As a lifelong resident of Haverhill, I have seen first hand how the city has ebbed and flowed over the past 40 years. Sadly for the majority of this time, our downtown city core has slowly eroded away, its vibrancy diminishing with each departing store and business.

Thankfully, in recent years, and in spite of the lackluster national economy, positive changes have begun to materialize.
The slow but methodical rebirth of Haverhill is due in no small part to the concerted efforts of volunteer groups like Team Haverhill, doing grand things with only a small group of volunteers and an even smaller budget.
Team Haverhill’s most recent success story, the Essex Street Mural shows what can be done when all elements of the community come together for a single goal. From the volunteer coordinators who drove the project, to the local businesses who supported it financially, to the residents who picked up paint brushes to create it; this mural truly is a project of the people. The Essex Street mural is not your ordinary art installation either in scope or meaning. It symbolizes the unique and exciting heritage of our community, the rich canopy of residents past and present and the promise of what is to come in the future. The mural is also a catalyst, a beacon of inspiration that encourages us to further greatness. It is a message to our citizens and to those outside our community that Haverhill is in the process of reinventing itself as a cultural and economic leader.

It has been a true pleasure to see such a worthy project unfold and come to fruition in my hometown and it gives me a renewed sense of confidence as a Haverhill resident, business owner, and elected official that we have such a dedicated group of volunteers willing and able to see an undertaking of this scope to completion. To everyone who had a hand in making this dream a reality, I commend you and urge you to please keep working. You are making a difference. Let’s use this mural as the foundation of our plan as we continue to reshape Haverhill together.

Here is a reprint of the explanation given to me by the chairman of the precinct redistricting committee.

“ This was bound to happen, and we will no doubt receive more complaints. You might gain some needed information at the web site we created to explain the changes:

http://civiczone.net/havrp/

Be aware that some changes to where people vote were made because we had to, due to population size changes in the existing precincts. In other cases the polling places themselves are changing, for other reasons, always to make the average voter experience better.

We have always had a few hundred voters who had to cross the Merrimack River to vote. The Mayor really wanted to eliminate that, but the only legally compliant way to do it is to drop from 21 to 18 precincts, which would have many people voting someplace different. It has to do with the percentage of the population on each side of the river, and I have a document that shows the math behind the calculations. We decided not to go to 18 precincts, especially since we probably would need yet another major change after the next census to maintain that policy. The 18 precinct plan is mentioned on slide 2 of http://civiczone.net/havrp/Hav2011_precinct_plans.pdf.

Niagara Street was right next to the small area of people who had to cross the river to vote. That area had to shift and now Niagara Street is in it. You can call if you need to know more. The key thing to know about the precinct line changes is that we had to make them to comply with laws about balancing the population of each precinct within 5% of the average. If there had been no population shifts in the last 10 years nothing would have to change.”

I hope this helps to shed some light on the situation. If anyone, after reading this and the aforementioned links, still has questions, please contact me and I will be happy to try to help further.

In the meantime, I will occasionally make available public information that has been given to me. I am happy to answer questions and listen to any arguments regarding this subject.

PDF file:
Local 1011, International Association of Fire Fighters and the City of Haverhill

Additional info can be found in this Eagle Tribune article:
http://www.eagletribune.com/haverhill/x584482069/City-braces-to-pay-big-fire-award

I don’t want to bore you with my entire thank you list, but I would like to focus on a certain segment. With the local Haverhill election a little over two weeks in the past, I‘ve finally had the time to decompress, gather my wits and get my life back to a somewhat normal equilibrium. I am incredibly gratified to have earned another two year term to serve as one of Haverhill’s City Councillors and I want to take an opportunity to thank those that helped me achieve this accomplishment.

My deepest thanks to:

Ken George, for his many hours of computer work and yellow sign fabrication!
Angela Sargent, for the thousands of flyers she delivered.
Doug Edison, for his advice, canvassing, and sign holding.
Tim Jordan, my campaign treasurer, for his insight, huge personal network and stalwart friendship.
James Corcoran, my campaign manager, for his graphic and media wizardy, impeccable organization and constant motivation.
My wife Melanie and our children for all their sacrifices including putting their lives on hold and allowing me to pursue my community service aspirations.

And finally to the citizens of Haverhill who had the faith in my abilities to help lead this great city for the next two years.

Thank you all once again for your support and I look forward to seeing you around town! Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving and don’t forget to take a few minutes out of your day to reflect on what this holiday truly means!

