Show Notes
In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Deputy City Attorney Jennifer Perez about New Hampshire's Right-to-Know Law, RSA 91-A, and how Dover handles public records requests. Perez explains that requests can arrive by phone, in person, or through an online form, and that the city's guiding principle is transparency rather than technicality. She walks through how her office interprets vague or overly broad requests — sometimes involving tens of thousands of pages — and reaches out to requesters for clarification when needed, while routine items like permits are often resolved with a quick link within five days. The two discuss how New Hampshire's right-to-know protections are enshrined in the state constitution as well as statute, recent legislative changes allowing the city to charge for email-heavy requests, and why Dover rarely invokes those fees. Perez also explains where listeners can find the Right-to-Know request form.
In This Week in Dover History, we hear about an Aug. 19, 1776 letter from Thomas Westbrook Waldron, a prominent Dover Patriot leader, urging New Hampshire's Committee of Safety to treat suspected Loyalists with justice rather than vengeance, a reminder, as the nation marks its 250th anniversary, that the Revolution's promise of liberty was tested by how it treated dissenters, including Dover's pacifist Quaker community.
More from Dover Download
In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Dian Maruca, executive director of the Dover Housing Authority, as part of the podcast's continuing look at local nonprofits and social service agencies. Maruca, who has led the authority since March 2026 after joining as deputy director in 2023, shares how a teenage landscaping job at the Newmarket Housing Authority grew into a career in subsidized housing. She says that hands-on experience shapes her respect for her maintenance and administrative staff.
In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Director of Planning and Community Development Donna Benton about the FY28-33 Capital Improvements Program, presented to the City Council and Planning Board on Oct. 7.
In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Director of Media Services Mike Gillis about September's board, committee and commission meetings.
In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Margaret Joyce and Jed Allen of the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce about the 42nd annual Apple Harvest Day. What began as a small craft fair on Orchard Street with about a dozen crafters has grown into a signature event often described as Dover's homecoming, with roughly 250 vendors, two food courts, a road race, an apple pie contest and entertainment on two stages. The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the 5K road race starting at 8:30 a.m.
In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Kathy Beebe, executive director of Haven, as part of the podcast's continuing look at local nonprofits. Haven is the Seacoast's domestic violence and sexual assault prevention and support agency. It was formed through the merger of A Safe Place and Sexual Assault Support Services. Beebe explains that the new name was chosen deliberately to make clear its services are for anyone affected, including men, teens, adult survivors of childhood abuse, and family members.