Conflict of Interests - Reject Board of Public Works Candidate Paul Shea

On November 2nd Nashua will elect TWO Board of Public Works Commissioners.   THREE of the FOUR candidate have no conflict of interest.    Candidate Paul Shea has several apparent conflicts of interest.

Mr. Shea is the director of the small 501(c)(3) Great American Downtown (GAD).    He is one of GAD’s three paid employees. The Mayor proposed $50,000 for GAD in Nashua FY2022 budget (line 56221, p23).   The Mayor chairs the Board of Public Works.  Given GAD’s need for city funding, Mr. Shea depends on the Mayor’s good will.

The Department of Public Works (DPW) is responsible for many downtown projects (sidewalks, dining barriers, snow removal, maintenance of streets and trees).   DPW  is called upon to support many GAD events. Even with common interests, there may be gaps between GAD goals and DPW resources.  Hence the question: if/when such GAD/DPW conflicts arise, which interests will Mr. Shea serve?   

 In support of past downtown events Mr. Shea has indirectly interacted with DPW via work requests.   The Board is directly responsible for “the overall direction and performance” of the DPW.  If he were elected, confusion on his role and responsibilities could result in misunderstandings and personnel grievances.       

A member of any City Board should be independent and act in the best interests of the citizens.     As long as GAD is funded by the City and Mr. Shea is beholden to the Mayor, don’t vote for a rubber-stamp. Reject Mr. Shea’s conflicted candidacy and vote for any TWO among the other THREE candidates.