumpkin Festival, and I go every year, and one of the great things about it is that they have you know, the Taekwondo school people perform, and the dancers perform.

You know, there's there's performances going on the whole time.

So it's it's a way to showcase some of the things that are available for students that are not sports uh related, even though I guess um karate is, but um, I think take ideas from what already works.

Anyway, I appreciate that answer.

Any additional questions or comments?

I I'll just thank you for coming forward.

The art that's near and dear to my heart, and I can hear your passion for it.

It's one of the things I love about where we live, and I think you will be an exceptional art commission member.

So thank you.

Thank you very much.

I appreciate the time and I appreciate the invitation.

I hope you get home.

There's a lot more snow here.

I'm supposed to find home tomorrow night now, so we'll see what happens.

Best of luck.

Thank you.

Okay.

We have applications to license hawkers, peddlers itinerant vendors license.

There's none.

Appointments by the mayor.

All right, I'd like to make a motion to recommend the following new appointment to the arts commission, Stephanie Mall with a term term to expire March 10th, 2029.

We're gonna do them individually.

We usually just do them all, but I don't care.

Also to recommend to the following reappointments to the Citizens Advisory Commission, Jason Tilersky and Oscar Velasis, both with terms to expire December 1st, 2028.

Uh to recommend the following reappointment to the conservation commission, Richard Whidhu with a term to expire December 31st, 2028.

Uh recommend the following new appointments to the Ethics Review Committee.

Um can we do that one separate just because I can't I gotta recuse myself from that one?

Sure.

Okay.

Um and then to recommend the following to the Mine Falls Park Advisory Committee, reappointment of Paula Lockhead with a term to expire January 27, 2029, new appointment of Justin Hoprich with a term to expire January 13th, 2029, Kamal Massand with a term to expire February 10th, 2029, and Michael Sliwa with a term to expire March 10th, 2029.

With a motion, uh Alderman Wilshire.

Did you miss the Board of Health?

Uh that's actually separate.

It's it has its own, yeah.

It says it's under election by the Board of Alderman.

Thank you.

Yeah, but we did remove ethics committee.

You've heard the motion.

Discussion on the motion.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed.

Okay.

All right.

Uh I'd like to make a motion uh to recommend the following new appointments of the ethics review committee, Justin Gerstenfield with the term to expire December 9th, 2028.

Lou Juris and Adam Thompson, both with terms to expire February 10th, 2029.

We've heard the motion.

Discussion on that motion.

All those in favor say aye.

We have three A yeses and one abstention.

That motion carries.

Okay.

Now election by the Board of Alderman.

Motion uh I'd like to make a motion to recommend the following elected registered nurse member to the Board of Health, Stephanie Ballantine, MSRN, APRN, FNP-BC with a term to expire December 31st, 2027.

Heard the motion, a discussion on that motion.

Alderman Wilshire.

I don't have any discussion, but I just want to say I think Stephanie would be a great addition to the Board of Health.

I've known her for many many years, and her resume just kind of speaks for itself.

So thank you.

All right.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

That motion carries.

Unfinished business.

We have none.

New business resolutions.

All right.

We have R 26-008 renaming the Arlington Street Community Center as the Gloria Timmins Community Center.

I'd like to make a motion to recommend final passage.

Discussion on the motion.

Alderman Wilshire.

I'd just like to say I think Gloria is well deserving of this honor, and it is an honor.

She was very very involved.

And I just think it's the least we can do.

She was a wonderful person, kid, a lot about the kids.

So I think we should do this.

Alderman Lopez.

I think when you name something after someone, it has to be someone that others can see that name and aspire to.

Maybe say who is Gloria Timmins and look up, you know, their their history and find something uh admirable.

And I think Gloria is certainly that person.

I I think this is an opportunity for more people to learn about the kind of experiences she had, the kind of ways that she was a leader in our community, uh, the way she served our country.

Um so I definitely will support this um this motion, and I'm looking forward to seeing her name up there.

Alderman Tebow.

Thank you, uh Madam Chair.

Um, yeah, with me too.

I mean, I Gloria was a friend uh, you know, and her resume, like people said, speaks for itself.

Um I had more of a question, and it could be rhetorical, I don't know.

I mean, how did and and I know we have uh the leader over there of the uh Arlington Community Center.

I don't know, it is I guess my question is has there been any pushback on this by the the center itself or people out there that find a reason that we shouldn't name it that we know of.

I haven't heard anything.

And you're good with it.

I'm good with it.

Okay.

That's answers my question.

Um chair, so the um I think one reason for this is that the community center was the outgrowth of the My Brothers Keeper initiative that was um instituted by President Obama, and uh Gloria Timmons was very active in the My Brothers Keeper uh initiative and had this as a special project to get the community center started.

