By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – A young mother who pleaded with the Executive Council for a rare pardon on four felonies saying she cannot find daytime work with benefits to support her boys or even chaperone their field trips got her wish Wednesday.
By a unanimous vote, Amy Johnson, 36, of Kingston, received a pardon for four felonies from the state’s Executive Council.
Her lawyer, Don Blaszka of Derry said: “On behalf of Amy Johnson, I would like to thank Governor Sununu and the Executive Councilors for granting Amy’s petition for a pardon. We appreciate the time that they took to consider her petition and her testimony during the hearing.”
He also thanked Kingston Police Chief Donald Briggs “for his kind and thoughtful testimony about Amy’s life before and after her convictions.”
A public hearing on Johnson, who served more than a year in jail for hindering apprehension, accomplice to witness tampering, conspiracy to witness tampering, and falsifying physical evidence was held last week. Johnson was not eligible for an annulment because some of the crimes aren’t in the annulment statute, Attorney General Gordon MacDonald said.
The Rockingham County Attorney’s office did not take a position on her request. But Kingston Police Chief Briggs said the request should be granted because Johnson deserves a fresh start and has been a model citizen since getting out of jail many years ago.
The councilors did not discuss their reasons for their vote but all agreed.
The last time the executive council even entertained a pardon request was in April 2019 for Alain T. Ata of Manchester, a Lebanese immigrant who said he was facing imminent deportation because he was a convicted felon. The Council rejected the request and Ata has not been deported.
Billing for COVID-19 Tests
Councilor Andru Volinski, D-Concord, who is also a candidate for governor, told the Council about a constituent who was charged a co-pay for a COVID-19 test when she was not seen by a physician. He said it was his understanding the state had a no-bid contract with ConvenientMD for COVID-19 tests to provide for public testing with no billing to the individual.
This was not the case for a constituent who went to get a test without having symptoms because she was anticipating travel. He said she was not seen by a physician but received a throat swab from a nurse. She received a bill with $185 going to the state under her insurance and $30 for a co-pay.
Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette said she would like to get the name of the individual and follow up with ConvenientMD as that was not supposed to happen and she should be reimbursed for the $30 co-pay.
“Who is supervising this?” Volinsky asked. “How does the general public know that? It says on the bill it is due upon receipt. How does the general public know” that they do not need to pay that?
Shibinette said: “I have announced it at least a couple of times at press conferences” and urged anyone with an issue to dial 2-1-1. “It wasn’t just this company,” Shibinette said.
She said companies in some cases haven’t updated their systems for COVID-19 free testing.
Nominations
In addition to voting to support Gov. Chris Sununu’s nomination of Scott Mason of Stratford to be the new executive director of the state Fish and Game Department on a vote of 3-1 with Volinsky abstaining, the Council approved the nomination of Lindsey Courtney to be the new director of the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification. She has been acting director.
See Mason story here: https://indepthnh.org/2020/08/05/council-confirms-scott-mason-to-head-fish-and-game/
Sununu also nominated Patrick D. Hackley as director of the New Hampshire Division of Forest and Lands. Hackley is currently the associate director for land conservation at The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire.
If approved by the Executive Council, he will replace acting director William Guinn.
Lottery Lease
The Council also discussed a five-year lease for the Lottery Commission off Regional Drive in the Concord Heights for 2,360 square feet for $279,959. This new spaces is needed because of new hires for the commission and the addition of legalized online betting.
Federal Limitations
New Hampshire has a rule that the federal government cannot own more than 2 percent of the state’s landmass and no more than 5 percent of the assessed value in any given town or city.
The exception to that rule is the White Mountain National Forest, more than 700,000 acres in size, which in some communities represents 90 percent or more of the town and does not pay taxes.
A periodic report of federal land holdings is also required by law and any new federal acquisitions and a report was issued Wednesday to the Governor and Executive Council showing that .54 percent of the state’s 5.7 million acres is owned by the feds.
Eighteen towns also have parcels in federal ownership but only Greenfield, with 4.7 percent of its assessed land value, comes near the 5 percent threshold. Lyme is next with 1.3 percent.
The other communities with federal land holdings include Columbia, Jefferson, Temple, Carroll, Cornish, Dorchester, Errol, Hanover, Litchfield, Newington, Orford, Piermont, Shelburne, Wentworth, and Whitefield.
The law “limitations on rights to acquire,” RSA 121:6-a “report of federal land holdings” was conducted by the state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources on July 9.
Sabbow & Co.
A public hearing was held and the Executive Council approved more than $6.5 million in loan guarantees, a mortgage, and working capital for a manufacturing company that makes concrete forms and granite moldings in Concord and Littleton which currently employ 82 people.
The Business Finance Authority recommended the package for Sabbow & Co, Inc. noting that the manufacturing company hopes to expand its operations and increase the number of employees.
Social Justice Manchester
To help better understand gang violence in Manchester, the Council voted to authorize a subgrant with the Manchester Police Department for $94,729 from the Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, Project Safe Neighborhood for the purpose of social network analysis.
A Manchester police sergeant was asked by Councilor Volinsky about racial profiling and implicit bias training and issues related to the state’s efforts to improve community policing.
He was told this contract would be sensitive to that and is aimed at gangs and retaliatory activities and bring in community partners together to help reduce violent crime.
Volinsky also asked about an advanced video Virtra simulator used in police training at Police Standards and Training whether it could also be used for implicit bias training.