Executive Councilor Debora Pignatelli

Year End Report

An Open Letter to Constituents

I have finished my first 12 months as Executive Councilor for District 5. Throughout my short tenure, I have loved the job and thank voters for supporting me

NEWS RELEASE - FOR DISTRICT FIVE - January 30, 2006

FROM DEBORA B. PIGNATELLI, Executive Councilor

January 30, 2006 Concord, NH - Listed below are some of the items that were approved at the Governor and Council Meeting, January 26, 2006, that might be of interest to District Five constituents.

OFFICE OF ENERGY AND PLANNING

Authorized to amend a Fuel Assistance Program agreement with Southern New Hampshire Services Inc., Manchester, NH, (previously approved by G&C on 9-21-05, item #13, amended on 12-21-05, item #9), by increasing the amount from $4,897,027 by $955,510, to an amount not to exceed $5,852,537. 100% Federal Funds. These funds are distributed through Southern New Hampshire Services to communities in the south-central part of our state.

Authorized to amend a Fuel Assistance Program agreement with Community Southwestern Community Services Inc., Keene, NH, (previously approved by G&C on 9-21-05, item #14, amended on 12-21-05, item #8), by increasing the amount from $1,755,475 by $335,101, to an amount not to exceed $2,090,576. 100% Federal Funds.

NEWS RELEASE - FOR DISTRICT FIVE - September 23, 2005

FROM DEBORA B. PIGNATELLI, Executive Councilor

September 23, 2005 Concord, NH - Listed below are some of the items that were approved at the Governor and Council Meeting, September 21, 2005, that might be of interest to District Five constituents.

BUSINESS FINANCE AUTHORITY
Authorized to hold a Public Hearing with respect to the financing of an industrial facility by the Business Finance Authority for Pennichuck Water Works, Inc. for projects located in Amherst, Bedford, Derry, Epping, Hollis, Hudson, Merrimack, Milford, Plaistow, Salem and Nashua, New Hampshire. Action will Authorized a Resolution under RSA 162-I:9 to determine the financing will serve a public use, provide public benefit and is within the policy and authority of the Act.

OFFICE OF ENERGY AND PLANNING
Authorized to enter into a contract with Southwestern Community Services, Keene, NH, to repair or replace malfunctioning heating systems in low-income households, in an amount not to exceed $63,164. (2) Further Authorized to extend a cash advance in an amount not to exceed $9,001. Effective upon G&C approval through March 31, 2006. 100% Federal Funds.

Greetings from your Executive Councilor!

I will be sending out an announcement very soon about upcoming Public Hearings on the State's 10 Year Transportation Improvement Plan. I have called for four of them in our district. They will be in Milford, Nashua, Peterborough and Keene. I hope you will plan to attend and offer your ideas on the proposed Plan. Debora Pignatelli

NEWS RELEASE FOR DISTRICT FIVE

August 31, 2005

FROM DEBORA B. PIGNATELLI, Executive Councilor

August 31, 2005 Concord, NH - Listed below are some of the items that were approved at the Governor and Council Meeting, August 31, 2005, that might be of interest to District Five constituents.

I hope all of you are enjoying the beautiful August weather we have been having lately. Please feel free to contact me at my web site address: www.debpignatelli.com

NEWS RELEASE
FOR DISTRICT FIVE

August 9, 2005

FROM DEBORA B. PIGNATELLI, Executive Councilor

August 9, 2005 Concord, NH - Listed below are some of the items that were approved at the Governor and Council Meeting, August 3, 2005, that might be of interest to District Five constituents.

Executive Councilor Debora Pignatelli

6 Month Report

An Open Letter to Constituents

I have finished my first 6 months as Executive Councilor for District 5. It has been interesting, fulfilling and fun, and I thank the voters for this wonderful opportunity to serve.

The Executive Council is a body of 5 people elected from 5 districts throughout the State. My district is the southern border communities from Nashua to Keene and towns north from Merrimack, Goffstown and up to Dunbarton. The Council has been in existence since colonial times and its job is to serve as both a check as well as an advisor to the governor. Actually, the governor needs 3 votes to appoint a judge or state agency head, to enter into any contract greater than $5000 and to confirm appointees to state boards and commissions.

