The Soapbox: We must move Nashua forward by addressing concerns, restoring trust

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O P I N I O N

THE SOAPBOX

Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.


As elected aldermen, we’ve had the privilege of serving Nashua through both its triumphs and its challenges. Recently, our city has hit a rough patch that has left many residents frustrated and searching for answers. From surprise property revaluations to school busing issues and the abrupt closure of Stellos Stadium, it’s been challenging. As leaders, we need to address these concerns and take ownership where necessary, and ensure better communication and accountability.

It all started after Labor Day. Following a quiet summer at Nashua City Hall, September came with a series of mishaps that caught many of us off guard. Residents began to ask a question we couldn’t ignore: Who’s in charge?

The first blow came in the form of a property tax revaluation. On a Saturday afternoon, Nashuans were greeted by notices revealing significant jumps in their property values — some as high as 30%. Aldermen approved a two-year revaluation, to even out residential increases and close the gap with commercial property values. Unfortunately, it failed on both counts.

All of this coupled with a lack of communication about the timing of the revaluation and what impacts citizens might expect. These poorly communicated assessments, which directly impact the amount of property tax residents owe, left people bewildered and upset. The city’s website offered no prior notice or explanation, leaving many to wonder how this could have happened just two years after the last assessment.

State law mandates that New Hampshire cities conduct a full property assessment at least every five years, but it doesn’t soften the blow when property values — and thus taxes — skyrocket. A bit of empathy and clearer communication could have gone a long way here, but instead, residents were met with a bureaucratic shrug: “It’s the market.”

While it’s true that rising property values reflect broader real estate trends, the lack of transparency from City Hall was inexcusable. When asked who knew about these revaluations and when, we were pointed to a meeting three months earlier (not the city’s assessing page on the website) where officials vaguely mentioned that assessments were in progress, with results expected “sometime in 2024.” For many residents, the explanation felt dismissive, as if they should have known better. But how could they when even their elected representatives were left in the dark?

Then, as the school year kicked off, another issue emerged: school busing. A new software system meant to streamline bus routes was rolled out with more glitches than fixes, leaving parents scrambling to get their kids to school. This was more than just an inconvenience — it was a failure in planning and execution that could have been avoided with proper testing and rollout procedures.

As if that weren’t enough, we soon faced the sudden closure of Stellos Stadium, the heart of Nashua’s high school sports scene. During a routine safety inspection, the turf — installed in 2011 — was found to have deteriorated beyond safe use. The stadium was immediately shut down, disrupting the fall sports season for hundreds of students. Once again, the lack of preparation and communication was evident.

Turf fields typically have a 10-year lifespan, so it’s no surprise that the field needed replacement. But the abrupt closure, with no prior warning or plans in place for alternatives, left student-athletes, coaches, and parents scrambling. City leaders played the blame game, with different departments passing the buck on who was responsible. At the end of the day, leadership means taking responsibility — something we’ve seen too little of in recent weeks.

Back at City Hall, the board of aldermen found itself in another familiar dilemma: dealing with the city’s spending cap. The cap, which was imposed by the state legislature, is intended to control city spending, and while it’s not perfect, it provides necessary guardrails. Yet, less than three months after approving the city’s budget, we were back discussing ways to amend it.

The spending cap forces tough decisions, but it also requires discipline. Nashua is an aging city and maintaining our infrastructure is becoming increasingly expensive. While families in our community are making difficult “either/or” choices to make ends meet, the city continues to add when it comes to budgeting. We can’t afford to be so loose with our spending. It’s time for a more focused, strategic approach to budgeting — one that prioritizes the essentials and acknowledges the limits of our resources.

These recent events have made one thing clear: Nashua’s leaders need to communicate better, plan effectively, and take ownership when things go wrong. Our city deserves transparency, accountability, and foresight — not excuses and finger-pointing.

The residents of Nashua are frustrated, and rightfully so. Looking to the future, we must ensure the mistakes of this fall are not repeated. That means stack-ranking priorities, setting boundaries, and over-communicating to keep everyone in the loop. Only then can we begin to rebuild trust and confidence in our city’s leadership.


Beg to differ? Agree to disagree? Leave your comments below. Got issues of your own? Thoughtful prose on topics of general interest are welcome. Send submissions to publisher@inklink.news, subject line: Nashua Soapbox, for consideration.


Tyler Gouveia represents Nashua’s Ward 1 (gouveiat@nashuanh.gov)


John Sullivan represents Nashua’s Ward 9 (sullivanj@nashuanh.gov).