SOS files with State

SOS has officially filed with the Board of Elections as a Ballot Advocate. If you would like to support our campaign efforts, SOS will be accepting donations through PayPal. These monies will be used 100% for ballot advocacy to include flyers and advertisements. Your help will assist us in getting information to Portsmouth voters. Thanks!

Election Set for October 5th!

The Referendum Election has been set for October 5th. This date will allow for absentee ballots to be available from September 15th until October 4th. I want to thank Madeleine Pencak and everyone in the Canvassers Office for all their hard work. And, I want to thank Kathy Viera-Beaudoin and the Clerk's office for their assistance. Both these departments were incredibly supportive.

Students should visit the Canvassers Office before they head-out for school and sign-up to receive an absentee ballot. Emergency ballots will also be available up to the election.

Referendum Petition Signatures top 2,000

On Tuesday morning we will present over 2,000 signatures to the Town Clerk supporting our referendum petition to provide our schools with an increase of $765,301. The Clerk will formally accept the signature pages on behalf of the Town and the Canvassers Office will have two weeks to certify 1,294 of these signatures (the required minimum). Once certified, the Clerk shall call an all-day election on a Tuesday no less than 35 days or more than 45 days from certification. This would mean the earliest scheduled election would be September 28th or more probable October 4th.

Thanks goes to all the canvassers who assisted at the successful Sign & Drive and Transfer Station, walked neighborhoods, and brought petitions to friends and family. We had over forty volunteers who I simply can't thank enough! I want to personnally thank John McDaid, Jim Seveney, Dennis Canario, and Len Katzman for their leadership and support during the campaign. These gentlemen deserve a great deal of credit for our success. And, of course, thank you to everyone who took time out to sign!

In the weeks ahead you will hear a positive campaign about the value our system delivers daily for our kids and the Portsmouth community. We will speak of the investment in core educational services and what that means for the average taxpayer. We listened to all residents these past 10 days and we will build an information campaign to best educate the voters by October 4th.

RESULTS TO BE ANNOUNCED MONDAY

Referendum petition results will be announced on Monday. I want to thank all the volunteers who have been on the pavement this past week. We are counting twice and reviewing the forms this evening. Stay tuned...

Where to find us Saturday

The petition will be at the Transfer Station from 7:30, Sandy Point Beach from 9:00, we will be in the Elmtree area and Island Park after 4:00. Thank you Portsmouth for your support!

400 to GO!!

I passionately believe we are building our future, building an open and supportive educational environment for Portsmouth. This referendum will put the negative in our rear view mirror, and put an end to the attacks on our system. Am I naive? Together we can change the debate putting the PCC, the Tea Tottlers, and those who wish to paint us broadly into the background. How? We stand together. We take one positive step at a time. We speak openly. We engage the very silent majority. We honestly can do this, if we do it together. Join me in making this referendum the first positive step.

Thank you, I am proud to supPORT SCHOOLS!

500 to GO!!!

We are well on our way!!! Thank you everyone who is volunteering and everyone who is signing! This is the hardest 500 signatures, the last 1/3. Let's really step up our game and bring this referendum successfully home. We will be up at the High School this afternoon from 4-7, at the Transfer Station from 7:00 tomorrow morning, at Sandy Point Beach from about 8:30 tomorrow, and in your neighborhood! Lets double our effort!

This morning someone from the schools came out to thank me for all our efforts. He expressed how much they all care about the kids in our schools and how they have not sought raises. He reiterated what I know very well, the schools simply do not have extra anything. I, too, thanked him and expressed what I believe we all feel - Portsmouth has the best administrators, teachers and staff. It is an honor to support this group!