Author: Robin Milnes

Having grown up in America’s heartland, one of my fondest childhood memories is of the garden that our family planted every spring. It was huge by New England standards, average by Midwest standards. So many hours of labor and love went into the garden, but the rewards were well worth the effort. Early morning harvests (before the heat got too bad) led to bushels (literally) of tomatoes, green beans, corn, peas, potatoes, onions, lettuce, cabbage and anything else my mom decided to grow that year. After a few hours spent in the morning hauling in the goods, the afternoon’s tasks required my siblings and me to clean and prepare the harvest for my mother to work her magic. She would spend the afternoon canning and freezing the produce to be served and enjoyed in the cold of winter when it tasted every bit as delicious as the day it was harvested.

Today I am a pretend gardener here in New Hampshire. I have a vertical tower that utilizes hydroponics for my summer vegetables. My family loves the tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, and lettuces that our tower produces, but I am just playing at it. There is no canning or mass production going on, no feeding of the masses.

One wonders what type of garden the City of Manchester and Families in Transition (FIT) envisioned when federal funds were spent to purchase property, demolish buildings and address environmental concerns to create the Hollows Community Garden and Learning Center in 2018. According to a recent Union Leader article, the plan was for the garden to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to supplement meals served at Families in Transition Family Place Resource Center and Shelter. A grant funded a part-time garden manager until 2020, when funds were cut. Currently, the lot is vacant and overgrown. FIT is currently requesting permission from city aldermen to develop the land as affordable housing.

No doubt affordable housing will address a much greater need for Manchester than a community garden, and it falls into the wheelhouse of FIT. They have done it many times before and have done it well. Remembering from my Midwest roots what it takes to achieve a meaningful return from a garden, I think FIT is wise to pivot back to their core mission for this parcel of land. Unless there is funding, staff and volunteers, combined with experience and knowledge to drive the project forward, a community garden is doomed to end up exactly where it is today, a vacant and overgrown piece of land.

Some of you will remember the phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid,” that Clinton’s campaign used in 1992 against President George H.W. Bush. This phrase keeps coming to mind while perusing President Biden’s recent rosy assessment of the current economic climate in the United States. In a speech given by President Biden on June 3 in Delaware, he noted, “A recent survey from the Federal Reserve found that more Americans feel financially comfortable than at any time since the survey began in 2013.”

I am curious to see the details that drove those results, given that Americans are facing a myriad of economic issues. Annual inflation hit 8.6% percent in May versus the current 5 percent pace of wage increases. Gas prices have risen above $5 per gallon. The stock market continues to flirt with bear market territory. While low unemployment is good, too much of a good thing can work against the economy. When too low, it creates negative consequences for businesses in reduced productivity and triggers inflation. A tight labor force is exacerbating shortages in the supply chain and impacting the service industry. There is also the war in Ukraine. And, finally, a shortage of baby formula.

While the current administration tends to put the blame for most of these items on either the war, Covid or the prior administration, Politico reported that Treasury Secretary Yellen publicly admitted that the administration got it wrong on inflation. Trying to recover, the Fed announced the biggest rate hike in 28 years, 75 basis points, and indicated a similar increase could be coming in July.

New Hampshire is certainly not immune to what is happening nationally. According to the Union Leader, Liberty Utilities recently filed to double its price per kilowatt hour, and Eversource is expected to follow suit. It’s an election year, and while Gov. Sununu remains popular, five Republican candidates have filed to run against him in the primary. I happen to like Gov. Sununu and think he has done a fine job leading our state through a tumultuous time. However, voters quickly forget the past when it is time to go to the polls and focus on what their current point of pain is. Voters likely won’t accept finger-pointing at Washington for economic woes in New Hampshire. As a reminder, “It’s the economy….”