There seems to be a new mood and a more cooperative spirit in Concord. Credit is surely shared, but most would agree Governor John Lynch deserves a good share of it. Although he and I are both Democrats, I have seen the building of an excellent working relationship between him and the 4 Republican Councilors as well as legislators. That doesn't mean everyone agrees all the time. But, disagreements are civil and that contributes to good government.

E-ZPASS UPDATE from Debora Pignatelli

June 9, 2005

So, E-ZPASS is coming very soon. You all know that from reading newspapers, listening to radio and watching television. The Executive Council, and the little-known GACIT committee, had a great deal to do with the vote last Wednesday at the Governor and Council meeting to implement E-ZPASS in July.

The GACIT (the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Intermodal Transportation) committee is charged with studying and making recommendations to the Governor and Council on various transportation issues. E-ZPASS is one of these issues. The GACIT committee members include the five Executive Councilors and the Commissioner of Transportation, Carol Murray. The governor has a representative at our meetings but does not get a vote. And, of course, all the meetings are noticed and open to the public. We began to meet to work out the details of the E-ZPASS implementation on March 23rd, 2005. The chairman is Councilor Ray Burton from Bath, New Hampshire.

Greetings District 5 Residents!

Spring is here - now, only if the weather would cooperate!!!!

NEWS RELEASE FOR COUNCIL DISTRICT FIVE - FROM EXECUTIVE COUNCILOR DEBORA PIGNATELLI

Items that were passed at The Governor and Executive Council meeting held on May 18, 2005 that might be of interest to the citizens of District Five.

NEWS RELEASE From Debora Pignatelli Executive Councilor DISTRICT 5

Greetings! I hope you are all enjoying the warm and sunny weather we have been having lately.

The Executive Council has been busy. One of our responsibilities is to approve appointments to the many Boards and Commissions in New Hampshire. I have noticed that there are few residents in District 5 being nominated and confirmed.

My sense is that few know about the opportunities to serve. So….if any of you have the time and the interest, I would encourage you to look at the New Hampshire Executive Council Web Site and click on LINKS at the bottom left. On the screen, there will be a heading BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. Click on this and you will see an extensive list of all the Boards and Commissions. If you see one that looks interesting, please call Kathy Goode (271-2121) in the Governor’s office and she will discuss opportunities with you. If you find one that you might like to pursue, please feel free to contact me, as well.

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NEWS RELEASE

From: Debora Pignatelli, Executive Councilor, District 5

Date: March 18, 2005

Telephone: 888-5245
TOKEN ALERT

A bill has passed in the House of Representatives to eliminate tokens for the tollbooths. The 50% discount is in jeopardy.

I am strongly opposed to this measure. We are fortunate to have Senators Foster and Gottesman opposing this, but they need help.

Big changes are coming for the turnpike with the May arrival of EZ Pass.

As an executive Councilor, I have been working for some toll relief for Merrimack residents, who are now New Hampshire’s only community landlocked by tollbooths. Merrimack’s senator, Sheila Roberge, has said that she is opposed to the removal of tokens. I hope she will use her considerable influence in the State Senate to kill this bill.

I also want to protect discounts for Nashua area residents, and the Bill to eliminate tokens jeopardizes both efforts.

Greetings from Debora Pignatelli, District 5 Executive Councilor

I am beginning my third month as a member of the New Hampshire Executive Council. This five person government body is a part of the Executive Branch of government. It is sometimes referred to as the Governor’s Council. We meet every other week in the State House, usually on Wednesday. The Executive Council Chamber is a very large room on the second floor of the State House, right next to the Governor’s office. The governor runs our meetings, but has no vote on the many items we consider.

There have been about 80 to 100 items on our agenda at each of the 5 meetings I have attended so far this year. They range from voting on appointments to the many State Boards and Commissions to approving contracts which the state proposes to enter. These contracts fulfill the policy decisions which our Legislature makes when it passes our state budget. They are contracts to build highways and pave roads, update computers at our many state agencies, clean polluted sites around the state, build laboratories at our Community Technical Colleges and many more.

