Portsmouth Democrats Present Green Alliance with Jim Horrigan Community Service Award

Election season is upon us and the Portsmouth Democrats are bringing the community together for one of their biggest social events of the year.

At their 10^th Annual Banquet on September 28^th at the Portsmouth Harbor Events and Conference Center, local Democrats will have the opportunity to discuss politics with each other, to meet with many of their candidates that will be on the November 6^th general election ballot, and to enjoy a delicious meal with a a cash bar that offers a variety of beer and wine, as well as a signature “Blue Hawaiian” drink (in honor of our president). Attendees will also welcome a surrogate speaker for President Obama as their Special Guest.

“This banquet serves as a fund-raiser for our local committee,” says Laurie McCray, the 1^st Vice Chair of the Portsmouth Democrats, “and it also gives voters and candidates the opportunity to get together in a social setting.”

McCray adds, “The banquet is also a great opportunity to recognize and applaud the work of our community awards recipients.” The Portsmouth Democrats will present three awards this year. They are the Distinguished Democrat Award, the Chairman's Community Leadership Award, and the Jim Horrigan Community Service Award. This year the Jim Horrigan Award will be presented to the Green Alliance, a union of local sustainable businesses promoting eco-friendly business practices, and a green co-op offering discounted green products and services to its members

The Jim Horrigan Award came to fruition last year. The award was named after the late James O. Horrigan, who was a professor of Accounting and Finance at the University of New Hampshire. As a state representative for Durham, Lee, and Madbury back in the 1970s, Horrigan was a supporter of many bills regarding the use of alternate energy sources.

“He was a very environmentally conscious person,” says McCray, “and it's part of what made him an interesting citizen, and also a great friend.”

The award is given to people or businesses that have done things to improve the city and to educate the locals. Last year, the first recipient of the award was J. Dennis Robinson, who is the editor and owner of the popular website, SeacoastNH.com. Robinson has written extensively on the Portsmouth region, has published many books and more than a thousand articles of the history and culture of the seacoast.

This year, the Green Alliance is receiving the award for advocating and publicizing ways in which businesses, large and small, can operate using green practices. They give companies insight on the ways they can save on energy costs as well as reduce their carbon footprint.

“The reason we're fighting so hard to push this idea is because we are part of the community as is every one of our business partners,” says Sarah Brown, the owner and director of the Green Alliance, “It's very important for us to care about this huge thing that we are apart of. We felt this drive to contribute something that we believe is beneficial for everyone.”

The Portsmouth Democrats and the Green Alliance have very similar goals, and there are many links that connect these two groups together. But there is one goal in particular that both of these groups are trying to achieve: to raise awareness about the ways that we can better our community.

“We wanted to give the award to the Green Alliance because we know that Jim would have supported it,” says McCray, “I'm very happy, as his friend, to have this award to immortalize him and to preserve his memory.”

For more information on the Portsmouth Democrats, visit http://www.portsmouthdemocrats.org/

For more information on the Green Alliance, visit www.greenalliance.biz