Attorney Wants To Eye Transportation, Other Issues On The Council

CONCORD, NH — Public service is one of the prime motivators for Meredith Hatfield, a Perkins Street resident running for Concord City Council in Ward 4. It runs in her family, she noted. It’s why she studied political science and then went to law school, with a focus on environmental law and policy.

And while it may not seem like it would fit in with a local city council race, in one of the smallest wards, by area, in the city, with all the transportation projects, wastewater, disposal waste, and water issues in the city, an extensive knowledge of environmentalism will be helpful, she noted.

“I think there will a lot of issues where my particular expertise will be useful,” Hatfield said. “But I think also, just being a lawyer, is a good skillset to have on the city council.”

Concern for others could be seen while she was sitting at a picnic table at White Park, speaking about public service. A dog, dragging its leash, ran into the park and headed straight for the pond. The dog dove in and Hatfield walked over and began speaking to it, looking around to see where its owner was. Eventually, a young woman came running into the park, grabbed the dog’s leash, and began walking north.

No longer concerned about the dog’s safety, Hatfield went back to speaking about her extensive experience – “albeit from a different perspective” than the council – with budget processes, structures, but also in the public sector.

Hatfield is also intrigued with ways of expanding engagement with residents who are so busy with their daily lives. She said social media sites and apps can help; but, still, a lot of people were not involved in local issues or even participating in the electoral process during odd election years that involve city council and school races. If elected, Hatfield would like to experiment with different ways of communicating with constituents, to keep them informed. She liked the way some councilors sent out newsletters and had regular meetings. But she would also like to attend other meetings – like local organizations and school board meetings – since the department’s budget is a large chunk of the property taxes.

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Hatfield said she had seen some successes in her neighborhood including the installation of a four-way stop sign at Penacook and Rumford streets and attempting to work with a developer who wanted to build a CVS project where the now vacant Santander Bank is located, at North State and Penacook streets.

“I feel like I have had success, working with my neighbors, getting the planning board, and zoning board, and city council, to listen to us,” she said, “which is gratifying.”

The area, she noted, was very congested and the city needed to be focused on what it allowed in the future. Being a residential area close to an urban transportation area required to have smart development to allow for growth while also understanding neighborhoods border zoned commercial areas. Traffic – like enforcement of speeding – were also something she was concerned about.

Hatfield would also like to be more involved in the I-93 widening project, to ensure that it respects the plans that the city has with the greenway, Storrs Street extension, and other areas.

She would also like to see more work done on the housing issue, which she calls “challenging,” while also working with developers to be “creative” and ensure affordability while also working with existing neighborhoods. Hatfield also thinks that when it comes to development projects, not only the abutters should be informed about projects. Her neighborhood, she noted, had an extensive email list so that they could all communicate with each other.

Ensuring developers worked with neighborhoods and residents would be a plus as well as revamping the city’s master plan which is expected sometime in the future.

“I think there’s tons of opportunities,” she said.

Hatfield is a native of the state, growing up in Mont Vernon, and has lived in Concord about 15 years. She has worked for state agencies, nonprofits, as a lobbyist and attorney, and philanthropy. Hatfield has degrees from UNH, Wellesley College, and the Vermont Law School.

Ward 4 residents go to the polls from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4, 2019, at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Concord on Bradley Street.