A statement addressed to the Portsmouth City Council in the public comment session at the City Council meeting of August 28, 2023.
Good evening, my name is Lenore Weiss Bronson and I live at 828 Woodbury Avenue, Portsmouth.
I appreciate this opportunity to exercise my first amendment right to express my opinion in public.
It is disheartening to see that a few so-called developers, hosts of tourists, and out-of-state tax-free shoppers are being catered to as if they held far greater value than Portsmouth residents.
Those who live here are being bypassed by city hall in so many ways and on so many levels that it’s impossible to follow the inconsistent process now used to govern us.
So who, if anyone, is advocating for our residents?
I believe we can look to those Portsmouthites who are caring and stalwart enough to approach the city at meetings and hearings such as this.
Some of them have lived here and been civilly engaged longer than many of our officials. They painstakingly do their homework and research on city and state ordinances and then speak intelligently to issues that directly impact our daily lives.
They express legitimate concerns, possess admirable expertise, and offer well-founded, fair, legally solid solutions for implementing at the grassroots level.
These are the true experts and representatives of our Portsmouth community.
They represent many residents of Portsmouth, including those you rarely or never hear from, who may post opinions on social media but stay at home during city proceedings, They may have learned that getting involved can prove futile and even politically hazardous.
Yet the resident advocates who faithfully contribute in person at city hall have often been dismissed by officials and so-called developers as bothersome naysayers who get in the way of many under-the-radar plans.
As a longtime Portsmouth resident, I applaud their courageous efforts to spark awareness and to cultivate our increasingly fragile residential quality of life.
Please listen to them, respect and respond to what they offer you. Keep in mind that they are acting on behalf of thousands of their Portsmouth peers — currently your constituency.
If this means you now have to grant our residents priority over the wants of so-called developers, over tourists and out-of-state shoppers, so be it. I think we could all be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
Thank you.
Lenore Weiss Bronson
