City Council - Regular Meeting

I'm going to call this meeting of Concrete City Council to order. It's Monday, January 5th, 2026. I will mention that if there are those in the room who have uh difficulty hearing, uh there are um hearing assists that are available in the back of the room at the black cabinet which is run by Conquer TV. You'll see Michael's hand back there. Uh you can go back and there are headphones that can augment the sound uh uh that's going through the sound system. Uh now uh I'd like to invite uh the Reverend Lori Savoc of Wesley United Methodist Church to come forward to offer an invocation. Stand.

Should we stand or not? Please stand.

Thank you for welcoming me here tonight. I invite us to set aside our many worthy preoccupations and bow our hearts before something greater. Let us forget for a moment our self-consciousness and practice humility, noting that we share this space with precious, unique persons who have offered the gift of their time. We will never have this night, this assembly again. in awe and appreciation for human life and for this bit of earth which we intend to cherish. Let us pray. Almighty God, in a world of change, you placed eternity in our hearts and gave us the power to discern what is good. Grant us serenity that we may persistently seek the things that endure. Fill us with that compassion for other people's troubles which comes from forgetfulness of our own with the forgiveness of those who know their own worthiness own unworthiness. And with that glad hope which comes from knowing that we are weaving our colors into a greater work far bigger than our present lives but enriched with beauty because of them. Let us invite the inspiration of Jesus who believed in people and never despared them. Who through all disappointment never lost heart. Who disregarded his own comfort and convenient convenience and thought first of other people's needs and though he suffered long was always kind. Who when he was reviled uttered no harsh word in return and when he suffered did not threaten retaliation.

May we your people be blessed and confer blessing on those whom together we have raised into leadership that this spirit so come to dwell in us that we may labor for the common good with the light of hope in our eyes and with faith and love in our hearts. Amen.

Amen. Please remain standing uh as we welcome Imam Jabir Ahmed to offer an invocation as well. IM is from the Islamic Society of Conquer. Peace, mercy, and blessing of God be upon you. If you don't mind, please be seated. At the beginning, I will start reciting a surah from the Quran. The first surah they call it the opening this year. The first meeting for the councilman. Alhamdulillah. Allah for God mentioned that offering the trust to the mountains, to earth,

heavy and they all turned it down. But son of Adam, human accepted the trust. Many scholars they said the trust is the mind. Some distrust is the free will. Some of they said the trust is to believe. We being created equal in a way but still we have our differences. Some of us taller than others. Some of us is smarter than others. Those who took the responsibility to lead and to serve. They have a very heavy burden on their shoulders. You might not be watched by a superior by the leader on top of you, but you make sure and certain that being watched by God all the time. And when you serve the people who need your services, you got to be very sincere. And that is the way that been said to us by our founding fathers from the getgo. We have to serve because we believe in the values. We believe in the liberty what this country stand for. Those who are unprivileged, they might not know. We have people who are still when they are in four years old, they need somebody to feed them and they are in need our service. We put that in mind. We took the responsibility that the mountain, the heaven, the earth refused to take it. But we said yes, we will take that. And that come with a price. Whatever we say and we believe in and we

do it show who we are. If we believe in something and we utter it, we breach it but we don't do it we are hypocrite and that is where the responsibility lies. Put in your mind all those who came are the leaders selected by God. From Adam to Noah, Ibraham to Isaac to Ishmael to Jacob, Yseph, Benjamin, Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus. They took the torch and they did what they need to do. They are no longer around us. But we are responsible to do the job until the return of Jesus Christ. So let us pray that God will lead us and will give us the power to do the job the way that please him not us. May God guide us. May God give us strength to do the job right. May God the light in our hearts with the wisdom and the hard work we need to do. Amen. Thank you.

Amen. Amen. Now, would you please stand and join me in the pledge of allegiance? I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Madam Clerk. I believe the ball is in your court. Yes. It will be my honor to officially swear you in for another term as mayor. Thank you. If you'd like to stand, can repeat after me. about that. I'll repeat after you.

