NH Liberty Alliance on the local level?

[J’raxis 270145]

What do people think of doing NHLA-like activities on the local level, in city and town politics? I'm thinking in particular of the same sort of bill-watching activities the NHLA does, and most importantly issuing "report cards" on the local aldermen, selectmen, or whatever they call them in your town. My involvement in the sex-offender issue in Manchester has shown me that even on the local level we can have some pretty nasty anti-freedom laws crop up, and that we need to be just as vigilant in our cities and towns as we are trying to be at the state house.

However, I know that I unfortunately don't have time at this point to cover everything our aldercritters are up to in Manchester, so interest from a few other people who want to help out would be necessary. I wouldn't want to start something like this, then have it fall months behind—like Manchester's own website—because no one has enough time to work on it.

This question is of course mainly directed to the NHLA members on the forum here, such as Denis Goddard, but I'd certainly like to hear everyone else's input. I imagine something like local "NHLA chapters" in whatever cities people were willing to do the work in—Manchester, Concord, and Nashua are probably the most important to start with—and all the content put up onto the main NHLA website in city subsections.

Would this be something the NHLA would want to do, provided you had the volunteers to do the actual work for you?

[Fluff and Stuff]

Or how about giving up on local reforms in Concord and Nashua?  I think trying to slow the growing of government in NH's three largest cities is too hard at this time.  There is already a decent mayor in Manchester so it is easier to change right now.

Also, I don't know if there will be enough volunteers in Manchester to hand something like this till around next year.  With all the pro-freedom TV shows, the new newspaper starting, the elections, the other freedom issues, and the Ron Paul run, people in the Manchester area are busy.  Next year there will be more people in Manchester, the paper will have started, election issues will be small for the 1st part of the year, and the Ron Paul run will be over.

[d_goddard]

To be honest, I think report cards would have a low payoff-for-effort ratio at the local level.
I'd just as soon see that energy put into actually running for office and winning, than rating the people already in there. Local office is generally much more do-able than State Rep, since the meetings are usually at night and not every single day for months on end, so people with regular jobs can also be an Alderman or sit on the City Council.

Cal Pratt, who was the NHLA Research Director before me, has discussed getting some organized effort or information together in this regard. I'm not sure exactly where that effort stands, but I'm sure he'd be happy to answer any questions (especially if they were accompanied by offers to help!)

[Fluff and Stuff]

To be honest, I think report cards would have a low payoff-for-effort ratio at the local level.

There is a group in Memphis that spoke at the most recent LP meeting.  They thought about going the route J'raxis 270145 spoke of because they were not satisfied with the local government.  However, once they looked into it they realized that the report cards would not help the local population nor move the local government closer to what they wanted.  They decided to go a different way and help get selected people elected to local offices.  They do extensive interviews with people they endorse but claim they will do a 1st interview with anyone that comes seeking their help.  They do most of their work behind the curtain (making connections, raising money, placing signs, securing endorsements, and campaign planning in general) but also place endorsements on their website.

There have a good website and it is quite useful and something I highly recommend for anyone looking to start a local political organization in NH.  Their goals are not like ours, though.  New Path has a membership but at the core it is a group of less than a dozen black men and women that want to end coruption in government.  They seek to remove longtime incumbents from office and pledge extra support to those that have served none or just a couple terms and to this under 40.  They also push volunteer term limits on everyone they endorse.  They work with whites and black, Democrats and Republicans...

http://www.newpathmemphis.org/

[J’raxis 270145]

Or how about giving up on local reforms in Concord and Nashua?  I think trying to slow the growing of government in NH's three largest cities is too hard at this time.  There is already a decent mayor in Manchester so it is easier to change right now.

Yeah, Guinta seems to be on our side, at least fiscally. I haven't heard him speak about other liberty issues such as, say, smoking bans or the sex-offender issue I'm busy with. In addition to the mayor, we also will hopefully have Phil Greazzo as the ward 10 alderman soon.

Also, I don't know if there will be enough volunteers in Manchester to hand something like this till around next year.  With all the pro-freedom TV shows, the new newspaper starting, the elections, the other freedom issues, and the Ron Paul run, people in the Manchester area are busy.  Next year there will be more people in Manchester, the paper will have started, election issues will be small for the 1st part of the year, and the Ron Paul run will be over.

And once the paper starts I'll actually be busier on that than I am now, since I'm both the IT guy and will be writing for it.

[Dreepa]

well if there is a local tax group in town.. you can tie in with them.

I go to every (maybe 90%) of my selectmen's meetings.  They are Boring, long, etc etc but you just sitting there make a difference.  If you had 3-4 people you would only have to go once a month.  You learn a ton... especially in a small town.

We know record ALL the meetings. so no  he said she said.. it is all on tape (or should I say disk).

I think it is a great idea but Keith is right... next year might be better.. more people no prez run.
Maybe you could have people go to the meeting as a reporter.

[toowm]

The group that is most active in town politics in CNHT. There is a wealth of information from Ed, Howard, and Jane that can be used to successfully improve your town.

[dawn]

I agree that the best way to facilitate this would be with a local taxpayer organization. The NHLA is mostly focused on state level issue. Most of our local work is more about helping candidates and training for town meetings, not getting involved in the nitty gritty of each town/city.

[J’raxis 270145]

well if there is a local tax group in town.. you can tie in with them.

I go to every (maybe 90%) of my selectmen's meetings.  They are Boring, long, etc etc but you just sitting there make a difference.  If you had 3-4 people you would only have to go once a month.  You learn a ton... especially in a small town.

We know record ALL the meetings. so no  he said she said.. it is all on tape (or should I say disk).

I think it is a great idea but Keith is right... next year might be better.. more people no prez run.
Maybe you could have people go to the meeting as a reporter.

I'm going to be attending the public safety committee meetings here for the foreseeable future—until the RSO residency restriction bill is dead and buried, at least. If this drags out past the end of September, I'll probably be going with a Manch Free Press press pass in hand.

Then we'll see what the aldercritters are up to after that...

[J’raxis 270145]

I agree that the best way to facilitate this would be with a local taxpayer organization. The NHLA is mostly focused on state level issue. Most of our local work is more about helping candidates and training for town meetings, not getting involved in the nitty gritty of each town/city.

What's this town meeting training now? I've only been to this one committee meeting, and only to observe, and something like this might be useful to know as I get more involved here.

[Dreepa]

you will hear loads about it next jan/feb/mar.

You city folk don't have town meetings.

Us country folk do.
Basically... everyone gathers in the town hall or highschool gym and bitches and whines about how high property taxes are... then they say well we gotta have..... and vote themselves higher property taxes.

Many towns have 2 meetings one for the school and one for the town.

[J’raxis 270145]

Yeah, we have aldermen here, in something amusingly called an "aldermanic chamber" at city hall. All the meetings can be attended by the public, who can observe and be ignored, or speak in front of them on the issues at hand (and be ignored), but it's the aldermen who vote.