Warm Regards,

Haverhill City Councillor

Haverhill City Council Election Results

I just want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to read and respond to my many campaign updates over the past several months. Your support and encouragement throughout the campaign have kept me inspired and motivated. I have truly enjoyed serving as your City Councillor and I hope that this is just the first of many terms that I will get to work with you. It has been a true pleasure being the conduit for your great ideas and visions.

There are many friends who have given generously of their time and money to help me along with the campaign and they have my deepest gratitude for the sacrifices they have made.

Regardless of the result this Tuesday, I am proud of what I have accomplished in my two year tenure and I certainly hope I have the opportunity to do more for Haverhill. I feel confident as November 8th approaches, but I will not take a successful outcome for granted.

Thank you all once again and I hope the next time I address you it will be as your newly re-elected City Councillor!

Warmest Regards,

2011 Candidate for Haverhill City Council

Citizens of Haverhill, my name is Sven Amirian and it has been an honor and pleasure to serve as your City Councilor for the past two years. As the November 8th election approaches you will be called on to make a decision that will affect the direction that Haverhill will take. I hope that, once again, you will choose to work with me to help guide our city.

Since being elected I have worked hard to bring revenue generating and quality of life enhancing programs to Haverhill. I am very proud of my efforts to develop our single stream curbside recycling program. I have also worked diligently with our numerous volunteer groups to foster a more cohesive partnership with our city government. I believe that volunteers are Haverhill’s most valuable resource and they deserve the utmost respect and support from their city officials.

I will remain a conduit and vocal activist for all our hard working volunteers.

There is still more to do. I believe I have the energy, vision, and dedication necessary to serve you for the next two years. Please allow me the opportunity.

Thank you once again and I respectfully ask for your vote on November 8th.

Sven Amirian

2011 Candidate for Haverhill City Council

P.S. Here’s a recent interview I did. Thanks to Frank Novak and the HCTV crew for their super production work.

We discuss many topics such as:

• Things I discovered that I didn’t expect in my first term as a Councillor and how that makes me a better Councillor for people thinking about voting for me
• Initiatives I’ve been able to propose that I can point to as accomplishments
• Overcoming the dynamic of Haverhill having a sales tax of 6.25% while bordering towns do not
• From Kittery, Maine to Haverhill, Massachusetts: Comparing and contrasting retail operations
• My outlook on the economy

Citizens of Haverhill, my name is Sven Amirian and it has been an honor and pleasure to serve as your City Councilor for the past two years. As the November 8th election approaches you will be called on to make a decision that will affect the direction that Haverhill will take. I hope that, once again, you will choose to work with me to help guide our city.

Since being elected I have worked hard to bring revenue generating and quality of life enhancing programs to Haverhill. I am very proud of my efforts to develop our single stream curbside recycling program. I have also worked diligently with our numerous volunteer groups to foster a more cohesive partnership with our city government. I believe that volunteers are Haverhill’s most valuable resource and they deserve the utmost respect and support from their city officials.

I will remain a conduit and vocal activist for all our hard working volunteers.

There is still more to do. I believe I have the energy, vision, and dedication necessary to serve you for the next two years. Please allow me the opportunity.

Thank you once again and I respectfully ask for your vote on November 8th.

Sven Amirian

2011 Candidate for Haverhill City Council

P.S. Here’s a recent interview I did. Thanks to Frank Novak and the HCTV crew for their super production work.

We discuss many topics such as:

• Things I discovered that I didn’t expect in my first term as a Councillor and how that makes me a better Councillor for people thinking about voting for me
• Initiatives I’ve been able to propose that I can point to as accomplishments
• Overcoming the dynamic of Haverhill having a sales tax of 6.25% while bordering towns do not
• From Kittery, Maine to Haverhill, Massachusetts: Comparing and contrasting retail operations
• My outlook on the economy

I believe I have the energy, vision, and dedication necessary to serve you for the next two years. Please allow me the opportunity.

Thank you once again and I respectfully ask for your vote on November 8th.

P.S. Please join my family, my supporters and me on the night of the election as we monitor the results live at Toma’s Restaurant in Haverhill. All are welcome and appetizers will be served. I look forward to seeing you!

DATE: Tuesday, November 8th
TIME: 8 pm (after the polls close)
WHERE: Toma’s Restaurant
35 Washington Street, Haverhill, MA

Thanks in advance for your support!