Just like New England running on Dunkin’, New Hampshire runs on nonprofits. According to the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits, nonprofits generate $11 billion in revenue for New Hampshire and employ 15 percent of our workforce. In our “live free or die” state, nonprofits fill critical needs in lieu of the government and their sizes range from large and complex to quite small. When one of these nonprofits fails, it has a ripple effect throughout the community and state. Such was the case when Lakes Region General Hospital filed for bankruptcy in 2020.

The Attorney General and New Hampshire Charitable Trusts Unit recently released their report of their review to determine whether LRGH’s board had breached its fiduciary duties and whether any insights could be gained from the experience. As is the case with nonprofits in general, the LRGH board of trustees owed fiduciary duties to the hospital considering its purpose. This includes the duty of care, i.e. a duty to be adequately informed when making important decisions for the charity. Breaches of duty of care include lack of attention in overseeing the affairs of the organization, poor decision-making, and waste of assets. The report did not find fault with LRGH’s attention in oversight. However, it did find that in making major decisions the board deferred too much to the recommendations of long-term executives and failed to properly challenge the executives.

The report further notes that nonprofits, like for-profit businesses, sometimes fail. In this case, long-term executives pushed through a capital expansion plan with the board despite warning signs in the local market and national health care trends. While the board was composed of many business leaders and experts in various areas, they deferred to their trusted CEO and CFO. The report concludes with solid advice for trustees of all nonprofit boards including continual training and education, respectfully questioning the CEO and holding the CEO accountable, making sure decisions are consistent with the mission, and consulting with outside experts before making major decisions.

Serving on a nonprofit board can be a rewarding experience, particularly when it fulfills a mission one is passionate about. However, with that service comes responsibility to the nonprofit and the community it serves. Nonprofits are, in fact, businesses in that they must be able to meet their financial obligations. The best decisions are made when input is received from many different perspectives, and this is a hallmark of effective boards. When trustees are not prepared or engaged, and defer to senior management, they fail in their service to that nonprofit.

Fifteen years ago, as a new board member of the Animal Rescue League of NH, I pulled into the parking lot one day and met the sweetest beagle out for a walk. I went home and began negotiating with my husband, anxious for our 2-year-old son to have a canine companion to grow up with. He reminded me we were leaving on vacation. We agreed if the dog was still there when we got back, we could bring it home. The dog was adopted in the interim, but a few weeks later I received a call that he had been returned.

Potter and his sibling had both arrived at the shelter as strays. Their owner had been called but declined to pick them up. The shelter staff estimated Potter’s age as 1 at the time. When I saw Potter’s patience with our curious toddler, I knew he was meant for us. That patience never wavered with our son, nor with the next beagle I brought home, nor with the addition of a Brittany spaniel, and certainly never with our grandchildren.

This is not to say Potter didn’t have his quirks. UPS deliveries were a challenge as he assumed responsibility for judiciously guarding the front door from any drivers of brown trucks. A few years ago I noticed Potter no longer reacted to the sound of the UPS truck, and we soon realized he had gone completely deaf.

As he entered his senior years he slowed down remarkably, spending his days sleeping in his favorite chair, only rising (punctually) for his four meals a day. As one aging issue developed into another, Potter received his very own pill box so we could better manage his medications. We arranged our schedules to accommodate mealtimes and meds. He became increasingly anxious and restless, frequently pacing throughout the night, symptoms of doggie Alzheimer’s.

The past several months, we have struggled with when to let him go. At a recent vet visit, Potter became aggressive with the vet staff. I knew then that it was time, his pain and confusion causing atypical behavior for him. Potter did his job well, and the little boy who grew up with him is now a 17-year-old teenager. I will be forever grateful that he chose us all those years ago to be his forever home. His steadfast love and companionship made our family whole. He has more than held up his end of the deal and it is time to bid him farewell. May you rest in peace, our sweet boy.

