NASHUA, N.H. – After months of discussion, a resolution related to the Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza was met with indefinite postponement on a voice vote at the Nashua Board of Aldermen meeting on Tuesday night.
Following discussions at previous Board of Aldermen meetings in August and September among others, the final version of the resolution, R-24-075, was placed onto the agenda for a rare third reading motion.
During public comment, several activists again hoped that the board would follow the example of other New Hampshire municipalities such as in Lebanon, referring to Israel’s actions as genocide. Ward 4 Alderman and resolution sponsor Thomas Lopez expressed his appreciation for the dialogue that came about through the process surrounding the resolution and noted that its intention was centered around Nashua’s reputation as a welcoming city. He added that anti-semitism or discrimination against the Palestinian community are unacceptable.
The motion for indefinite suspension of the resolution, which prohibits further discussion on the resolution during this Aldermanic term, was brought forward by Alderman At-Large Melbourne Moran.
Ward 5 Alderman Ernest Jette and Ward 2 Alderman Richard Dowd expressed their intent to support the indefinite suspension motion on the grounds that international matters are not within the purview of the Board of Aldermen, with Dowd adding that he understood why Israel approached the situation in the matter they did given the attack on Israeli citizens by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
“If what happened on October 7th happened in one of our cities (in the US), what would our response have been?” Dowd asked. “While I appreciate the sentient of the resolution, the resolution doesn’t belong in this chamber.”
Other Aldermen felt that the core intention of the resolution could be achieved with some amendment, although there were also concerns that too much amendment could transform the resolution into a discriminatory document, something that Lopez sought to avoid.
Alderman At-Large Ben Clemons asked if only the final sentence of the finalized resolution (see below) could be used. Ward 7 Alderman Tim Sennott said he wanted to bring amendments to the resolution while it was in the Human Affairs Committee, but could not attend due to severe bronchitis.
Despite the resolution’s defeat, Clemons thanked members of the public that continually came out to voice their support for the resolution and disagreed with those who felt that the board should not voice its opinion on matters outside of Nashua, fearing that the recent election could bring national policy changes that might impact the residents of Nashua and thus require input from the board.