I, Byron, O Champlain, I, Byron, O Champlain, do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will bear faith and true allegiance that I will bear faith and true allegiance to the United States of America to the United States of America and the state of New Hampshire and the state of New Hampshire and will support the Constitution thereof. and will support the Constitution thereof. So help me God. So help me God. I, Byron O Champlain, I, Byron O. Do solemnly and sincere sincerely swear and affirm do solemnly and sincerely swear and affirm that I will faithfully and impartially discharge that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me and perform all the duties incumbent upon me

as mayor for the city of conquer as mayor for the city of conquered according to the best of my abilities according to the best of my abilities agreeably to the rules and regulations of the constitution agreeably to the rules rules and regulations of the Constitution and the laws of the state of New Hampshire and the laws of the state of New Hampshire. So help me God. So help me God. I Byron O Champ I, Byron O. Champlain, do solemnly and sincerely swear and affirm do solemnly and sincerely swear and affirm that I will faithfully and impartially discharge that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me and and perform all of the duties incumbent upon me as mayor for the city of Conquer. as mayor for the city of conquered according to the best of my abilities

according to the best of my abilities agreeably to the city of conquered New Hampshire city charter agreeably to the city of conquered New Hampshire's city charter and ordinances and ordinances so help me God so help me God congratulations thank I ask the council to remain standing because now it's your turn.

So I'm not going to try to say all your names simultaneously. So when I come to state your name, please state your name. All right? Here we go. Please raise your hand. Right hand. I state your name. I do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will bear faith and true allegiance that I will bear faith and true allegiance to the United States of America and the state of New Hampshire to the United States of America and the state of New Hampshire. And will support the Constitution thereof. and will support the Constitution thereof. So help me God. So help me God. I state your name. I sir

do solemnly and sincerely swear and affirm Dole and swear and affirm that I will faithfully and impartially that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent on me. discharge and all the duties incumbent upon me as city councelor for the city of conquered. as city council for the city of conquer. According to the best of my abilities according to the best of my abilities agreeably to the rules and regulations agreeably to the rules and regulations of the constitution and the laws of the state of New Hampshire the constitution and the laws of the state of Newampshire. So help me God. So help me God.

And ordinances I state your name. I state do solemnly and sincerely swear and affirm solely sincer and affirm that I will faithfully and impartially that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform discharge and perform all duties incumbent on me as city councelor for the city of conquered all duties incumbent upon me as city councelor for the city of conquered according to the best of my abilities according to the best of my ability abilities agreeably to the city of conquered agreeably to the city of conquered New Hampshire New Hampshire city charter and ordinances city charter and ordinances

so help me God so help me God CONGRATULATIONS introduced to the City of council uh conquered your new city council.

The chair will now entertain nominations for uh the office of mayor prom. The chair recognizes council Todd. Uh thank you your honor. I would like to nominate councelor Seku for mayor prom. We have a second. Second. Second. Moved and seconded. Any other nominations? Councelor uh Brown. Yes. I would like to nominate Michelle Horn for mayor prom. Is there a second? Motion fails for lack of a second. Are we ready for the vote? All those in favor of council Ali Saku as mayor prom, please signify by saying I. I. Opposed? No.

Eyes have it. Mayor Prom, CONGRATULATIONS. WOULD the mayor prom like to make any remarks?

Thank you. Thank you, honorable mayor, member of the city council and city staff. I'm deeply honored by the nomination and sincer and sincerely grateful for the confidence you placed in me this evening by electing me to serve as mayor prom of the city of conquer for a second term. Before I continue my remarks, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to my wife for her unwavering support and love and for her deep believes in conquered as the place we have chosen to raise our beautiful children Samira Amir and Aisha. Her strength, encouragement, and faith in the community make my service possible. I am especially grateful to the resident of world aid for reelecting me for a second term to serve as their counselor. Your engagement, advocacy and belief in the city give meaning to public service. I do not take this responsibility lightly and I will continue to serve as I have since I first arrived here in a way that reflect the values and aspirations of our community. I am also profoundly thankful for the friends and community members who believed in me and saw something in me who are with us tonight. I extend my special thanks to Iman Jabber, a community leader for the Islamic Society of Greater Conqueror, to Tom Rafi, a mentor and advisor and a best friend. Thank you, Tom. Your encouragement, trust, and generosity have sustained me through this journey. I remember when we first met, when I got my B, my associate degree, you said, "No, Ali, you need to

