It is an honor to serve as Grafton County commissioner representing Enfield, Lebanon, and Hanover. The board of commissioners is currently reviewing the 2018 budget, which will be finalized and voted on by county delegates.
To prepare for budget discussions over the past several weeks, I’ve visited social service organizations that provide needed services to residents. These nonprofits provide temporary shelter to individuals recovering from substance abuse disorders. They offer nutritious meals and educational opportunities for preschool children who might otherwise not see those needs met daily. They provide free HIV testing and counseling for men and women who need life skills training and help accessing insurance funds that are available to them. County government invests in these services so as to prevent greater taxpayer expense later on. Support for elders, for instance, allows seniors and disabled individuals to stay at home rather than seek long-term care at the county nursing home, and education and counseling for vulnerable adults fosters independent, healthy and employable citizens.
This is an uncertain time for county government in New Hampshire. The House did not pass a budget, Medicaid managed care will impact county operations and, as we know, federal plans for disbursement of Medicaid to states may include cuts through block grants.
At county government, we want to support needed services, while being aware that taxpayer funds are being expended. Please share your concerns and priorities with commissioners and state legislators directly or at the public hearing on the commissioners’ budget recommendations, currently scheduled for May 22.
Wendy Piper
Grafton County Commissioner, District 1
The Concord Monitor‘s “Fatal Flaws” series, which was published in the Valley News and examines New Hampshire deaths caused by child abuse, speaks of the understaffing and underfunding of the state’s Department for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).
For a broader perspective, I recommend the following article in the Feb. 1, 2016, New Yorker: “Baby Doe, A political History of Tragedy,” by Jill Lepore. (Remember “Baby Doe,” who was found last June in a plastic garbage bag that had washed up on Deer Island in Boston Harbor?)
Lepore writes, “Even the best reporting, though, can’t help missing a feature of the story that can be seen only from the vantage of history. Child protection is trapped in a cycle of scandal and reform.” Even if the New Hampshire Legislature acts soon to address the issues documented in “Fatal Flaws,” then we will be in the “reform” part of the cycle — and I fear the pendulum will swing the other way before long.
Lepore delves into the root causes of deaths such as these. She argues convincingly for the few current underappreciated, completely different, successful approaches we need to prevent them.
You can read her article at www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/01/baby-doe.
Peggy Richardson
Hartford
On May 9, the Hanover polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to vote on a slew of zoning amendments. As you enter to vote, you may see large eye-catching signs urging you to vote “no” on those amendments, only one of which (Article 9, Amendment 8) does not have the Planning Board’s support.
Members of the Planning Board have been transparent, methodical and community-minded in their approach to Hanover town planning. Please support their decisions! Vote “yes” on all amendments except Article 9, Amendment 8.
Elliot Fenander
Hanover