Um so I think that's certainly the first connection.

But beyond that, she as you've already heard, been um a very or was a very important member of the community, she um had been a 20-plus year veteran of the US Army serving in the United States and overseas.

Uh she was head of the NAACP here in Nashua, uh as well as the uh president of the um disabled uh uh DAV, disabled American veterans.

Um and uh with all and here on the board of Alderman, the board uh also on the school board.

So given all those accomplishments, uh as well as this direct connection with the community center, uh Alderman Lopez really suggested this, and I thought it was like a great idea, so uh we brought it forward.

And to me, good.

Yeah, uh thank you to Mr.

Mayor and apparently Miss Alderman Lopez for bringing this forward.

I think it's really important uh when you're naming something after someone that you're honoring their legacy, and I think Gloria was the true definition of community.

She was always bringing people together, um, making sure that everybody had what they needed when you were at an event, you just couldn't miss her.

So I can think of a better thing to name after her.

So thank you.

Alderman Thibault.

Yeah, thank you.

And I miss her uh, you know, every day that goes by here, we miss her, I miss her.

Um, but uh I just wanted to give uh Alderman Senate some credit too, because I know he he was trying to get some stuff uh named for her inside the community center, and we you know, then it just became the whole thing.

Um so I just wanted to to give him props because I know he was working on it too, and that's his ward, so I just wanted to shout shout him out.

Okay.

No further discussion on this.

All right, all those in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed.

That motion carries.

New business ordinances.

All right, we have uh O-26-001 relative to flag polls on City Hall grounds.

I'd like to make a motion to recommend final passage.

Motion on the floor is to recommend final passage discussion on that motion.

Okay, seeing none.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Aye, nay.

Okay.

Yayes, one nay, and that motion carries.

Uh public comment.

General discussion.

Alderman Lopez.

I do think a good point was made, and I did bring it up last at the beginning of last term.

Um, I don't know that it's necessary to bring every single reappointment in, but I would love to see some of the chairs, especially the more active committees come in.

Um CTAP, for example, is doing a lot of work and in it involves money.

We are benefiting from you know public television right now.

Um, so it'd be good to give the chairs the opportunity, even if they they say, like, well, it's okay, um, maybe do an invitation to say, would you like to present at some of these meetings?

Because we appoint these members and we get to interview the the new members, but I think it's important to see what the committee's been working on.

And and with respect to the new members that are coming in, they don't have the kind of institutional knowledge that longer serving members would have.

Yeah, so we definitely talked about that in the last term.

And I I know that Donna put together a full, you know, who's on what and how long they've been and invites it go out, but um I definitely can make more of an effort to have people come.

I think it's great to know what committees are doing.

Um, and I think the liaisons to the committees can also, you know, ping me or and say, hey, we'd love to have them just come in and refresh.

Because it yeah, there's a lot of committees, a lot to learn.

Alderman Thibault.

Yeah, thank you, madam chair.

Um, the first term that I was on this committee, which was I wasn't on it last term, but I had we had mentioned that we had talked about it even back then, um, because it's like you know, I was in the same boat as Alderman Johnson where I didn't know the people we are reappointing and and uh per se.

Um, because it's like, you know, I was in the same boat as Alderman Johnson where I didn't know the people we were reappointing and and uh per se.

Um so uh I I think it you know, if someone's been on a committee for a long time, it might be time for them to come back in.

But as committee members, when we look at our our packet, I think at that point we could say, like, hey, you know, Richard Whithew here, I I haven't seen him in ten years.

Maybe we should have him come by.

Can we get them on the the list to come by and speak?

Um I know uh last year one of the aldermen did bring in some zoning board people that were up, and we did re-interview them even though they're up for reappointments.

So it's not uh, you know we have done it before, so I think that uh we just gotta kind of look at our packets and and ask.

But I definitely think we should see some different you know, people in here once in a while to get the reappointment, especially if it's been a long time.

So that was pretty much the nature of the conversation we had last term was if there are people that we want to see because we haven't, that's uh totally within our purview as aldermen to ask them to come forward uh for reappointment interview.

I think we only had a couple, um, but we have to make sure that that is not on a group email where everybody's talking about it, because then that is a public meeting.

Uh you can request it um to Donna when you get your packet, and then she can ask.

Alderman Johnson.

Thank you.

Well, while we since we're discussing this about reappointments coming in, maybe it should be that it like Alderman um T Bolt said that if they haven't been here in a while, maybe should just be stand practice because especially with us newbies on the board.

I don't know a lot of people.

Well, I do know a lot of people in Ashua, but I don't know some of the people that are sitting on the committees, and you just want to get a refresher, and maybe they need that refresher because you know they're sometimes it they sit for so long, you just need to kind of prop them up and say to them, why do you want to um be reappointed?