continue." I went on to get my master's my uh bachelor degree and then you said it's not enough. I went on to get my master's degree and you are still behind me to get a PhD. So you set the bar very high. I appreciate I deeply appreciate everyone who stepped forward during my campaign. Those who donated, help hold sign, knocks on door, support the campaign and share their talents and expertise. Every contribution, whether visible or behind the scene, truly matters. It is often said that it takes a village to raise children. The same is true of public service and civic leadership. No one undertakes this work alone and I'm deeply grateful to be supported by such a committed and caring community. My many years in leadership along with my two years on the city council have prepared me to assume this role. This position is defined not by title but by responsibility. the willingness to step forward when called upon to support the mayor and to collaborate with my colleagues, city staff, and the community at large to ensure our city continue to move forward with integrity, transparency, and purpose. I'm honored to serve alongside colleagues who bring diverse experience and expertise united by a shared dedic dedication to conquer future. As mayor prom, I commit to leading with fairness and to listen with intention. I believe effective and ethical governance is grounded in

trust. Trust between resident and their their local government and trust among us seated here tonight. Those that the community entrusted to serve. I also wish to recognize our city staff, member of our committees that are serving for their time and all volunteers who dedicated their professionalism to sustain the daily operations of our city. Your work often on sin is indispensable and I look forward to continuing our partnership. Thank you again for this honor. I look forward to serving as your as your mayor prom and to working together to ensure conquer that is accessible, resilient and striving for all. So thank YOU Allow entertaining comments from members of city council. Councelor Todd,

do I have to start first? After that, it's a real challenge. You have broad shoulders. Thank you. Yes. Uh, so although I have to say you're not as well dressed as as council secret.

I have not yet joined the bow tie club. I apologize, but I haven't made that hurdle yet. Um, so let me say first that I want to, as I always do, first thank the voters for their continued uh faith in me uh and encouragement and uh it has always, as it is now, been a privilege and an honor to serve the folks of Pinnacle Ward 1. Uh and I look forward to continuing to do so in this next term. Um, I would like to also offer a congratulations to you, your honor, for your uh, reelection as mayor and to our mayor PM. Uh, and also to say a special welcome to our two new counselors who I look forward to serving with in the upcoming term. I'm sure that they're going to bring a lot of great insight and information and uh, and involvement in in our community in their positions. Um, I uh also want to continue off of the theme that uh Mayor Promiku just referenced, which is that it's it's very difficult to do this job alone. You can't do it alone. And uh so I always like to make a special thank you to my family, my children, and especially to my wife, Althia, who is sitting out there once again uh sitting uh there behind me as she usually does, always behind me, backing me up, and it's very important. uh could couldn't do this really without her support. As we know, there's a lot of commitments and meetings and things that need to be done when you're counselor that take time away from the family and she's always ready to step in and assist. And of course, I greatly appreciate that. Um so I uh I'm uh also just looking forward generally to facing the challenges that we will uh have coming up. Uh there's going to be certainly some economic difficulties I think that we're going to continue to face, but I think that together this group is very well suited to uh serving the needs of the community while watching the dollars very carefully. So, um I want to uh say I just look forward to working with all of

you in the next term. Thank you. Thank you, Council Council Horn.

Thank you. I am truly honored to be sworn in today for my second term as city councelor for war I. It is a privilege to continue serving the community that I care so deeply about. I want to start by thanking my friends and family. Your encouragement, patience, and steady support, especially during long meetings and busy seasons, means more to me than I can say. I would not be in this seat without you. Although I do think my girls enjoy our new practice of grabbing a quick dinner downtown quite often when I only have an hour between my work and a lengthy meeting. I want to also thank the many community members who reach out over the past term and during the election, those who agreed with me and those who challenged me. Your voices matter and they make our local government stronger. I will never take lightly the trust you've placed in me to represent you. As I begin my second term, I remain committed to listening, to being communicative, to showing up, and keeping my promise of being a voice for the working class. There is important work ahead and I'm I am grateful for the opportunity to continue doing so alongside my colleagues and this community. I thank you for the honor of serving. And I have two quick thank yous. Um, significant to council Todd for consistently working with me as we are working to um, advocate for Pentecelors will find that out as well. So, thank you very much. Thank you,

