Tonight's meeting of the Portsmouth Town Council was anticlimactic for those interested in the School Committee vacancy: the Council voted to table until the position could be advertised, setting a deadline of May 4. But there were some fireworks around an apparently innocuous item, a proclamation making April "Fair Housing Month."

Former Councilor Bill West asked to speak to the item, and brought up last week's Wastewater workshop. "Someone got up to say that people in Providence wanted to have low income housing in Portsmouth, and that sewers would bring low-to-moderate income housing. The room applauded, but I heard nothing from the Council," said West. "How can the town have a 'fair housing' proclamation and not address that issue?"

Council President Peter McIntyre noted that there had been quite a crowd in the room and it was possible the remark had been missed. Jim Seveney said that there were a lot of things said, "and if any [Council] member tried to rebut all of the comments that came across as inflammatory, we wouldn't have gotten done what we needed to accomplish."

Editorial note: By the time I got there last Wednesday night, it was so crowded I couldn't get into the meeting, and I haven't yet watched it on tape. I'll try to find the exchange and post it.

In other business, the Council unanimously reappointed several members of the Town Center committee, over the objections of Cheshire Kathy Melvin, who wanted to "table the activities of the Town Center Committee until it is economically feasible to believe that this is a project that has any opportunity for completion." (Could the fact that the Town Center project got Federal funding recently be making some people concerned that this might actually happen? Let's see what happens at the upcoming workshop.)

Portsmouth Police Department Chief Lance Hebert got two favorable decisions from the Council, one on providing a local "pay by mail" option for summonses issued by the Harbormaster (which would allow 100% of the payments to go to the Town, instead of the current 60/40 split with the State). The Council also approved the Chief's request to use existing funds and some stimulus money to replace the Harbormaster's aging boat.

"The Harbormaster had to be towed in 3 times last year. It's not just a case of not being ready for emergencies, it's quite embarrassing," said Hebert.

The Council authorized Town Finance Director Dave Faucher to proceed with a request for bids for a new 23-foot boat, estimated to cost about $60K.

The Council also approved the items in the Community Development Block Grant (including the skate park here in Island Park), so that will proceed.

Future meetings will be a joint session with the School Committee at 6pm on April 21, and budget workshops to be held on April 22, April 29, May 4, and May 6. Meeting adjourned just after 8pm.