News Release – from Executive Councilor Debora Pignatelli – District 5

After our latest Governor and Council meeting, I wanted to keep you informed of items approved on the agenda which have specific relevance to towns and cities in our District 5. For those who do not know which towns are in District 5, here is a listing: Amherst, Brookline, Dunbarton, Fitzwilliam, Goffstown, Greenville, Hinsdale, Hollis, Jaffrey, Keene, Lyndeborough, Mason, Merrimack, Milford, Mont Vernon, Nashua, New Boston, New Ipswich, Peterborough, Richmond, Rindge, Sharon, Swanzey, Temple, Troy, Wilton, and Winchester

If you are living in one of these towns or cities, then I am your Executive Councilor. I encourage you to visit my web site to learn more about the Executive Council and its work. My web site is: www.debpignatelli.com

Office of the Adjutant General

#9 Authorize to enter into a sole source agreement with P&L Landscaping of Nashua, , for snowplowing and winter surface treatment services at the Milford and Nashua State Armories at a price not to exceed $5,500. Effective upon G&C approval through April 30, 2005. 99% General, 1% Federal Funds. I didn’t support this item because it was a NO-BID contract. Although the work needs to be done, I would like to see it sent out for competitive bids. This is a relatively small contract and is an example of the reach of the Executive Council. It approves all contracts over $5000.

Have you ever Googled somebody? It's the new national pastime -- a way to check up on somebody before that first date, before you hire them, before you go to work for them.

Turns out it's also a great way to find out about a candidate before you vote!

So that's what I did to find out where Executive Councilor David Wheeler (R-Milford) stands on some issues of concern to me.

Follow along... it's easy and quite revealing... and I'll explain how it works at the end. But for now, just note that Google can be instructed to search only a single website (we'll be limiting our search to the official NH.GOV website) , and it will show you the relevant context around "hits" it finds for selected search phrases - so you can easily see a summary of hundreds of pages of documents on a single screen, without having to wade through each of the results to find the relevant passage.

Before we go on, you'll have to click the "Read More" link below and to the right, to see this entire article and the links. Click it now!

Debora Pignatelli for Executive Council (District 5)

Deb needs people throughout the District (from Nashua to the Vermont border) to hold signs at the polls on Election Day. She also needs help putting mailers together and writing letters to the editor on her behalf.

22 Appletree Green
Nashua 03062
(603) 888-5245
www.debpignatelli.com
Campaign manager: Michael Pignatelli

New Hampshire's state government has a little-known but extremely powerful group of five. It's called the Executive Council. While the intent of this unique form of government is broad representation, the Executive Council has long been influencing state policies and budgets as a Republican-only club. This kind of partisanship is the antithesis of true representation. DFNH endorsed Executive Council candidate Deb Pignatelli to help return the Council to its original mission of offering a check and balance to the Governor. In District One Ray Burton is poised to maintain his 14-year seat unchallenged.

First Round of Candidates Endorsed

The Granite State Conservation Voters Alliance has endorsed its first slate of candidates leading up to the September 14 primary.

DFNH Dozen candidate Deb Pignatelli will be facing one of two Republican opponents in November's election. The Nashua Telegraph reports on the two Republicans vying for the chance to run against Deb. But DFNH provides full coverage on the Democratic candidate.

After serving New Hampshire faithfully for five years in the House and ten years in the Senate, Deb is running for the Executive Council to introduce balance in the currently Republican-only Council. She is running against an opponent beholden to a very conservative ideology and special interests. Deb has successfully worked in a non-partisan way to make New Hampshire a better place, advocating and voting for increasing funding for education, returning state surplus money to cities and towns for property tax relief, establishing anti-stalking laws, funding statewide kindergarten, reforming campaign finance laws, increasing the age for child passenger seat belts, increasing the cigarette tax to deter children from smoking, among many other achievements.

22 Appletree Green
Nashua 03062
(603) 888-5245
www.debpignatelli.com
Campaign manager: Michael Pignatelli