It’s a tough time to be in the world of education. Local school boards spend their time addressing parental concerns on critical race theory, mask and vaccine mandates, and in-person versus remote learning. Faculty, staff and administration offer another perspective on these topics. With all the background noise, the purpose of education easily gets overlooked, and many students are struggling in the current dynamic environment. Consider what it must be like for refugee students who have landed in this new world of learning.

Recently I spoke with Riyah Patel, founder of New American Scholars, a New Hampshire-based nonprofit that provides peer-to-peer tutoring and mentorship to refugee students. Riyah started this nonprofit last summer at the age of 15 because she herself had struggled with remote learning, finding it difficult to connect with her instructors and peers. If she was struggling, how difficult must it be for kids who have been forced from their countries and homes, landing here with scant resources?

Riyah reached out to local refugee organizations and inquired about interest in a summer tutoring program for this population. The response was overwhelming. Because she had only one tutor (herself), she limited her services to 10 students. She then connected with the Concord Public Library for space. With her parents’ help on transportation, she was up and running.

The students ranged in age from fifth grade to high school. She grouped the kids based on their skill levels and worked with them Monday through Friday over the course of the summer. Due to cultural and language barriers, combined with the online learning system, the kids felt behind and abandoned by the American school system, yet they were engaged in the tutoring process and wanted to learn and fill in the knowledge gaps. By summer’s end, all students had shown immense progress. Riyah’s vision is to expand and offer services statewide, possibly partnering with schools. Her goal is for this nonprofit to become self-sustaining and carry on for many years to come. The website is up and running (newamericanscholars.org), and she is seeking additional tutors for the coming summer.

Perhaps there is a lesson in this story for the American education system. Sometimes we must cut through the noise and get down to the business of educating students, all of them, creating learning opportunities that meet individual students where they are. There are many ways to do this, and one very passionate and motivated 15-year-old student is leading the way.

Sometimes our strong desire to live free or die gets in the way of common-sense solutions. A case in point is the initial rejection of $27 million in federal funding by our Executive Council to bolster Covid vaccination efforts, with New Hampshire being the only state to reject the funds. The majority of Council members believed that accepting the funds would commit New Hampshire to future federal vaccine mandates. Attorney General Formella had addressed this concern and advised that interpretation was incorrect. His advice was disregarded in the initial vote.

Weeks later, the Council reversed its position, agreeing to accept $22 million of the funding. What drove the change in mindset? A non-binding resolution that accompanied the contract stating that the governor and Council are on record against any federal vaccine mandate. Also included was language changing the state’s immunization registry from “opt-out” to “opt-in.”

NHPR’s Nov. 2 report on vaccination rate discrepancies in New Hampshire signifies the importance of accepting these funds. The CDC, along with other online reporting sites, consistently reports New Hampshire’s vaccination rate as much higher than the state reports on its own site (covid19.nh.gov).

According to DHHS Commissioner Shibinette, the state’s records are missing thousands of doses. She noted this is a result of ending the state of emergency, the rollout of the state vaccine registry system, and the inability to collect Covid-19 data for individuals not presented with the ability to opt out of the system (as required by state law). In a nutshell, the state numbers don’t include doses administered by the pharmacies as they are federal providers and are not required to provide an opt-out option when reporting data to the federal government.

After years of discussion and concerns over privacy issues, New Hampshire was the last state in the nation to approve a statewide immunization registry. Will the $22 million coming to New Hampshire allow us to provide accurate data in this registry? According to the Union Leader, the funding allows for the hiring of 13 full-time and temporary staffers to build out the immunization registry and other vaccine activities.

Accurate data should be what is driving policy and decision making. When Executive Councilors are misinformed, and our data systems are inaccurate, public policy decisions are questioned, and rightfully so. Officials are elected to serve in the best interest of our citizens and our state versus pandering to the vocal few.

Robin Milnes is a small-business owner and advocate with more than 30 years of experience in real estate acquisitions, property management, sales, leasing, budgeting, fiscal oversight, human resources and administration. She can be reached at [email protected].