Council Predict. Thank your honor. Members of the council and uh those that are in attendance, if you'll indulge me for a moment, I have a bit of leftover work from December. We miss the opportunity to formally acknowledge one of our passings of our city f city city's first finance director, Jim Howard. Jim was a person of the highest integrity who for over 30 years worked with nine city managers. Not without humor, Jim famously referred to our former city manager, Duncan Valentine, as Braveheart. I no doubt am sure he had a lovely nickname for you, Mr. Espel. I do not,

but I'm sure it was just as clever. In his obituary, Jim's family wrote movingly about his dedication to the city. And I quote, "He found deep value in his many contributions. He spent long hours, nights, and weekends, especially during budget season, grinding away with an eye toward fiscal responsibility and sustainability. He could be found late at night alone in the second floor conference room at city hall with the talking heads, radio head, and Pink Floyd. The employees who worked alongside Jim lost not only a colleague but a friend. He deserves our recognition even though most of us sitting at this table never had the opportunity to even meet him. He is someone we can be grateful for. The iPads and digital agendas and a more transparent government. These things came out of the brain of Jim Howard. On behalf of the city council, I extend our sincerest sympathies to Jim Howard's family. There is no better song to measure the loss of someone's life at 77 years old. For you, Jim Howard, in the words of Pink Floyd, wish you were here. As we start another year here at the table, I'm looking forward to the positive changes ahead for our little sliver of the city in W three. and I am so ever grateful to the residents of W 3 for your continued confidence and for the privilege of representing you here. Your trust is something I truly value. My hope for the term ahead is a bit more focused on our role collectively at the council table. It's a hope that we remain grounded in our roles with each other. While we speak as individuals, we act as a governing body. our decisions are made and then our city administration sets forth to implement

them. With that in mind, I want to extend a genuine welcome to our two new counselors, councelor Caleb and councelor Davey. Choosing to serve Dave today in this type of environment of the world requires resilience and strength and your willingness to step forward. It is just a demonstration of your commitment and your perspective that we need at this table. At our best, this body is guided by thoughtful dialogue and mutual respect. We welcome rigorous discussion. We ask difficult questions and we engaged one another constructively without personalizing disagreements. In doing so, we affirm our respect for our city administration, our employees, and the more than 300 neighbors and volunteers who serve on our committees. I'm confident together that we will remain focused on the work that is ahead of us and continue to lead with professionalism and composure. And lastly, I do have to thank my family as well. Public service is never an individual effort and the time required to serve here is taking time from them. My husband and I have lived and conquered for more than four decades and we have taught our children it is important to give back to our community. His patience, his encouragement, and his steady support make my service possible. So, thank you hubby and thank you your honor.

Thank you, counselor. Councelor Davey.

Thank you, your honor. Um, so I'd like to thank everyone in W 4 who came out. Um, I'm still at a loss for words that this even happened. Um, some people in this room know that I filed just hours before the deadline in September. Um, I have a few people to thank for that in this room. Um, my neighbor, friend, mentor, therapist, and now colleague, counselor Curts, uh, convinced me to run along with my neighbors, uh, Nicole Fox and Meredith Culie. The three of them blew up my phone all afternoon and, um, off I went to the clerk's office. Um, so, um, thank you. Um, um, I'm so grateful for my time on zoning board. Um, I I'm just so they are such a model for open and engaging dialogue at the table once a month. Um, I'm pretty tired of talking about the signed ordinance, I will admit. Um, leave that behind. Um, but, you know, um, I want to thank all the W four folks who came out um, and believed in me, came out to vote, hold signs, and just talk. I just really enjoyed the talking. I really enjoyed the going around the neighborhood. Um it it's really special. Conquered is really special. Um there's really nowhere else like it. Um I hope that we can do new and innovative things in this next term and become a community that others look up to. Um like I there's nowhere like us. We have no roadmap to follow. We are charting our own course right now. Um it's it's really inspiring. Um, I am really excited to receive the ward four torch from counselor Magnamera and from Mayor Champlain behi before her. Um, some massive, massive shoes to fill. Um, I'll speed through the rest of my thanks. Um, I want to shout out my family who came from Maryland to be here tonight. Um, and I want to shout out um,

