This is one in a series of candidate questionnaires with local candidates being published leading up to the Nov. 2 elections.
Name: Peter A. Whelan
Age: 67
Address: 100 Gates St,
Occupation: Retired executive PepsiCo/Frito-Lay
Owner: Shoals Fly Fishing and Light Tackle, charter fishing business
Education: Bachelor of arts, Randolph-Macon College
Civic experience: Portsmouth City Council, one term, Portsmouth McIntyre Sub-Committee chair, Portsmouth Planning Board, Portsmouth Parking Traffic and Safety Chair, Past president Coastal Conservation of New Hampshire and current Board Member, New Hampshire Marine Advisory Board, Governor Appointee, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Striped Bass Advisory Board, American Association of Saltwater Guides, Board Member New Hampshire
Campaign website: Facebook: Peter Whelan for Portsmouth City Council
Favorite movie, book or television show: Books: “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown and “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand.
How would you address Portsmouth’s affordable housing shortage?
The city must address this issue on multiple fronts. First continue to work with Portsmouth Housing Authority to clear the backlog of families and individuals needing housing using current and available future properties so that PHA can use federal/private funds to develop and build more housing. Secondly, we must take a fresh look at our current zoning laws to see if adjustments can be made to provide incentive to private developers to build more workforce housing and enforce current zoning workforce housing rules with developers. Third we must work with our neighboring towns to provide more workforce housing as properties become repurposed and available.
If you’re elected, what will be your top three priorities?
My top three priorities would be to first finish and complete the McIntyre Project with our development partner. This would include a successful National Park Service application and a development plan which reflects the residents’ values and visions for that site while making it a solid business proposition for our development partner and the City of Portsmouth.
My second priority would be to work to help solve our workforce housing crisis with hopefully new public/private partnerships to build more workforce housing in the city.
My third priority would be to continue to hold the line on tax increases for our residents, many who are struggling to pay their property taxes, while fully funding Portsmouth Schools. This would be a priority after two years of stress in our school system.
Most importantly, I will be the voice of experience and reason on the council, leading on consensus-building and tackling the important issues in Portsmouth for the residents.
Do you believe property taxes in Portsmouth need to be reduced or minimized and if yes, how would you do it?
One of the major responsibilities of a city councilor is to evaluate the department budgets in Portsmouth, to keep our taxes low while providing the services our residents want and expect. There are always tradeoffs to be made when reviewing city budgets. Looking to the outside for best practices of other towns and cities can help our city craft its budget and look for efficiencies. We should always strive to re-invent ourselves when reviewing budgets and operations as a city, the residents should expect no less. As a councilor I pledge to do this if elected during my next two years. We have several major collective bargaining union contracts which are coming up in the near future which need attention. Our Portsmouth schools need to be fully funded after the aftermath of two years of COVID.
How has the current City Council done regarding the McIntyre federal building redevelopment and what should the council do in the coming two years?
Being Chair of the McIntyre Subcommittee, the Subcommittee faced major challenges and a disconnect with the public regarding McIntyre as we took office in January 2020. The residents overwhelming did not like the plan as approved by the prior council and the National Park Service had lots of questions about the design of the old plan and its economics favoring the developer Redgate-Kane. The Subcommittee over two years had to rework the plan and get to a point where the Portsmouth residents were satisfied with the new plan. This was accomplished with the help of the Principle Group and Portsmouth Listens. We now have a true community plan which is being presented to the National Park Service as a preliminary plan. Our development partner Redgate-Kane is now involved as we continue to refine the plan with the National Park Service. My hope is that our development partner will build the residents’ plan as we continued to push the project forward in the next year. It is very important that we get the project right as this is a legacy project for the City of Portsmouth.
How do you feel about the ongoing boom of development in the North End? Does the city need new zoning or a new strategy for development?
Obviously, the development in the North End adds to our Portsmouth tax base which is always positive. We must remember what makes Portsmouth a special place to live and work. Building in the 100-foot wetlands buffer zones and added mass and scale to our North End neighborhoods which are two- and three-story buildings is out of character for Portsmouth. We need to take a hard look at our current zoning and the granting of Conditional Use Permits. This should be a community discussion to relook at our zoning. As a city councilor I pledge to preserve the character of Portsmouth which makes it a special place to live, work and visit.
Does Portsmouth need a new police station? Are there other municipal building projects you would prioritize?
The recent purchase of the Community Campus parcel is a game changer for our community. The current Portsmouth police station has been a health problem for years. At a 40-million-dollar price tag this is a big project for the city. The purchase of the Community Campus gives Portsmouth many more options for the Police Station, City Hall and other city buildings. The proper way to look at this would be to do a 15-year needs study to figure out for the long term where our city buildings should be located. Doing the proper planning moving forward would include the new police station.
What if anything should the City Council do to address the ongoing challenges presented by COVID-19?
The City of Portsmouth and the council has done a great job managing thru the pandemic. This was unchartered territory for everyone. The city departments were quick to change and react as we maneuvered through these two years of the pandemic. Outdoor dining for our restaurants over the past two summers has played a key role in keeping our city economy moving forward. Our first responders were there for our residents going into their homes for people who were unable to leave their homes. Giving COVID vaccines to our most vulnerable residents. Mask mandates helped stop community spread when we did not have the vaccines. I think the city response was responsible, quick and based on science with plenty of community input and advise. It will be a blueprint for future pandemics in our City, which I hope are over for the foreseeable future.
Credit: Source link
