Next Tuesday Nashua voters will decide whether our city would be improved by changing who appoints police commissioners. These commissioners approve the procedures that ensure eligibility for being hired and promoted is determined by merit, and not by influence or loyalty.

One hundred and thirty years ago, responding to corruption and political favoritism in the Nashua police force, city residents removed the power of appointment from the elected local officials and placed it with the Governor. Since that decision to allow the governor to appoint city residents to the police commission, our police department has developed into one of the most highly respected agencies in the country. Our high CALEA certification signifies the strength of the department’s policies and procedures in identifying qualified candidates, in officer development and retention, and in advancement based on merit. Since that time, our police department has been responsive and thorough in identifying and investigating crimes, even by elected officials. This is, in part, because our current system allows city elected officials no leverage to influence investigations or the hiring and promotions within the department.

Proponents of the change argue “Time to join the 20th century.” “Everyone else has done it.” “There is no corruption in those communities.” None of these arguments demonstrate that returning the power to appoint these police commissioners to elected local officials would benefit Nashua. In fact, it is hard to imagine and impossible to prove what benefit could result. If police departments elsewhere are being intimidated to hire, or promote without merit, how would we know? (Anecdotal evidence suggests it happens often in other communities.) In those communities where elected local officials appoint police commissioners, a lack of reported corruption says as much about what comes to light under such a system as it does about absence of political coercion. A change of this type should not be a gamble; change is not always good.

It is our responsibility on Tuesday to decide whether the person elected to the seat of governor has acted fairly and appointed judiciously, mindful to the expressed needs of our city. Our city leaders can express the need for female representation, or minority representation on the board. They did not do that this year, when the term of a commissioner expired. Our city leaders did not do that last year, nor the year before. Today, our police commission is composed of three longtime Nashua residents, each who have at one time written a letter of interest to the governor, who then interviewed, and reviewed their qualifications. These individuals were appointed or reappointed most recently by a Governor who won 60% of the ballots cast in Nashua, winning by a majority in every single ward in Nashua. This Governor has not been heavy handed in these appointments. In a city whose elected BOA and Mayor are all Democrats, he reappointed the selections made by Maggie Hassan, his Democratic predecessor. No other names were put forward from Nashua elected officials.

Proponents of this change say that it will give Nashua better control of the police budget. In this budget season, the police department proposed a budget $241,000 (1.7%) over the request of Mayor Donchess. City Hall, meanwhile, submitted a budget $534,000 (2.7%) below last year’s budget. City Hall departments were praised by Mayor Donchess, held up as examples of thrift, cooperation and fiscal responsibility. Mayor Donchess then submitted a bill to give himself the power to appoint and remove police commissioners, and in October he appropriated an additional $2.4 million to the City Hall divisions he had publicly lauded as fiscally conscientious. This has lead to a budget for City Hall departments not down by 2.7% at all – but up to an increase of 5.37% over last year’s budget. When our Mayor compares our city department’s budgets, praising one and expressing displeasure at another he divides and intimidates. When surplus is used as an enticement in this way to create a narrative of a runaway police budget, then political influence is on display. This, is what it looks like. This referendum item is not needed to control the budget. It is not needed to gain diversity of race and gender on our boards. Please vote no on #2.