conquered green space coalition of course for all of the love and support and um, that was really the first community I found when I moved to conquered and um, I learned so much about the neighborhoods and the people and just everything. So I am eternally grateful to that crowd. um my two best friends, Sam and Jonathan, for all the late night phone calls and all of my other friends for the um unwillingness, the they received an unwilling crash course in city government and running a campaign. Learned a lot for me. Um Sam also came up, my friend Sam also came up from Maryland to help knock on doors, which I'm so so grateful for. Um, I'm also lastly I'm so grateful for city staff who have just embraced myself and councelor Caleb with such warmth and such energy um getting us up to speed and I'm so looking forward to looking forward with everyone working with everyone at the table.

Thank you. Thank you, Council David.

Council Brown.

Yes, I am thrilled to be here for a third term. I love representing Ward Five. I love supporting the residents, citizens, uh folks who work in conquered, live in conquered, visit um the staff. It is just a fantastic um opportunity to be here at this table. Um so I want to thank the residents of Ward 5, for the voters for reelecting me, uh for inspiring me every day, asking tough good questions all the time. Um, and I'd like to thank my family because you can't do it by yourself at all. It's um, it is a lot. Um, and like councelor Kredik, I also want to take a few minutes to recognize um, someone um, I have deep respect for everyone here on this council, including our dedicated current mayor prom. And I just want to clarify that I nominated councelor Michelle Horn for mayor prom because I wanted to draw attention to her. I fully expected um councelor SEU to earn the mayor prom position. I know Michelle may I expected she would humbly decline as she always puts service above personal advancement. Yet that humility rooted in unwavering integrity is precisely why she deserves this recognition. Since joining us in Ward 2, Michelle has led with complete independence. no prior allegiances, only a steadfast commitment to what's right for every resident. She questions spending thoughtfully, champions transparent processes, and advocates fairly for affordable housing, working families, and inclusive voices from every corner of our city. And she just is incredible with her social media outreach, keeping people informed. I can't keep up. All I can do is give

kudos and say, "Look at her. she's um yeah, we can get information, direction, inspiration from council horn. So, thank you for um your service on this council and I'm looking forward to working with everyone.

Councelor Curts, I know that you and Councelor Fennessy are continuing uh to serve your four-year term. Would you like to make any comments? I'd just like to offer my congratulations to every single one of my colleagues around the table who won reelection and offer um a special welcome to the two new members, Councelor Caleb and Councelor Davey. I'm very excited about the next years to continue the good work that we've been doing and to dig in to the challenges that we face. Thank you. Thank you, Council Grady Stton.

Thank you, your honor. Um, I'd like to start by congratulating everyone for another two four years term. Um, it's uh it is a real honor to serve and I am incredibly grateful for all of the residents of Conquered for um sending me back here for another four years. It's truly been the honor of a lifetime to be able to serve um my community in this capacity. conquered is the greatest city and the greatest state in the nation. And part of the reason why is because the incredibly hardworking and dedicated staff um here in the city and um it uh there's not a day that goes by that um I'm not reminded by that. We are incredibly grateful to have all of you. Um I also would like to thank my family. uh my husband Adam, my littlest Nathaniel, and my middleist Scarlet, and my eldest Sam, who are in the back, the um Scarlet and Sam. And uh Sam would like me to let all of you know that he was very helpful in putting up signs all throughout conquered. It is a extraordinarily large land mass. Um, and Scarlet would like um everyone to know that she is my favorite daughter. SO, thank you.

Thank you.

The dean of the council, Councelor Keech. Thank you, your honor. Uh, I'd first like to thank everyone who offered their support for me uh this time around. Um it it really is humbling to to receive that sort of support. Uh I want to thank the colleagues around the table. Um I do want to say that um there are times we all disagree around the table. Um the one thing I do believe in my heart is that we all want the best for conquered. Uh there's disagreement how to get there. Uh but in the end I I truly believe in everyone's heart that they want the best for conquered. And uh that's what's encouraged me to come back for yet another four years. So I will top out at 68 years old. I think my shelf expire my shelf life will have expired by then but check back with me in four years. And lastly, I would really sincerely want to u acknowledge the staff because uh I think it's must be an incredibly difficult job to answer to 15 different people and 15 different personalities and uh um at times I'm not sure how you maintain your patience. Uh but it's a tribute to to you folks. So thank you again.

