Kondo Kate Cook is a “long term” (7-year) resident and part of the latest City Council referred to as the Boondoggle Nine. She knows a thing or two about what is best for the families in Portsmouth and can’t wait to tell them.
An obvious devotee of Marie Kondo, the Japanese organizing consultant, and follower of her best-selling book: Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Kondo Kate has little tolerance for disorderly ordinances.
Her seemingly silly obsession with minutia really can be “life changing” since she has absolutely no interest in what the enactment of these rearranged rules means to her fellow residents, as long as all the I’s are dotted, and the T-shirts neatly folded.
She’s the know-it-all Student Council President who drove you nuts in high school. Don’t believe us, read on.
The Latest – May 11, 2023
Kondo straightens out the Capital Improvement Plan –
It was a lot of work, but someone had to do it.
Details, details, details! The March 6, 2023, City Council Meeting reviewed the Capital Improvement Plan and Kondo dominated the conversation with amendment after amendment.
There was a lot of tidying up to do!
One item in particular was really bugging her – the $113,250 for police body cameras; it was sitting way down the road in 2026 and that very morning, Rochester announced that they were rolling out their program.
No way is Rochester going to leap ahead of Portsmouth! So, what’s the deal?
Just the facts, ma’am. Over 70% of the funding is coming from a federal grant and that may have timing restrictions, not to mention an in-progress study that has to be completed, and contract negotiations with the police unions, you know, little things like that.
But that will take too long, Kondo wants the police strapping on those body cams, like, tomorrow!
The other Councilors meekly agreed and so the funding has been moved forward to 2025. (I’m sure that isn’t the last we’ll hear about this topic).
But Kondo wasn’t done – the other Councilors laughed (or was it groaned?).
I promise this is the last one, she insisted.
But this was a doozy. She had found a placeholder — with no funding! Just dangling all by itself in the CIP! Ewww – disgusting!
It was like finding a dirty sock in the middle of your bedroom floor. Or a half-eaten peanut butter sandwich on the counter!
WHAT IS THE WATER MASTER PLAN – THERE’S NO FUNDING HERE!
City Manager Conard quipped that it was a citizen request from Mr. Hewitt brought forward from last fall and added at the Planning Board stage. She conveniently omitted that the Planning Board voted to add the 2023 Water Master Plan to the CIP. (See: The 2023 Water Master Plan is Left High and Dry, Portsmouth Pulse, May 9, 2023)
“We don’t need it,” Conard insisted because the Water Department provides regular updates.
Meanwhile, Bart Blaylock perked up: I want a placeholder too!
Hizzoner (the Mayor) leaned over: Wait until the next meeting, Bart.
Kondo was getting impatient. I am going to go ahead and move to remove the Water Master Plan EF-24-WD-91 from the CIP. There’s no anticipated funding in the CIP budget right now for this plan and since it was not requested by city staff, it should not be there.
So there! If we run out of clean water, it’s not my problemo.
(March 6, 2023, City Council Meeting)
The McIntyre Mess – Passing the Buck
Before she was even sworn in, Kondo made an appearance at the November 18, 2021, City Council meeting to lecture Council members on the rules. Why was she on her high horse?
The existing Council had agreed to fire McIntyre developer Redgate Kane for multiple reasons, and she would have none of it! How dare they try to solve this nasty problem for the incoming group. (See: The McIntyre Morass, Portsmouth Pulse, December 15, 2022)
Well, we know the sorry mess that followed the re-hiring of Redgate Kane only a few months later. The settlement cost the City $2 million and the privilege of once again working with their recalcitrant partner.
Then early this year, the Council asked for another chunk of change to hire consultants who knew how to add and subtract and could work on the pro formas. These were part of the submission to the GSA so the City could buy the property through the Historic Monument Program for just $1.
On March 11 during a special meeting, the City admitted it was at an impasse in their negotiations with Redgate Kane (although RK strongly disagreed) and needed to go back to the GSA to let them know that the application might be a little late.
Finally, the GSA had had enough and said no deal. Years of work by City residents and staff, incalculable opportunity costs, not to mention the millions of dollars in settlement, all incurred by Kondo Kate and her fellow Boondoggle Nine.
All of this chaos was too much for Kondo. At the April 3 City Council meeting, she grabbed the mic and declared that she had been quiet long enough! She had kept her mouth shut since she took office because she was protecting the City and fulfilling her duty as a City Councilor “to do no harm.” Now she needed to set the record straight.
Great! Was she about to tell us what had been happening behind closed doors all those months?
NOOOO. – Kondo was not going to take the fall for this!
THIS WAS NOT HER FAULT. It was the fault of the previous City Council!
The latest: as of April 11, 2023: the City is suing Redgate Kane and vice versa. So sad to miss a fine meal at that 5-star restaurant where the post office used to sit.
(April 3, 2023, City Council Meeting)
Outside Dining Changes Course
Kondo and company had labored long and hard to tweak the 2023 outdoor dining policy. She tidied up the design guidelines for the concrete barriers, so they look “consistent,” and while you’re at it, get rid of those ugly picnic tables.
She also agreed to the cost of renting the valuable parking spaces at $1,500 for the season. Quite a bargain when, according to the City Manager, the average space would generate around $5,700 from cars during the same time period. Guess who picks up the slack.
