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From left, Deanna S. Rollo, George Maglaras. and Robert .J Watson. (Courtesy photos)
To the editor:
We used to think that Representative Cliff Newton's (R) previous letters to the editor printed in the Rochester Voice were as a result of him not understanding the information that the county has publicized in the 25
Commissioners' public meetings held to discuss the replacement nursing home for the aging and physically inadequate Riverside Rest Home.
Despite these problems the care provided at Riverside Rest Home is excellent as displayed in recent State inspections. But the deficient physical layout of the current Riverside Rest Home translates to inefficient use of staff and other costs to compensate.
We have now learned that Rep. Newton has a motive for his condescending inaccurate letters. He has worked with his fellow Republicans to carve out a geographical section of Strafford County which makes it easier for him to get elected as a County Commissioner. When he testified on the bill to carve Strafford County into districts, he stated this was his first time testifying on legislation, despite being in the legislature for six years.
Great self-serving representation.
Now we understand he is simply preparing his platform for election by lying in letters to the editor. This is despite providing Rep. Newton with over 1,000 pages of requested information on the project. You will notice
that his false claims regarding plans for a replacement Riverside Rest Home offer no solutions. One of the oldest tricks in the election manual is to blame others without offering solutions.
There were several votes on constructing a new Riverside Rest Home in all of which he voted no. We lost the $15+ million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grants due to his "no" vote. In fact, Rep. Len Turcotte (R) stated he did not care about the 15+ million-dollar grant as he felt the nursing home could be built for less than the $139,000,000. Rep. Newton's claim of a $200,000,000 cost for a replacement nursing home was never proposed, he just made up that number.
During the Dec. 20, 2023, Delegation meeting Rep. David Bickford (R) offered an "olive branch" motion to establish an aggressive schedule of meetings to try and establish a compromise and save the $15 million in ARPA funding for the project. Rep. Newton immediately called for a caucus of Republicans who upon return apparently convinced Rep. Bickford to withdraw his motion as the Republicans did not support it. There were
assurances from Rep. Kelley Potenza (R) that we could still get the ARPA funds. Rep. Bickford was rewarded for his efforts with opposition in the Republican primary.
A further meeting was scheduled for Jan. 22 and the entire plan with modifications was reviewed in a workshop. Rep. Turcotte stated it was a waste of time.
The Strafford County Commissioners have offered to meet with the Republican Caucus, but they responded with unacceptable terms where they want the meeting to cover other subjects at their discretion. This is similar to the action the House and Senate Republicans took when they split the County into districts disenfranchising 90,000 voters.
We respect Rep. Newton's right to run for office and can only hope he does it by proposing honest ideas instead of false claims that meet his narrow political agenda.
- Strafford County Commissioers,
George Maglaras. Chairman
Robert .J Watson. Vice Chairman
Deanna S. Rollo, Clerk
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