Thank you COUNSELOR councelor Feny again. You're midway through your four-year term. Would you like to make any comments? I'll just echo counselor Curts's um congratulations to the mayor, the mayor prom, all of the counselors, and a special welcome to our newest counselors. I look forward to working with you. Thank you. Thank you, Councelor Caleb.

Thank you, your honor. Um, I first want to thank every single person sitting around this table, um, including our city clerk and our city manager and our mayor, um, for being so generous, uh, with their time and collective wisdom over the last couple of months as I've been preparing to take on this role. Um, special shout out to Councelor Davey. The journey as a young firsttime candidate and elected official would have been a lot different without you in the same boat. Um so I really look forward to continuing to learn uh from all of you and collaborating together uh to work in the best interest of the city. Um like so many have said uh nothing is achieved alone. I would not be sitting here if it weren't for so many people um friends old and new who contributed their time uh and efforts. Um my parents who showed up whenever I needed them and also who raised me to be like this. um my co-workers uh and the regulars at Daniel's restaurant who are my biggest cheerleaders on the sidelines in Henker. Um my neighbors um particularly both Ellens on Conquered Street. Um and of course uh thank you to Ben um for everything. I'm grateful to be so supported. Um, most importantly, thank you to my people in Wart 6, uh, for trusting me with this responsibility, uh, that I don't take lightly. Um, like many of you, I am a working-class person, uh, and I'm a renter, and I I take a lot of pride in, um, in where I live. I want us to be able to stay here and to thrive. Um, I showed up to this campaign as my full authentic self. I used my voice to engage with issues that are important to evidently the majority of us in W 6. Um you voted for me uh because of that. So that is what I will continue doing. Um I'm here now to serve you um to solicit

your opinions, engage with your feedback, advocate for your interests, to be a resource um and to bring matters of uh city government to you in an accessible and understandable way. Building community is to me it's joyful and meaningful work. And when I'm not here at this table, uh that's what I'll be doing. Uh that's the heart of the job. Uh and I look forward to getting started. Thank you. Thank you, Councelor Schawer.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and congratulations to you and to all the reelected and newly elected uh counselors around the table. I give you congratulations. I wanted to thank uh the voters of the great Ward 7 for reelecting me to the second two-year term on the city council. It really is truly a privilege to serve. I've learned so much these two years and hope to use this knowledge to serve our community more effectively. So, I guess I'm not a new person anymore. So, I think

there's no excuses. Uh I think we need to deliver. Uh I think the two most important issues facing this council from my perspective are growing our tax base and increasing housing. These two issues are linked. Increasing housing increases our tax base and helps address the needs faced by so many residents and would be residents, first-time home buyers, seniors looking to downsize and lower wage workers and conquers nonprofit and businesses. I commit to working to develop plans for more housing of all types. Market rates, starter homes, affordable housing, supportive housing, the whole gamut. I'm hoping that my appointment to the community development advisory committee, which I appreciate the mayor appointing me to that committee, might be a forum for this planning. The also the upcoming master plan refresh is another important way to organize broadbased input so that planning for our city our wonderful city is aligned with the needs and values of the entire population. So thank you all and I look forward to working with everybody here. Thank you.

Thank you. Councelor Schultz, you want to say something different? No, we recognize you. I do want to say something when the time comes. Oh, okay. I'm sorry. Council Council Schultz.

Oh. Um, it's an honor to be here again and reelected for my second term. Um, I funny quick story. The first time I ran was sort of a last minute decision. I did not even ask my husband if he was cool with it. Uh and um he I will say I will also say uh he was cool with it. I also get to now hang over his head the fact that people came all the way from Maryland from this and I was cool with him playing his role playing game tonight, too. So, um but there's no way any of us could do this without the support of our families and for that I'm deeply grateful. Um, a couple of It's I feel weird mentioning anyone because I can come up with reasons for a lot of you. Um, but my oldest friend conquered is Amanda Grady Ston. She helped me um multiple times uh in what was strangely an antagonistic campaign. She um talked me off of a ledge a few times and I really appreciate that. and uh my partner in Crime from the Heights, Ali Seikko, um when I admitted to him uh some insecurities, he talked me out of that. But when I also admitted that I had physical limits that I felt made it harder for me to put my own signs in, he's like, "Bring them. We're going to get them out and we're going to get them done." So, um I want to thank him and I'm honored to serve with him as well. Um, I wrote some great notes that look weirdly like, "Hey, hi coup." And so I'm going to skip most of them, but I do want to say that just a few things. First of all, um, I do think we all believe deeply in the notion of loving your neighbor. And while that may seem kitschy to some to say it that way, I think that in today's climate, nothing

matters more than the loving kindness we have and share with each other, even when it's difficult. And I'm certain that everyone in this room, around this table, um, and watching at home does what we do because we care about this place that we share. And there's no way I would do it if that wasn't the spirit of this community that I saw in everyone here. Um, and empathy and compassion matters. Um, skipping most of my notes. I think it's really important for us to keep talking about affordability. Um, it's expensive to eat, to have a safe residence, to access health care, to get an education, um, to have child care, and to take care of people in need. And again, that's one of the things that I know we share is that we take care of one another when we most need in our community. There's also that interesting debate that we are having um that what government offers versus what we can afford or need is a conversation that is difficult but that we're not afraid to have here. And I um hope to continue to represent those um who don't always have a voice or don't vote or can't vote um you know because let's face it, the people who vote the most in elections like this tend to be homeowners. But I'm also really excited we doubled the number of renters on the council. At a time when we're going to be talking about the master plan, I think that we really do need to seek new ways to find those voices that don't always feel represented or don't feel like their voice matters because everyone's voice does matter. Um, and that public service on the whole is so important and that I have such an immense amount of respect from our city manager to the teenager who um spends just a few months working at our pools. I know that our workers at the city are

so important and valuable and I'm so grateful to everybody who who chooses that that route and I feel like I serve you too. Um, and if it was ever about me, I would never do this. Uh, I think um, you know, I I feel like we all get into this for, like I said, I'm just going to repeat myself, but um, I feel like we're here for the right reasons and for that I'm deep deeply grateful to share this table and it's it is an honor of a lifetime to represent Ward Nine on the council and I will continue also to serve as your state rep um, and to be that voice that that um, can speak to that I hope to continue. So, thank you so much, Mr. Mr. Mayor and everybody.

Thank you, Council. I'm sorry I skipped over. No, thank you, your honor. I just wanted because I didn't know what um but I wanted to extend my deepest condolences to Mr. Jim family and uh thank you Jenny for sharing that with us and I want to congratulate you your honor and welcome our new counselors. We are looking forward to working with all of you guys. So, thank you. Thank you, Council.

Council Foot had to excuse himself immediately after being sworn in. He has a spouse who has been trying to return from abroad for four days and is flying in in the middle of a light snowstorm. So, uh that's where his duties lie. Um, I wanted to uh thank also councelor Kredovvic for mentioning Jim Howard. Uh, Jim Howard I think uh is kind of the gold standard of a dedicated uh city uh staff member, city official uh and someone who raised the bar in the city uh increased our effectiveness uh and was entirely dedicated uh to ensuring that uh you know uh what he had control over was the best for conquered. So thank you for mentioning that. I appreciate it.

Um, also uh unfortunately I was going to recognize uh former counselor uh Paula Mclofflin who was here uh and she left before I could do so. Uh but I did want to thank her for her service as well as former counselor Karen Mclofflin from Ward 4. So the former Ward Four and W 6 counselors uh who created large shoes for both of our new counselors but shoes that I know that they can fill. Uh so thank you to both of them. Let me start my prepared remarks by saying uh again, thank you. Uh thank you to the citizens of conquered who have honored me with another term as their mayor. I pledge to do everything in my ability to serve you and the best interests of this fine city. Thank you as well to my wife Susie and to our daughters Emma and Meline for their unwavering support along with the friends and supporters who sustain me with their energy, encouragement and belief in what conquered is and what it can be. And let me spontaneously say thank you to the gentleman this morning who held the door for me as I was trying to stumble in uh in for a meeting uh with my arms full who gave me an impromptu ada boy which unfortunately I cannot repeat on conquered TV. My appreciation too goes out to Reverend Savic and Imam Ahmed for their invocations uh tonight. Um, I also send prayers for healing to Rabbi Robin Navsi, who could not accept our invitation to be here due to an injury. So, we we hope that she heals quickly and completely. We live in a time of uncertainty. It sometimes feels these days as if the ground is shifting beneath our feet. Longestablished norms no longer seem to apply. Social media amplifies the voices of the disaffected.

