This is the official DO NOT re-elect Ken Smith for Portsmouth City Council website.
I, and other residents, believe that Portsmouth City Councilor Ken Smith made false statements during a March 16, 2009, City Hall meeting to silence residents that objected to his pet project with our tax dollars - the new parking meters. In my opinion, and many other residents agree with me, Smith's false comments were engineered to avoid the public derailing the City's implementation of the new electronic parking meters - his pet project that costs residents hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars.
During the March 16, 2009, Portsmouth City Council meeting, after public input was over regarding the CIP, Ken Smith made a statement that the use of the City's free Wi-Fi network and Wi-Fi capabilities of the new parking meters was never considered, and said that any claims by citizens that the City was considering the use of the Wi-Fi to be "misinformation." As the Portsmouth Herald reports (click here for story) on March 19, 2009, about Smith's comments, "...when asked by the Herald in February if that was the long-term plan [to use the Wi-Fi for the meters], parking manager John Frederick said it was." So was City Councilor Ken Smith lying?
In fact, in a document prepared by Parking Manager Frederick well before the March 16th meeting, Frederick writes on the bottom of page 1 "IT Department and Cale are working in concert to make our meters wireless capable. This capability would significantly reduce online processing costs." - Click here to view that document in PDF (that note is on the bottom of page 1, Note 2). As the Chairman of the Parking Committee, and as his pet project, Councilor Ken Smith had to be aware of this information prior to the March 16th City Council meeting. So I ask again, did Councilor Ken Smith lie during the March 16th City Council meeting? You be the judge, but many people have told me that the answer is pretty obvious.
Ken Smith's comments were in response to citizen concerns over possible credit card data being stolen over the City's Wi-Fi network, and how security experts warn against using the Wi-Fi network for this type of transaction. As the Herald points out, the City's Parking Manager, John Frederick, contradicts the statements that Smith made, and acknowledged that the long term plan was to use the free Wi-Fi network to transmit credit card data through the air.
So big deal, right? Wrong! This is a very big deal, and Smith should be held accountable for his actions against the citizens he is sworn to represent. City Councilor Ken Smith either lied up on the bench at a City Council meeting, or he's unaware of what is happening as the Chairman of the Parking Commission, and with his pet project. Three weeks prior to the March 16th City Council meeting, in a February 22, 2009, opt-ed to the Herald, Ken Smith appears to be an expert on the new parking meters and comments how the City will benefit from them (click here for the story). So I, and other residents, find it unlikely that Smith did not know about the Wi-Fi being considered, which would suggest that he lied during the City Council meeting on March 16th.
It is my belief, and that of other residents, that Portsmouth City Council members should be held to high standards, as they are the stewards of our city. They should not make false statements to further their own causes, and they shouldn't do so to dismiss facts and concerns from citizens of Portsmouth. And in cases such as this, the City Councilor should apologize to the citizens of Portsmouth. But if Councilor Ken Smith apologized, he would have: 1) admitted to lying; or 2) admitted to not knowing about a key element of his new meters.
With Ken Smith's personal gift store business, Maine-ly New Hampshire, roughly tripling in physical store size during the recession, and with Smith making up false statements, I requested that the NH Attorney General investigate whether or not Smith was financially benefiting from the parking meter company, Cale Systems. To view my complaints against Smith (Click here for complaint 1; Click here for complaint 2) to the NH AG. I spoke in length with the detective at the Attorney General's office who was reviewing the case. Unfortunately, they couldn't ask for a court order to investigate Smith's financial records without more hard evidence. However, they said if something comes up, then let them know and they will continue with the investigation.
In this case, Smith has yet to apologize to me or the other residents of Portsmouth. To the contrary, one of his friends erected one of Smith's "billboard" signs on his lawn, across the street from me. Maybe it's coincidence, or maybe Smith has the sign on his yard as his way of getting back at me for jeopardizing his pet project, as some other residents have suggested. Regardless, I live on a street of about 20 homes, it's not a throughway, and my front door is about 100 feet from the neighbor across the street. So now I have to look at this 6 foot by 5 foot billboard sign glaring at my house. Drivers on my street, all 20 of them per day, can barely make out the sign, but for me it works like a solar reflecting dish. Hey, I was ok with the small, normal sign on their lawn, but this large billboard pointing at me is obnoxious, and typical of how Smith is known to operate - don't cross him, or this might happen to you. 
Here's a view driving down my street (below). Notice the big yellow sign on the right, facing my house, and how it appears to be for "my benefit" rather than those people driving down our quiet street.
I asked the neighbor to remove the sign on October 18th. It came down for a few days, but when I asked his kid not to cut through my yard to play with guns in the woods behind my house, the sign went right back up. I've since asked Smith to remove the sign, but by the tone of his voice, I don't expect him to take it down. Sounds like a bully to me.
I ask that you join with me, and a growing group of concerned Portsmouth citizens, in NOT VOTING for Ken Smith. Show Smith that the citizens of Portsmouth do not tolerate mistruths from our elected officials!
Sincerely,
Erik Crago
Portsmouth, NH
Ken Smith can be reached at his business, Maine-ly New Hampshire at 22 Deer Street in Portsmouth, NH, or by phone at work at (603) 422-9500 or at home at (603) 433-3148.
DO NOT re-elect Ken Smith Portsmouth, NH City Council!