What have what do you feel you've accomplished, let's say in the last three to four years on this board?

And you know, they really need to answer that because they need to think what have they accomplished, or they just doing it, and I don't want to be negative, but you know, people like to do it, but they really need to see why are they coming forward again in their own mind.

So I think that's maybe my suggestion could be a good practice here and there.

Thank you.

All right.

I think we just have remarks, right?

I had already closed my packet.

Yep, remarks by Alderman.

Alderman Lopez.

Oh, I think Alderman Tebo had attended too.

Oh, it doesn't matter.

Well, do you think that's a good question?

Okay, well, we had a fire over the weekend on Main Street.

I just want to thank uh National Fire for putting it down so quickly.

Um there were a number of people that were displaced, even just a small fire like that.

Um thankfully my understanding is that building sprinklers were top notch and managed to keep it from spreading, but that also meant there was some damage.

Um so I just people need to be mindful it's cold out, everybody's cranking the heat.

I don't know the circumstances exactly that circumstance, but I do know that we we do not want to see fires in the downtown residential area.

Um, and I just really want to give credit to National Fire for coming out and doing everything they could, sparing no sh no attention to detail, even though it was one degree out and very cold.

Um we just had a similar, very dramatic uh situation uh earlier today.

Um it was not far from where I worked, so I had a lot of people asking um if I was all right, and our we evacuated the building, we were duly informed ahead of time, and we follow the directions.

So, similar to listening to a smoke detector or a fire alarm, take it seriously every time, make sure you have your plan, make sure you're taking care of the people that need taken care of, um, and make the fires department and police officers' jobs as simple as possible by just getting out of their way and letting them do their thing.

I was one of those people who didn't answer me.

Well, when you walked in, I saw you were okay.

Alderman Thibault.

Thank you, madam chair.

Um, yeah, I too want to uh thank the firefighters.

There's been a lot of fires in the last year in the city, more than I've I've seen in years past, and and they they're getting their work out, and I know you know a couple got injured today, and uh it sounds like they're going to be okay, which is great news, but um you know they do a wonderful job, and it's tough when it's this cold, and um so I I thank them and I hopefully uh no one has been hurt out outside of what we've already heard.

Um the only only other thing I got is is I'm a little worried about this uh flagpole legislation.

I agree with it.

The problem I have with it is it just passed three to one.

We didn't mention one thing.

So I'm a little worried that if it gets when it gets to the board and people start discussing it, and they say, well, the work was done on the committee, well, we didn't really do any work, we just went three to one.

So I'm a little nervous that we didn't have that discussion, and uh again, maybe it's that easy.

We just went three to one so I'm a little nervous that we didn't have that discussion and uh again maybe it's that easy maybe when it comes to the board of alderman it just passes 14 to 1 or 13 to 2 or or or whatever but um that's the only thing it went it went almost too easy.

But that's it.

I'll just respond I think that there's that possibility but we also always have open invitations to people I you know if it's on the legislation you don't have to be a member of this committee to come and make your voice heard and it's important that we try to do the work in the committee.

So if you if you are an alderman or a new alderman you don't know understand that you can still come to our committee if you're not on our committee and help us to work on it in the committee as well.

So let's make sure that happens and echoing uh hurts with all the firefighters uh the work that they did today and uh those displaced at 100 mean can I just add a PR um so Greater Nashville that was their intake office for open access um it happened today so they still need to kind of regroup and figure out what their strategy is um but they do have guidance on their um web page and on their uh social media for anybody who had appointments that were scheduled for tomorrow at 440 um so definitely check in with them and see what their plan is and you know we'll all try to be patient with them as that that planning and uh emergency response unfolds this is probably very traumatic for the staff that were involved yeah Alderman Johnson thank you very much I just want to say that I'm glad to hear that uh the our firefighters who got injured are gonna be okay and that um what a great team we have in Nashville here between our police and fire and we have to thank them every which whenever I see them I thank them even if they're digging out snow blank banks I yell out the window thank you um and without them we wouldn't be safe in this community and I say thank you to them and I'm glad everybody's gonna be okay it's a horrible thing people coming into while I was working today did you hear what happened on Amherst Street and I said all I have is an alert well you're elected do you have anything more I said I don't have anything but I just have this alert I said that's it but um I'm glad that nobody was really seriously injured but did they find the people who they couldn't account for all the workers they did um okay there we the last thing I heard is Chief Buxton was checking the client list to make sure but he had said that everybody that works here was accounted for okay thank you.

As far as I know yeah it was on TV so I didn't get to watch TV okay I'll set all right then I need a motion Alderman Lopez move to adjourn heard the motion all those in favor aye any opposed nay why are you always opposed to going home I like it we are closed at what time is it 817 thank you everyone thank you