I read with interest the story about a proposed amendment to Hartford’s existing Fair and Impartial Policing policy, discussed in front of the Hartford Selectboard, which if adopted would prohibit Hartford police from sharing information about a person’s immigration status with other law enforcement agencies (“Hartford punts on immigrant policing: Town officials delay decision on policy barring contact with federal authorities” June 20),
Two people who are not residents Hartford, including an attorney, were adamant that Hartford adopt this amendment.
As a resident of Hartford, I am not in favor of an amendment that restricts the town’s police from sharing information about any subject with other law enforcement agencies, state or federal. That’s how effective investigations are conducted. Just last week, news broke that a Syrian man who had been admitted into the U.S. as a refugee in 2016 was planning to blow up a church in Pittsburgh, but was foiled by law enforcement’s investigative work.
Whether you agree with me or not, please share your opinions with the Hartford Selectboard — and let Hartford residents decide this important issue, not nonresidents.
JOHN NELSON
Wilder
In a recent letter to the Forum, Frank McDougall dismissed the notion that it is important to nominate someone with prior experience to serve as chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court (“Gordon MacDonald will be a first-class N.H. chief justice,” June 18). He listed several famous judges as evidence, but McDougall was a bit too hasty in scoffing.
Should MacDonald, now the state’s attorney general, be confirmed to the Supreme Court, four of the five justices will have no prior experience as a judge. I find this stunning.
In a conversation with a former judge, I learned why experience is so important, especially during the confirmation process. Current judges offer a clear history of decision-making that allows the public to see how successful they have been in confronting their own biases. In other words, they have a record of their thinking. Scholars who are appointed to the bench also offer an understanding of their reasoning, and potential bias, through their writings.
A political appointee such as MacDonald leaves one with an understanding only of his political views, and they are deeply troubling. As attorney general, his office issued a legal opinion that the Lebanon School District, and other communities with policies that prohibit guns on school property, were in violation of state law. He has taken positions that undermine equitable education funding and voting access. He worked as a staff member for U.S. Sen. Gordon Humphrey, R-N.H., who was rabidly determined to intrude on the medical decisions made by women.
Gordon MacDonald is not someone who should serve as the chief justice of the Supreme Court and the administrative head of the state’s court system. Please contact your executive councilor and urge a no vote on this appointment. To my dismay, our executive councilor, Mike Cryans, has repeatedly refused to indicate his criteria for reaching a decision, and he needs to hear from his constituents.
DEBORAH H. BACON NELSON
Hanover
Chase is a happy 15-year-old from Kensington, N.H., with a fantastic disposition. He also has a rare but serious congenital defect known as Dandy-Walker malformation that affects brain development, hearing and vision, impairs his movement, behavior and cognitive ability, and places him at risk for seizures and paralysis. When Chase’s condition was diagnosed, he needed to be airlifted to Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, where he has been admitted four times over the past six months for pneumonia.
Fortunately, Chase gets help through the Home Care for Children with Severe Disabilities program, known as the “Katie Beckett option,” to support his family’s private health insurance. This is a form of Medicaid administered by the state of New Hampshire that provides home care for children with severe disabilities. One out of every three children in New Hampshire — and nearly 37 million children nationwide — are covered by Medicaid, making it the single largest insurer for children in the United States. For children with complex medical conditions, it is a lifeline.
This week, Chase and his family will join me and nearly 50 other families from children’s hospitals across the country in Washington, D.C., where we will ask our state’s congressional delegation to safeguard Medicaid. Without congressional action by Oct. 1, devastating cuts to payments that supplement Medicaid reimbursement will go into effect. Moreover, the Trump administration has signaled its willingness to consider waivers to convert Medicaid to a block grant program, which would decrease the federal funding that flows to states to support Medicaid.
CHaD benefits greatly from community and philanthropic support across the region. But any further weakening of Medicaid could jeopardize our mission to treat every kid — regardless of insurer — with the best care, in the right place, every time.
The health and well-being of millions of children depends on preserving and improving Medicaid. As a program jointly funded and regulated by federal and state governments, that requires support and investment in Washington and Concord.
KEITH J. LOUD
Norwich
The writer is physician-in-chief of Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock.