Mayor Dana Hilliard posted a message against the Movoto Real Estate blog post that ranked cities based on their criminal activity.

Mayor Dana Hilliard Facebook
Mayor Dana Hilliard Facebook
loading...

Somersworth Mayor Dana Hilliard has taken issue with a real estate company’s blog post which names his city “the most dangerous in New Hampshire.”

The post titled “These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Places In New Hampshire” ranked the city as the most dangerous based on criminal statistics from the FBI’s latest Uniform Crime Report. Murders, violent crimes, property crimes and total crime activity were all taken into account.

We shared the findings on our website this morning, which listed Somersworth, Laconia, Conway, Manchester and Claremont as having the most criminal activity in the state. The real estate blog emphasized that New Hampshire is still the safest place to live in the country.

Hilliard responded to the blog on his Facebook page Tuesday evening and challenged the validity of the author’s findings. Here is a full transcript of the post:

Within the last twenty-four hours social media has exploded with a report issued from the Movoto Real Estate company, listing Somersworth as the most dangerous city in New Hampshire. While I will not question the motivation of a company who earns a higher profit off of selling homes in communities with higher property values, I certainly do challenge the validity of the report listing our community as the most dangerous.

For any of us who have taken statistics either in High School or at the College level we are well aware that data and statistics do not always bring a true light or reflection upon the indicators which are reported. One must often work through layers to find the true story behind what has been reported or in the case of the report issued by Movoto Real Estate exaggerated.

Movoto Real Estate has unjustly painted an image of Somersworth as a community ridden with a rampant crime problem. They have falsely portrayed our streets and neighborhoods as unsafe and unwelcoming. For those of us who live here, who have stood by our community, who call Somersworth home, whose blood runs with Hilltopper Blue, the report is offensive and a direct attack upon the foundation which makes our city unique, a sense of pride and community.

While we have our issues and challenges, our community has never shied away from admitting or tackling our deficiencies. In the Hilltopper spirit we come together as a community, citizens united and work together for long standing feasible solutions. The citizens of Somersworth adhere to the Yankee philosophy of neighbor helping neighbor while embodying the New Hampshire “Live Free or Die” ideology. We respect each other, help each other and look out for each other. For those of us who were born and raised here Somersworth continues to reflect the values in which our nation was built upon; patriotism, hard work, dedication, sense of belonging, sense of community.

To those who think that our community has decayed, whose time of greatness was in the past, whose streets are unsafe and neighborhoods are undesirable, I challenge you to get to know Somersworth and its citizens. What you will quickly discover is the pride, determination and spirit of great citizens and an even greater city.

Dana S. Hilliard

Mayor

"That a man is straying from the right path is NO reason that he should be cast away." ~ Tao Teh Ching

 

Mayor Dana Hillard's Facebook Post

 

More From WSHK-WSAK 102.1 & 105.3 The Shark