Budget Committee 1-Year Term Candidate Interviews

Brent Tweed faces write-in candidate Hal Rafter.

The ballot has Brent Tweed running unopposed for a one-year seat on the Budget Committee; however, Hal Rafter has announced that he’s running for the seat as a write-in candidate. Since this is now a contested election, I have asked the two candidates to answer the questions I asked of the candidates running in the contested race for the three-year Budget Committee seats. 

The result of this race may decide what happens with yet another Budget Committee seat. Budget Committee Chairman Michele King has resigned, doing so after the period in which the seat could be put on the ballot. That means that after the election the first order of business for the Budget Committee will be to select a volunteer to fill that seat for the coming year. 

This will be the third time in just a year and a half that a resignation from the committee has required the committee to choose a volunteer. 

Brent Tweed’s candidate statement in the Nottingham Newsletter (page 9).

Hall Rafter’s candidate statement on the Nottingham & Northwood Democrats website. 

QUESTION: What do you think about the current 4% cap on increases to the town budget? Do you think it should be kept or do you support warrant article #19 to repeal this cap?

Tweed: I support the 4% tax cap. Budgets have grown over the years above the rate of inflation. This puts a difficult strain on low and fixed budget households. The 4% tax cap is an attempt to restrain growth in the budget above the rate of inflation.

Rafter: I do not support the cap. It is a simplistic tool that limits flexibility. The budget process begins with an elected Select Board with diverse views, then goes through an elected budget committee with very diverse views. Those two bodies come to agreement on a budget that usually gets support of all, or mostly all, members. In addition, the deliberative session is a chance for the voters themselves to review and amend the budget. The input from people with different priorities throughout this process, helps to develop a responsible budget.

QUESTION: Do you think the town’s budget is allocated optimally among the major departments (e.g., highways, recreation, police, etc.)? If not, which departments should be better funded and which should receive less funding?

Tweed: Yes, I think the town's budget is allocated optimally. Likely, only minor adjustments are required. We need to prioritize maintaining our capital infrastructure, including buildings and roads.

Rafter: I think the department heads and the board do a good job developing budgets that balance spending. The big issue for all departments is our salary levels which make it tough to compete with other towns and the private sector. To shift funding between departments would require some assessment to determine which ones are really suffering from a lack of funding, and which have surpluses that could be used.

QUESTION: Last year in a budget committee meeting the school board was accused of theft and extortion. Do you agree with this accusation? If so, what should be done about it? 

Tweed: I don't think it is fair to accuse the school board of theft and extortion when all budgets from the town and school get approved by voters. The same accusation could be thrown at the budget committee member who made the accusation. As far as what should be done about it, those who oppose such confrontational rhetoric should speak up against it. I think budget committee members should have a right to say such things since they have a right to express their opinions. Thoughts and opinions should be expressed in a respectful manner.

Rafter: No, I do not agree. The chair and the other members should respond quickly and forcefully, as they did at the time, that such behavior is unacceptable. Ultimately, it’s up to the voters not to re-elect such members.

QUESTION: There are concerns (here and here) that the town is not paying its employees adequately. Do you think this is the case? If so, what (if anything) do you think should be done about it? 

Tweed: Personnel should be paid adequately. The key to adequate pay is to ensure the town doesn't take on additional obligations above and beyond the ones we have now and therefore we will have the resources to take care of our employees.

Rafter: History shows that our salary levels are comparatively low. We will often hire and train police officers who then leave for larger departments. We can't match salaries of a Dover or Portsmouth, but maybe we can provide benefits like a better time off policy that would help us compete.

QUESTION: Warrant article #18, which would fund $40k for building maintenance, is controversial. All of the selectmen are in favor of it while no one on the budget committee is in favor of it. What is your stand on this article?

Tweed: I would be in favor of a warrant article that put money aside in a capital reserve fund for building maintenance. Maintaining our capital infrastructure should be a priority. If we don’t take care of our facilities it will end up costing more in the long run. Putting money aside in a capital reserve fund vice adding it to the general fund ensures the money can only be spent on building maintenance.

Rafter: As amended, it is a good first step to address maintenance issues that have not received enough attention over the years. It is really an investment that should save us money in the long term by preventing larger problems.