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Residents raise conflict concerns as council approves revocable license for fence on city easement at 66 Coakley Road
Summary
Public commenters urged the council to reject a request by Chris Adams to keep a fence on city-owned easement at 66 Coakley Road, noting a potential conflict because Adams is the husband of Assistant Mayor Kelly. The council later authorized a revocable license for the fence; Assistant Mayor Kelly abstained from the vote.
Several Portsmouth residents told the City Council on March 17 they opposed a request by a private property owner to place a fence on city-owned land along Coakley Road and asked the council to reject the request because the owner is married to Assistant Mayor Heather Kelly.
“I hope this council will reject this request for consideration for some very obvious reasons and even instruct mister Adams to remove the fence that he has already installed without authority from the city,” Eric Anderson said during public comment. Anderson identified the fence location as a right-of-way easement used for Eversource power lines and said the fence had been built before any council approval.
Esther Kennedy also urged recusal by the assistant mayor and noted the parcel’s value given limited developable land in the city. Chris Adams, the property owner, told the council he had spoken with Eversource and was told his action would be acceptable so long as it did not interfere with the utility’s use. “I had spoken with Eversource … they told me as long as it didn't get in their way,” Adams said.
The item later appeared on the council’s consent agenda as a request “to authorize the city manager to negotiate and execute a revocable license to Chris Adams of city owned property adjacent to 66 Coakley Road for the purposes of installing, maintaining, and replacing a fence and for ordinary yard maintenance.” Assistant Mayor Kelly stated the property is owned by her husband and said, “I will be abstaining from this vote.” The motion carried on a voice vote; the council instructed the city manager to negotiate the license. Members noted the license is revocable and that Eversource holds utility easement rights that allow it to remove fences if it needs access.
Why it matters: the decision allows the city to formalize use of a city easement for a private fence while preserving the city’s right to revoke the license; residents raised concern about precedent and transparency because of the family relationship between the property owner and the assistant mayor.
The council directed the city manager to negotiate the license and to report back if similar cases arise along the utility easement corridor.
