To the editor:

The Town Council recently had a meeting during which they discussed the future of the transfer station. On Oct. 20, 2020, the Portsmouth Times published a letter to the editor by Larry Fitzmorris. This letter is a response to that letter. 

Mr. Fitzmorris’s letter began with: “Despite numerous denials, the (council’s) intent was to close the facility.” I am curious to know how Larry is able to confidentially pear into the minds and know for absolutely certain the true intents of members of the council.

Mr. Fitzmorris correctly notes that if the council took no action at their recent meeting the transfer station would close on June 30, 2023. Larry goes on to state, “The council did vote to extend the station’s operating contract for one year, but that was only to allow further study of the curbside options.” 

This is not true. A simple viewing of the video of the meeting shows that the council wanted to keep the facility open. In fact, the first council proposal was to keep the facility open for three years — but that would require sending the contact out to competitive bidding. In addition, Mr. Fitzmorris disdains “allowing further study.” Apparently, he would prefer that the council make an instant snap decision instead of allowing for further study and consideration of the matter. 

Mr. Fitzmorris says he doesn’t trust the projected costs of maintaining the facility. If he has his own figures regarding the projected costs, he should publish them.

Mr. Fitzmorris tells us that requests from residents to keep the facility open “fell on deaf ears … The council is clearly determined to force people to do what the council believes they should.” One could just as easily say that the PCC wants to force people to do whatever the PCC wants them to do.

Mr. Fitzmorris signed his letter as “President, Portsmouth Concerned Citizens.” The “PCC” has often been referred to by journalists as “a taxpayer watchdog group” a name that implies membership that is open to Portsmouth taxpayers. In fact, the PCC is a private corporation that does not make its membership known. The PCC has a demonstrated history of not being an organization open to just any taxpaying “concerned citizen.” 

Mark J. Katzman

President, Portsmouth Free Citizens (PFC)

78 Mail Coach Road

Portsmouth

Editor’s note: In a followup e-mail, Mr. Katzman stated that Portsmouth Free Citizens is an organization that is just as “real” as the PCC. “We have a number of members. We are a taxpayer watchdog group,” he stated.