HB 544 is wrong for New Hampshire

TO THE EDITOR:

House Bill 544, the “Propagation of Divisive Concepts” bill that has now been added to the House budget, is wrong for New Hampshire and is antithetical to the expressed intent of its sponsors and proponents.

This bill seeks to enshrine in New Hampshire law a 2020 executive order issued by President Trump, since rescinded by President Biden, that would have barred federal agencies and the agencies they contract with from offering trainings promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.

As a community mental health center with a contract with the State of New Hampshire, West Central Behavioral Health would be in violation of the law by acknowledging as real issues racism, sexism and the other ism’s we see in our community.

HB 544’s sponsors say it is needed to ensure that free speech is not infringed upon in New Hampshire. But it does the exact opposite. HB 544 says that no contractor of the state shall engage in discussions or training that at all infers that the state or the United States has any systemic inequities. Our country was founded and governed for extended periods of time by rich, white, landowning men.

In other words, the rules by which our nation was founded was based on supporting majority privilege. At its founding, women were not allowed to vote. African Americans were slaves and were not even considered people. The three-fifths compromise is enshrined in our Constitution. HB 544 would prohibit discussion of our past so that we can evaluate our present society and make concerted efforts to forge a better future.

How can we, as a society, attempt to bring about greater equity, remove the barriers of majority privilege and thwart both physical and verbal aggression toward minorities in our community? Cultural competency training in our society is not relegated to being culturally aware and sensitive. It requires that we understand our history and our own experiences/ biases so that we can break these vicious cycles.

It may be uncomfortable to look at ourselves in the mirror, but I am more afraid of what we become if we do not. Of all times, can we really turn our backs to Asian Americans who are being physically assaulted due to a misguided belief that they somehow caused the Covid pandemic? HB 544 says that we must, because to do otherwise means we have to acknowledge that there is systemic fear and intolerance of “the other” in our society. We cannot change that which we do not acknowledge and understand.

Please tell your state representatives and senators that HB 544 goes against the values of all residents of New Hampshire.

Roger Osmun
CEO, West Central Behavioral Health
Lebanon

The Hudson Logistics Center is exactly what Hudson voted for

TO THE EDITOR:

About six years ago, Hudson had been short-listed by United Technologies Corp./Pratt & Whitney (UTC/P&W) for a 600,000-squarefoot logistics center, but UTC/P&W decided to locate in Londonderry instead. They preferred Hudson, but would have required a variance to exceed the town’s 38-foot building height restriction.

The development trend was calling for taller buildings with more internal “clear height,” so the planning board unanimously voted to pursue this change. In 2017, having already approved a 50-foot building height in Sagamore Industrial Park, Hudson voters overwhelmingly (70% yes/30% no) passed a 50-foot height for several other undeveloped, industrially zoned parcels, including the 375-acre Green Meadow Golf Course.

Today, Hillwood Enterprises’ Hudson Logistics Center proposes three buildings at Green Meadow, two to be occupied by Amazon. Amazon will create 1,400 new direct jobs offering full health insurance benefits, including dental and college tuition reimbursement. The Hudson Logistics Center will also create 1,100 indirect jobs. Twenty-five hundred new jobs with more than $80 million in annual wages will have an enormous, positive impact on Hudson and southern New Hampshire’s economy. Also, as we all learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, our families rely on an efficient e-commerce supply chain for our essential necessities, including food.

The projected real estate tax revenue will be $5.4 million annually. Further, more than 60% of the site will remain open green space, including an easement to permanently conserve 120 acres.

No other proposal for this site has or will come close to offering the Hudson Logistics Center’s benefits, especially the berm and buffer system that will mitigate impacts for neighbors.

The economic development success the citizens of Hudson voted for, and the planning board worked to secure, has materialized in the proposed Hudson Logistics Center.

Tom Farrelly
Rye