"Merrimack Cares" formed to fight taxes

[Dave Ridley]

http://unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Pair+of+Merrimack+mothers+start+successful+political+movement&articleId=5751ba08-dc3c-4912-80c3-c748da152466

Pair of Merrimack mothers start successful political movement
By SON HOANG
Union Leader Correspondent
2 hours, 55 minutes ago


Merrimack ? For two self-described ?non-political people,? creating a political movement among Merrimack voters seemed an unlikely path.

But that is exactly what Jennifer Thornton and Jennifer Twardosky have done.

Thornton and Twardosky, both 34, last November founded Merrimack Cares, a citizens group with the purpose of lowering taxes and increasing awareness of what?s going on in town. The group now claims more than 400 members.

Before founding Merrimack Cares, both women said they didn?t know much about town government.

?We didn?t even know the number of selectmen on the board,? Twardosky said.

?We got together and started complaining about taxes, and we said we can?t have another tax increase,? Thornton said. ?Then we talked with neighbors and word got out and we started getting a lot of e-mails from other people who were fed up too.?

Thornton and Twardosky said resentment from residents about taxes has been building for years.

?When the surplus wasn?t returned, it got everyone started,? Twardosky said, referring to the decision in 2004 by the Board of Selectmen to retain a $2.5 million revenue surplus from the 2003-04 fiscal year.

A 2002 warrant article supported by more than 70 percent of the town?s voters had encouraged selectmen to use a portion of future surpluses for property tax relief.

A deep connection to the community also has helped them with their cause, Twardosky said.

?Everyone knows us,? she said.

Twardosky, a mother of four, and her husband own Windsor Industries Corp., which specializes in site work and excavation. The business was founded in the 1970s by her father-in-law, Frank Twardosky, a well-known excavation contractor in town. Frank Twardosky also donated Twardosky Field to the town.


Jennifer Thornton, left, and Jennifer Twardosky, founders of the citizens group Merrimack Cares, stand outside Merrimack Town Hall. (DICK MORIN)
Thornton?s family has lived in town for generations and can be traced back to Matthew Thornton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence who settled in Merrimack in 1780.

Today the Thornton name can still be found all over town, with Thornton?s Ferry School and Thornton Cemetery being just a few examples.

Support for Merrimack Cares has been growing. Earlier this month, Thornton and Twardosky were able to amend the proposed town operating budget at deliberative session.

Originally proposed at $26.6 million, the budget was lowered by $1.4 million, which Twardosky said has caused some unnecessary panic in town.

?When we did that, everyone thought the sky was falling,? Twardosky said. ?The amount has been misinterpreted by everyone. The amount is the proposed amount of new spending, $700,000, plus a three percent decrease to the budget. It?s just three percent less.?

?Anyone could have gone up and proposed anything. We just decided to turn the tables and take out three percent. Now it?s up to the voters to decide,? Thornton said.

?This was not a choice, it was a necessity,? Twardosky said. ?A lot of people in Merrimack are now saying, ?There might be some hope.? So many people have been waiting for this for a long time.?

Town Manager Tim Tieperman has urged voters to turn down the amended operating budget on April 11 and adopt the higher default budget.

He outlined town services that could be affected if the smaller budget passes, such as the number of firefighters, summer day camp at Naticook Lake and funding for youth athletics.

?The town manager should have said, ?We?re going to do our hardest to cut and make this work,? and left the scare tactics out of it,? Thornton said.

As news of their budget cut spread, Thornton and Twardosky said they were asked by supporters what their next move would be.

The two women have decided to run for town office.

Twardosky said that when she saw the list of candidates seeking office, she thought that there weren?t enough people running.

As a business owner who handles a budget, she signed up to run for the town budget committee. She said she would like an opportunity to learn about municipal government.

Thornton, a stay-at-home mother of three, is running for a position on the school board.

With her oldest son now in the Merrimack school system, Thornton, who has a degree in early childhood education, said she would like to be involved with the operation of the town?s schools.

?Maybe it?s time to try something new and get some new perspectives on the boards,? Thornton said.

Thornton and Twardosky said they are just concerned citizens trying to bring about positive change and inspire others to get involved.

?We hope to get people excited about their government. Now they have something to be excited about ? a lower budget and new people running for office,? Twardosky said.

[Dave Ridley]

Looks like all the schoolies on merrimackforum.org have their panties bunched...their squadron of psychiatric personell at the local elementary school is coming under the microscope:

http://www.merrimackforum.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2919&highlight=merrimack+cares

[Dave Ridley]

MC website:

http://www.merrimackcares.org/