But then, the City Council reversed course and decided to go back to the 2022 rules. The rental fees: still only $1,500.
Developer News – More of your money out the door
Oh no, another payoff to a developer! There are so many twists and turns in this one, you need a road map but here goes. In 2016, the City Council (calling Councilor Denton!) way overpaid Deer Street Associates for a piece of land.
The city had plans to build a parking garage, DSA had plans to develop the adjacent land and by way of a POCA (Post Closing Contract Agreement) the city agreed to allocate 68 parking spaces to DSA at the market rate.
Today, the Foundry Place parking garage stands tall — where are DSA’s buildings? (If you squint, you can see them on the horizon).
Back to the story. In 2020, DSA declared force majeure, which allowed them to sit on their hands for a couple of months, seeking extension after extension.
In November 2021, the City Council voted down the parking agreement and in February 2022, the new City Council countered the previous City Council, and approved it.
DSA was not impressed. Then, out of the blue, the current City Council agreed to hand over $500,000 to DSA (or around $16.00 for every resident after DSA’s payment to the City) to avoid a lawsuit over this parking agreement. Make sense?
Out of the blue, the City Council agreed to handover $.5 million to DSA.
Councilor Bagley, for appearances the designated single “no” vote that night, offered one of his famous history lessons in the form of an extended soliloquy to demonstrate that he had read up on the issue.
Alas, since the attorneys had already arranged the details just so, and it had been decided behind closed doors, there was nothing to tidy up!
Kondo just sat quiet as a mouse (no harm here) until asked whether she agreed to shower more taxpayer money on another developer (closing in on $3 million now including the Kane payment) with a resounding: “Yes!”
Developers 2-0 vs. taxpayers.
(November 2022, Special Meeting)
Adios to the Independent Audit, 3rd reading seals its fate!
Since entering Council chambers in early 2022, Kondo Kate has been laser-focused on tidying up all of the chaotic committees. Out of this obsession, the Governance Committee reared its ugly head.
The main target was the Audit Committee.
The entire City Council and city management despised this Committee because of its directive to finally ensure the City was in compliance with the charter-mandated INDEPENDENT AUDIT.
An independent audit meant wrestling control of the audit from the city’s finance chief, a close chum of Melanson, the accounting firm that had a 27-year strangle hold on reviewing Portsmouth’s books.
The ordinance that created the Audit Committee called for three citizen volunteers with extensive finance backgrounds and two City Councilors with none – Kondo was one of them.
Undeterred by their lack of knowledge, Kondo Cook and her sidekick did everything possible to block the Committee’s work, even refusing to participate in the vote on a new auditor. Not surprisingly, Melanson won the nod again!
For Kondo Kate, the three citizen volunteers “sparked no joy” so out they went, to be replaced by paid consultants.
The first step in the Magic of Tidying Up requires piling up everything you own in the center of the room and throwing out anything that doesn’t “spark joy!
For Kondo Kate, the three citizen volunteers sparked no joy so out they went, and, in their place, Kondo suggested paid consultants.
The public protested, the City Council hemmed and hawed. Why do we need an Audit Committee anyway? sniffed Councilor Bagley showing his great ignorance of the process.
So, what did they do? Kondo and crew decided to add another financially illiterate City Councilor to the committee and unlike any other committee the Mayor appointed the chair.
The vote: 8 to 1 (Councilor Denton was the designated “no”) to return the audit back to city management so they could continue along their merry way. What were they trying to hide?
Fortunately, this story has a happy ending: Kondo is no longer a member of the committee, and a brand-new auditor was chosen because Melanson sold out to a New York City audit firm.
These highly paid city employees aren’t servants – and some aren’t civil!
While Kondo Cook doesn’t think much of citizen volunteers, she feels very protective of city employees – the good, the bad and the – well you know…
At the end of the Rule 43 discussion on whether or not to put a leash on citizens speaking during the public comment session, Kondo weighed in on the nerve of some citizens to complain about certain city employees and opined that it is actually libelous to criticize them!
Gosh, who pays their salaries?
City Council Meeting, October 24, 2022
A Tax on Rain? – Another Way for the City to Raise $$$
After you’ve toiled for years to put a roof over your head, the City has decided to tax it. Actually, as they intone, this is not a “tax,” it’s a fee for allowing the rainwater to run off of your roof (shame on you for having a roof that doesn’t leak) and wreaking havoc with the Mayor’s basement.
As it stands now, taking care of storm water is part of your water and sewer bill. As you’ve probably noticed, Portsmouth has the highest sewer rates of any city in NH!
Portsmouth has the highest sewer rates of any city in NH!
But wait, in order to really tackle this problem, it will take a brand-new department — let’s call it a utility, and it’s going to cost thousands of dollars for the new trucks! For new engineers! For new paper-pushers! For new offices!
A whole new bureaucracy!
Will your sewer bills drop? Not a chance.
As we all know, storm water mitigation, with a nudge from the Feds, is top of mind for every hard-working Portsmouth citizen — right behind taxes, schools, inflation, the impending recession. Kondo’s reaction was to nod in agreement because it was a really slick, spotless, well-organized Power Point. So what if it means living in Portsmouth is getting to be even more expensive? At least it will seem more orderly!
Work Session, October 17, 2022
