Tempers Flare Over BudCom Officer Elections

It took over 40 minutes to vote for a chair and vice chair.

The first post-town meeting Hampton Budget Committee session started with harsh criticisms, hostility and fighting despite the fact that Ginny Bridle and other members said they had hoped the board could start the new term in a "less contentious" way than the past several months. That didn't happen, though, as it took over 40 minutes Tuesday night to reelect Eileen Latimer and Mary-Louise Woolsey as chairman and vice chairman, respectively, due to arguments that erupted after a request was made for a secret ballot vote for chairman and a failed request to delay the election itself until all members were present. Member Brian Warburton blasted both "abhorrent" requests, particularly the secret ballot motion, which passed 6-5-2 after Richard…

• Photos (1)

Selectman Plans Push to Renew Manager Contract

There may now be a majority in favor of a new deal.

One selectman candidate isn't wasting any time in pursuing a renewal of Town Manager Fred Welch's contract, stating he plans to call next week for a nonpublic session to discuss the issue. Ben Moore was elected to the Hampton Board of Selectmen as a part of Tuesday's town meeting elections. Moore said he will motion during Monday's board meeting for a special nonpublic session so he and fellow newcomer Phil Bean can discuss with the rest of the board the reasons why Welch only received a short extension during a controversial saga last year. A large portion of Moore's platform was the town manager contract, and he said it's an issue that needs resolution soon because the town has a lot of work ahead thanks to the passage of every money and…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

BudCom Candidates: 'Circus-Like' Attitudes Need Changing

Two candidates are tired of the alleged dysfunction.

Two of the candidates for the Hampton Budget Committee say the current board isn't putting enough stock into the work and word of the town's department heads and said a change is needed to help improve the "circus-like" atmosphere surrounding the town budgeting process. Vic DeMarco and Diandra Sanphy outlined many of their views, which at times were similar, during a special candidates debate on Saturday — a debate which was organized by the Hampton Democrats and moderated by WinnaWire and Hampton-North Hampton Patch. DeMarco and Sanphy are each running for the one-year term up for grabs at the Tuesday, March 13, town and school election balloting. None of the candidates running for the four three-year budget committee seats — incumbents …

• Photos (2)

Selectmen Candidates Differ on CIP, Public Fighting

There's roughly a week to go before election day.

Candidates for the Hampton Board of Selectmen didn't hold back during Saturday's candidate forum while critiquing several of the issues that bother them, including many controversial topics that have captured the attention of residents and headlines. Incumbent Jerry Znoj and challengers Philip Bean, Dustin Marzinzik and Mary-Louise Woolsey all exchanged strong stances on the fighting that has occurred between the selectmen themselves and between the board and the Hampton Budget Committee, and how public feuds and arguments have influenced the town's capital planning process as well as a perception for some that there is a lack of "leadership" in Hampton. Ben Moore is also running for one of the two, three-year terms available at the …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (5)

Board Fighting Fuels Selectmen Candidate Debate

Public bickering and several key issues were the main debate topics.

The issue of fighting between elected boards took center stage Wednesday as four of the five Hampton selectmen candidates debated about a conflict that has generated a lot of public reaction and enveloped issues like Town Manager Fred Welch's contract and the proposal to eliminate the in-house legal department. Wednesday's debate — Hampton's first-ever such forum for the town meeting elections — also included a little conflict of its own, as several selectmen candidates made small political jabs at their opponents during a session designed as a way for the individuals to voice their platforms. Incumbent Jerry Znoj and selectman hopeful Mary-Louise Woolsey, a Hampton Budget Committee member, engaged in most of the back-and-forth comments. …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (6)

Kyle Stucker

10:10 am on Thursday, February 23, 2012

There's another forum with candidates coming up on Saturday, March 3, at 9:30 a.m. at Hampton United Methodist Church.   more ›

Budget Watch

Warrant Breakdown: Big Ticket Items

Here's everything you need to know about some Hampton warrant articles.

[Editor's note: We'll break down the big Hampton warrant articles at 4 p.m. each day through Friday as a way to make Saturday's deliberative session and the March town meeting easier for all of you. Selectmen have said they will use money from the undesignated fund to offset most of these articles' tax impacts. Click here for more information about the tax implications of approving all of this year's warrant, a copy of which is available here. Stay tuned later in the week for breakdowns of the collective bargaining agreements, policy changes, and special funding articles.]   FIRE STATION IMPROVEMENT/REPLACEMENT PROJECT Article 8    CHURCH STREET PUMPING STATION REPLACEMENT PROJECT Article 9   LEGAL DEPARTMENT ELIMINATION Article 36   BEACH…

• Photos (1)

Budget Watch

Mounted PD Among Articles Shot Down on 'Principle'

Many warrant articles received no votes to "send a message."

Hampton Budget Committees took a stand Thursday and voted to not recommend a variety of warrant articles based on "principle," including an article calling for funding for the Hampton Police Department Mounted Patrol. Mary-Louise Woolsey and Eileen Latimer, the respective vice chairwoman and chairwoman of the Budget Committee, were among the members who said their board needs to "send a message" that using the warrant like an "insurance" policy — as Selectman Mike Pierce put it Thursday — shouldn't be done if the funding itself is already appropriated in the budget. "It's an unnecessary article on the warrant," said Woolsey of the mounted police article, although she did say she fully supports giving them funding. "It's already in the …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Kyle Stucker

10:49 am on Monday, January 16, 2012

Note: The public hearing will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Hampton Academy, not Town Hall as accidentally stated in the original version of this article. Sorry if there was any confusion.   more ›

Official Sorry for 'Hitler' Comment, But Not 'Intent'

Mike Pierce stands by his strong BudCom disapproval.

The selectman who publicly called another town official a "little Hitler" on Dec. 28 said Tuesday there was "no excuse" for the comment, even if he said he still believes the Hampton Budget Committee was "hoodwinking" and "bamboozling" the public during that meeting. Pierce contacted Hampton-North Hampton Patch Tuesday afternoon to offer a public apology for stating Eileen Latimer, the chairwoman of the budget committee, leads her board like a "little Hitler." Pierce said it was "definitely" a "poor choice of words" during a time featuring a "high level of emotion," and he said he "realized [not long after the meeting] that it "was not that smart" to make that kind of comment — even if he said the "intent" behind the remark was justified…

• Photos (1)
• Videos (1)
• Documents (1)

Remembering the Best of 2011

Top 5 Videos of 2011

Relive some of best moments caught on film this year.

We absolutely love videos, and based on some of our back-end statistics, so do you. So, to celebrate some of this year's wonderful moments in news cinema, we've compiled a "Top 5 Videos of 2011" list, and slapped some honorable mentions at the end for good measure. Have fun scrolling through the videos, some of which highlight big stories, while others capture fun and quirky moments that would be completely lost if only disseminated through the written word. Is there a video from 2011 that you think has wrongfully been left off this list? If so, let us know and we'll be sure to give it a shout-out!

• Videos (9)