Nevertheless, when I talk to people face to face, they are positive about conquered. When I walked Main Street in December during midnight Marramment, person after person spontaneously stopped me to say how much they love this city, how excited they are to live here, and what a great vibrant downtown we have. When I met a few months ago with members of the Overcomers Refugee Services Women's Group, all of whom resettled here from Africa, I asked them what they thought of conquered. Their response, we feel safe here. A man recently approached me in a local business and reminded me that I had extended a welcome to him and his wife when they first moved to the city a couple of years ago. He wanted to tell me that my welcome was typical of the way that the couple has been received in conquered. Conquered is indeed a wonderful city. With our destination downtown, a broad range of recreational options, sound infrastructure, and safe neighborhoods, it's no wonder we are frequently ranked as one of the country's most desirable places to live. Folks, conquered has a good thing going, but this success is neither accidental nor free. It is built on the investments made by past city councils over several decades, sometimes against strong headwinds. We on city council need to keep this in mind as we weigh projects and expenditures over the next two years. That's not to say that the voices of those who feel the pressure of rising property taxes should be ignored. On the contrary, we need to be aware of the

impact of our actions, particularly on those with limited and fixed incomes. Without a doubt, the next two budget cycles will be challenging. You've already heard that tonight. We are going to have to make difficult choices. The 0% increase in employee health insurance costs that we experienced this fiscal year is unlikely to be repeated. The expense will surely rise in fiscal 2027. Cost of living increases negotiated in current multi-year employee contracts will come due. In all probability, the costs of goods and services will increase and balancing the budget will not be made easier any easier if the state falls short on sharing revenue and continues to downshift expenses to municipalities. So, everyone around this table can expect to make tough choices just like the tough choices conquered families are making. But we have opportunities on the horizon as well. Business growth cont continues at Merchants Way in Penuk and Pinnacook Village with the city's significant infrastructure investments holds potential for economic revival. When the old legislative parking garage over Store Street comes down, that area will be ripe for redevelopment and tax base extension. The steeplegate mall site still holds enormous potential and we are seeing young entrepreneurs who love conquered

step forward to make their mark as well. We need to ensure that as these opportunities unfold they are facilitated by the city to the greatest extent possible within current ordinances so that our tax base grows. Make no mistake, in addition to housing, commercial development that shifts the tax burden away from residential property taxpayers needs to be a priority. We must determine where conquer goes from here and what we need to put in place to get it there. In addition to our dedicated staff, our greatest asset in meeting these challenges and opportunities is this council. Over the past two years, following a significant turnover in membership, we have for the most part learned to work together. We to share our differences and to reach consensus. This is not lockstep governance as some would characterize it, but a legislative collaboration in which the individual members work together for the good of this city. And starting today, we have two new talented members joining us who bring their own unique talents and energy and a new generational perspective to the table. I look forward to working with both of you. Conquered sits at a crossroads. Not only the crossroads of New Hampshire, but also the crossroads of its own destiny. We must ensure that we continue to be a safe, welcoming, vibrant, and affordable place to live,

to create a business, and to raise a family. a city that is the jewel in New Hampshire's crown and the envy of the nation. I believe that this council is up to the task. Thank you. With that, we are at the end of our formal meeting. Um, I will remind the city councilors uh that or I will let city councilors know that I believe staff wants to take a group photo at the end. So, please congregate at the front uh of uh of the front stairs here uh before you uh you know go off with your family and go on to do the rest of the things you have planned this evening. I also remind the the two new city councilors that we have city council orientation on Thursday at 6:00

in city council chambers and that the rest of the council is invited and encouraged to sit in. Uh it will probably be about a two-hour process. All right. Do I have a motion to adjurnn? Second. Moved. Unanimously moved and seconded. All those in favor in favor please signify by saying I opposed. Eyes have it. The meeting is adjourned.