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Publisher's Note: Courage under fire
By Jody Reese
Eight principled Manchester aldermen have stopped Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta’s plan to squeeze an important tax cap vote into the partisan presidential election this November.
Guinta is the head of NH Advantage, a statewide group trying to make New Hampshire the Alabama of the north. Sure that’s a bit unfair, but the reality is that our schools, police and fire are already poorly funded and to take more money away would severely damage these important services. Guinta’s plan is to pass tax caps in Manchester, Concord and Rochester.
Now, a separate date will be chosen or it will be rolled into a city vote next year, though Guinta is suing to have it put on the November ballot.
Giving the tax cap vote its own day seems appropriate given how important this vote will be to the future of Manchester and Concord. And really, what’s Guinta afraid of?
If people want the tax cap, they’ll vote for it regardless of the date. By moving off the November ballot, both sides will have the time to discuss the issue with voters without the rancor of a presidential election. It seems quite reasonable.
Why Glendi has grown
Plenty of great festivals crowd local calendars all year round, but this weekend has one that deserves your attention: Glendi, the annual three-day celebration of Greek culture and heritage put on by St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Manchester.
Over the last three decades, Glendi has grown from a modest church festival into one of the region’s big events. Each year, tens of thousands of people from all over make the journey to Manchester to have a good Greek-flavored time.
Bigger isn’t always better, of course. But in the case of Glendi, the festival’s popularity is a result of organizers’ doing things right time after time.
For starters, they work at it year round. As soon as one Glendi is over, they’re laying the groundwork for the next one: logistics, planning, fundraising and so on. It doesn’t happen overnight.
And also, they go out of their way to make everyone feel welcome. That’s shown in details such as each year’s menu: instead of just offering “Pastichio,” they explain it as “layers of macaroni and meat laced with a creamy cheese sauce.”
And I think the secret ingredient is that the people who organize Glendi are genuinely proud of their Greek heritage, eager to celebrate it, and happy to share it with anyone who wants to join them.
An attitude like that makes for one heck of a party. And who doesn’t want to attend that?
So I hope to see you at this year’s Glendi, which runs Friday through Sunday, Sept. 12-14 at the St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 650 Hanover St., Manchester.
Now that I know what’s in pastichio, I’d like to try it. And at Glendi, I can also learn how to pronounce it..
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