0 in = 0 out

It's with some reluctance that I decided to speak on the subject of this post, the rash of fires in Berlin. I woke up Saturday morning to the news that a 12th house fire had taken place in the wee hours of the morning. How can I personally and the readers of this blog rationalize ignoring  the very serious nature of these fires? These fires are threatening the lives of our families and neighbors and I question what's being done to address the issue. The media reports that most of these fires are "suspicious" in nature, which translates to saying that more than likely the fires are being set!  As it is with many other issues confronting Berlin and the region, I question the lack of interest and questioning by the press/media. It appears that the local media is not aware that one of their responsibilities is to make public officials accountable  for their actions or lack of of. I'm suggesting that the cozy relationship between local officials including City Hall and reporters is contributing to the popular belief that the average citizen and taxpayer is being ignored by their elected officials. In a very significant poll conducted by KD Paine & Partners, the overwhelming majority of responders expressed their dissatisfaction with their elected officials. I believe that the root cause of this dissatisfaction is that officials are not made accountable for their actions while the press looks the other way, never asking the difficult questions and keeping them honest. When was the last time a reporter was heard asking serious questions about the fires, the re-use of the mill property, the condition of our streets or of lack of plans to rebuild our communities and economy?  Will Barbara, Sarah or Bob or any other media types appear at the next council meeting and ask the Mayor & Council what the various City departments are doing to apprehend the arsonists while not accepting some mindless answer?   ...As a community we need to reflect about the issues that has brought us to this point in our history.  Why does Berlin seem to have become a magnet for people who rather hang out in our parks and street corners than go to work, people who choose to live in trash and run down buildings. Why is it that the majority of us who are hard working, tax paying, decent citizens tolerating our elected officials giving us lip service about some of these very important issues?  I suggest that it's because we don't expect much from our leaders and that's exactly what we're getting, not much!

Comments

[KDPaine]

I think a big piece of the problem is that when we see debris from fires in February left untouched, it's easy to get discouraged. What sensible investor or developer or for that matter business person wants to move to or invest in a town where city officials allow piles of rubble to just sit for months.

[Pamela Laflamme]

I can't speak for the Fire Department, so I won't, but I will say that the City cannot just go clean up someone else's property - no matter how badly we want to! The City has to go through a lot of legal hurdles before permission is given to take care of these unsightly properties. NH RSA 155-B goes over some of the legal framework the City has to address before removing the rubble piles. The Council did speak at length about this issue Monday night, but I know most people are wondering why it takes so long, but if you read the laws concerning the City's right to do the clean up you will find that private property rights are first and foremost. The City has a lot to prove before it is able usurp those rights even under hazardous conditions.