Leonard Witt: A democratic way to spend our tax dollars

To The Daily Sun,

Recently Democratic Congressman Chris Pappas’ officer solicited applications for federal Community Project Funding grants. The Town of Sandwich filed a request for broadband support and the Community School in Tamworth requested funding to permanently sustain its pandemic response program of serving fully prepared meals by donation for those whose lives were altered by the pandemic.

As part of the application process, citizens were invited to write comments addressing project efficacy. The House Appropriations Committee is explicit: “Only projects with demonstrated community support will be considered.”

Across Rep. Pappas’ Congressional district more than 265 towns and organizations have filed applications and requested constituency comments. In Laconia, for example, requests were submitted to fund police, healthcare, Weirs Beach and fire department needs and projects.

Less than five percent of these requests will get funded, yet the transparency and citizen involvement remind us of how a democracy should work, especially compared to the past presidential administration’s approach. A significant chunk of that administration’s pandemic relief went directly to Gov. Chris Sununu’s office. He has had complete power over its distribution. That complete power reflected the reward your friends, punish your enemies mindset of the previous presidential administration.

In March, The Concord Monitor reported, “Recently disclosed state contracts show that Sununu has authorized several no-bid, retroactive deals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to political benefactors, without the traditional outside approval. Sununu included the contracts on the Executive Council’s agenda this week, but simply as ‘informational items,’ and not requiring the standard up-or-down vote from the five-member council.”

Even his own party members are trying to reign in his emergency power, which would end his autocratic control over pandemic-related federal funds allocations in New Hampshire. Sununu is resisting their attempts to reduce his unilateral powers as he did with Democrats when they were the state’s legislative majority party.

All of us, Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians should demand adherence to and expansion of this Biden/Pappas approach, where each of us have a say in how our hard-earned tax dollars are spent.

Leonard Witt

Sandwich