In an effort to understand why a six-foot satanic statue had been set up where my kids take pictures with Santa, I visited Concord City Hall this week. I wanted a copy of the permit issued for the statue (Permit EV-0280-2024); and to know which city councilors of Concord voted to place Satan next to our Christmas tree. The permit was not issued to a resident of Concord or even New Hampshire, but to Dominic Savage of New York, and the listed emergency contact was NH State Representative Ellen Read, a resident of Newmarket. She should focus on ruining Christmas for the children of Newmarket. But Ellen Read did not act alone. She had Marley and Marley.

A majority of city councilors voted to approve the permit (special thanks to Mayor Byron Champlin, Councilor Amanda Grady Sexton, and every other council member who opposed the permit). The councilors also voted to seal the minutes from 5:33 p.m. to 6:06 p.m. from the Nov. 12 meeting in which Permit EV-0280-2024 was approved. To obtain these minutes (and the lists of councilors), I have invoked my right to know and requested the unredacted minutes of the City Council Meeting. The City of Concord has five days to respond. It’s time for reckoning with the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future.

Naomi Vicinanzo

Concord