HB1193

I strongly OPPOSE HB 1193. For many years, Bruce Cheney exercised unchecked control over New Hampshire’s Bureau of Emergency Communications 911, managing the agency in a manner that was widely regarded as authoritarian and harmful. By the end of his tenure, conditions within the Bureau had deteriorated so severely that the Safety Commissioner’s Office dispatched an assistant director to investigate operations due to significant concerns about mismanagement. Under his leadership, employee morale reached an all-time low. There was a federal labor investigation related to falsified timecards, resulting in employees not being paid accurately or fairly. The work environment was characterized by intimidation and an “iron-fist” management style, which undermined professionalism, accountability, and trust. This history demonstrates the risks of concentrating excessive authority within the Bureau. HB 1193 moves New Hampshire in the wrong direction by opening the door to similar abuses of power. We should be strengthening transparency, oversight, and protections for employees, not repeating past mistakes that harmed both workers and public safety. If the legislature wishes to honor New Hampshire’s 911 system, that honor should be rooted in service and sacrifice, not authority or control. The name placed on this building should remind us of the men and women who answered the call to protect others and never made it home. New Hampshire’s emergency communications system exists because of their courage, selflessness, and duty. Dedicating the new 911 center to a fallen New Hampshire public safety professional would ensure that legacy is remembered every time a call for help is answered, and would reflect the true values this system was created to serve. He treated the 911 call takers like garbage - not knowing any of them and never spending time in the center but piling on rule after rule after rule to make the call center insufferable. I am sure if you interviewed 911 employees both current and past that worked under Cheney, they would oppose this. If you’re going to name the facility after someone, it would be better named after someone who has given their life for the state. A fallen member of public safety maybe? Not someone who has a questionable career, who was asked to leave at the end.

Position recorded without written comment.