Manchester, NH - Victoria Sullivan issued the following statement on the spending plan up for consideration by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen as per the $43 million of American Rescue Plan Funds dedicated to Manchester:
"While I'm not surprised, this rushed and rammed-through process spearheaded by Mayor Joyce Craig has been wholly unfortunate for the ordinary Manchester taxpayer. Queen City residents truly deserve better. Tonight, I spoke to the matter and and I have also called for a delay in the vote until such time that the city has held no less than four open hearings with public input, and until the citizens of Ward 8 have an alderman and a seat at the table.
"As cities across the country, both Democrat and Republican-led, are asking their citizens for input as how to spend these federal dollars in a lengthy, dedicated, and transparent fashion, our mayor has decided to barge ahead - no questions asked. In this election year, Joyce Craig wants to hoodwink Manchester residents on what she plans to do with millions of dollars of one-time federal revenue. She is giddy at the thought of paying for her far-Left pet projects.
"When I am mayor, I will put the people of Manchester first, and I will reject this sort of dirty politics for the sake of the ordinary folks of our city. In addition, because this money is for one-time use, the city should come up with a plan to scale back this spending when the money is gone. I have not seen any indication that plans are in place to do that either. All in all, this a disappointing day for hard-working Manchester taxpayers."
