Byron Matto for Portsmouth

Relationships are built on trust. This is true of familial and professional relationships alike. The most critical reason for this is because for the relationship to function communication must be taken at face value. That is when a party in the relationship asserts a truth, or an intention, the other party can trust they are earnest in their intention. When this trust breaks down the capacity for progress is greatly diminished. For example when a party makes a statement like “I am all for X…” and subsequently attempts to undercut X with process or technicalities. This is all too common in modern politics. It allows for a dissenting party to dissent without formulating a good faith argument. We must hold to account those in public office for bad faith deliberations and actions. 

My Wife and I bought our 2 bedroom ranch in 2013 for $275k. At the time our kids shared a room and the ceiling was made of canvas, but it was what we could afford. I shudder to think what 2013 me would think about trying to buy a house in today’s market. $275k in 2013 was the median home price in Rockingham county. In 2021 the median home price is $500k. Rental prices unsurprisingly have followed a similar trend. Going from ~$1500/mo in 2014 to ~$2500/mo in 2021.

March 2020 was the month Covid got real for many of us. I remember office memos about our Cambridge headquarters closing up. The Portsmouth office was days later. Then shuttering of businesses, parks, and our day to day lives. The uncertainty was at times all-consuming. Information was muddled, and the disinformation was just ramping up.

In November 2019, about a third of Portsmouth’s registered voters elected a drastically different City Council.