O P I N I O N
THE SOAPBOX
Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.
Hi, I’m Woody Bearelson. I’m a wood bear that has the unique advantage of not having a human brain or heart. It helps me understand some of the people in Manchester and the decisions they make. This past week it helped me understand some of the alderman who perhaps share my affliction of being brainless and heartless.
This week, not having a brain or heart helps me understand why aldermen Kantor, Barry, Thomas, O’Neil, Terrio, and Sapienza are willing to sell out so many small business owners for the benefit of a very few (literally, a few—as in two.)
I haven’t been this confused since Ayotte and the co-owner of Bonfire actively told Granite Staters not to engage in commerce in Manchester.
It seems I must ask again why our leaders don’t understand how commerce works or how to help the business community.
Recently, 97% of the Downtown Collective of Business Owners supported a move that would set Manchester up to be more social. They want to see Hanover Street evolve and they want to see said evolution sprawl across the downtown sector. The small business owners want enhancements to benefit the people who visit and spend their money with them. They want more outdoor seating, more foot traffic, and more good times. It seems Kantor, Barry, O’Neil, Thomas, Terrio, and Sapienza want us to have bad times and to keep struggling.
This brings up larger questions that beg to be answered. If such an overwhelming number of business owners support this, how could it be derailed by only two business owners? I do not understand math as a wooden bear, but 97% seems like a much bigger number than 3%. Maybe aldermen Kantor, O’Neil, Thomas, Sapienza, Barry, and Terrio can’t do math in addition to being ineffective listeners. Should the 97% of us find new homes? Can the 3% they’re supporting make downtown what it is on their own?
As a wooden bear, I also can’t tell time. These plans and meetings have been in motion for months. How come all the small business owners had to pay attention the entire time, but The Palace and Bravo didn’t? Maybe those business owners don’t understand time either? Obviously, said aldermen do not understand time or they would have been able to tell the two business owners that the time has passed to squash this. They were sleeping and they’ve missed the bus.
It draws into question how things really work in our city. It makes me question if Kantor, Barry, Thomas, O’Neil, Terrio and Sapienza are even pro-business at all. it makes you wonder why they’d choose to be enemies to so many and friends to so few. You might wonder things like, are they on the take? Maybe they owe some favors? Maybe they simply don’t care about the next generation of business owners? It’s shortsighted at best, downright corrupted at worst.
These are the questions you have to ask when only two people can derail enhancement for an entire street and dozens of small business owners who are working their human butts off every day to stay ahead of energy costs, insurance costs, and increases to their inventories. All things aldermen don’t help with as it is, so it is curious to see them throw another wrench at small business.
As a wooden bear without a brain or heart I have a hard time understanding nuances. To me, I can only call them as I see them. Voting against 97% of downtown businesses at the zero-hour after months of discussion seems … corrupt. Is that the word? Maybe not corrupt — biased? Dishonest? Unprincipled? Underhanded? Bribable? Unethical? I don’t know. Wait, actually I do know. It’s shameful. That’s the word!
- Shame on Kantor
- Shame on O’Neil
- Shame on Thomas
- Shame on Barry
- Shame on Sapienza
- Shame on Terrio.
As a wooden bear I don’t have money because we believe in a bear-based barter system, but if you tell me how much it costs to sell out the small business community, maybe I can ask my owner to crowdfund the scratch to buy your ears, brains, and hearts and outbid The Palace and Bravo.
Thoughtfully (I think),
Woody Bearelson
*Woody Bearelson (nom de plume) sees things and hears things while hanging out in Manchester. He may or may not be a wooden bear.
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