OPINION
THE SOAPBOX
Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.
Every Manchester resident knows that the heroin and opioid crisis is the most serious challenge facing our city and our state. The crisis requires a response from local and state officials that can provide real solutions and help save lives. That’s why I was so troubled to hear Mayor Ted Gatsas choose to launch politically motivated attacks on Governor Maggie Hassan rather than join constructive efforts to combat this crisis.
In what the Mayor himself acknowledged was nothing more than a measure to get media attention, he is now pushing for a 21-day State of Emergency to be called to raise public awareness of this important issue. The notion that we can solve this crisis by increasing public awareness at a time when families across our city know far too well about its devastating toll is absurd. Empty rhetoric in the face of a state-wide health crisis does nothing but put more people at risk.
This crisis cannot be solved by public relations stunts, and it cannot be solved by launching politically motivated attacks. What this crisis requires is bipartisan collaboration to build consensus and the allocation of resources it will take to save lives. Governor Hassan knows this, and she has worked tirelessly to confront this challenge head-on. Meanwhile, Mayor Gatsas is focused on getting on TV to launch partisan attacks in an attempt to distract from the fact that he hasn’t put any real solutions on the table. Perhaps he is motivated by his nascent gubernatorial bid, but his repeated attempts to politicize this crisis do nothing but harm our city’s efforts to actually find solutions.
Mayor Gatsas should be reaching out to and seeking help from those in the state legislature who have been reluctant to commit additional resources and pass the necessary funding measures that will help combat this epidemic and save lives. Mayor Gatsas should be advocating for the re-authorization of the state’s bipartisan Medicaid expansion plan. Mayor Gatsas should be pushing the legislature to pass the additional measures to combat this crisis that the Governor laid out in her comprehensive legislative proposal.
If Mayor Gatsas is serious about tackling these challenges, then he should work with Governor Hassan, and offer real solutions rather than launch publicity stunts. I can assure the Mayor that the people of Manchester are well aware of the toll this crisis is taking, and rather than just empty words, we need real action and resources.
Beg to differ? Agree to disagree? Your opinion matters. Send your submissions to robidouxnews@gmail.com, subject line: The Soapox.
Joyce Craig is a former School Board member, Alderman and candidate for Mayor. Born and raised in Manchester, she is a Property Manager and mother of three children in Manchester public schools.
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