Jim Donchess, a former city mayor and currently an elected Alderman-at-Large, is the guest this week on "The People's View," with host Carl Seidel.

Hot topics include: Bringing rail to Nashua; making the downtown more livable; construction of the Broad Street Parkway; Downtown sidewalks/improvements; Southern New Hampshire Medical Center parking lot, which CVS wants to use to expand and rebuild; cost control of city projects.

"One thing the city should focus on in trying to bring more people to live downtown," said Donchess. "The more patrons there are for businesses the more activity there is downtown."

Donchess says Clocktower Place, for example, provides a good example of how creating great living spaces downtown that are affordable builds a stronger downtown.

Donchess is critical during the interview of the city's current major projects. He said he is among those who question whether it's wise for the city to borrow and spend $35 million for the Broad Street Parkway, for instance.

"The mayor has proposed 'enchancing,' three bridges ... by spending $1.8 million... but the final decision on that is in the hands of the board of Public Works," Donchess said.

"I just find it frustrating in city government, for some projects there's little cost control, and huge amounts of money gets spent. But when it comes to basic city services, like police protection, it's like puling teeth to get anything done," Donchess said.

He said police would like to have more foot and bike patrols, but the city doesn't seem to support that kind of community policing in the budget.

"If we don't have a safe city, what's more important than that?" Donchess said.

Some are speculating Donchess would like another go-round as mayor, as we move toward the next election cycle.

You can tune in here, via Access Nashua online, or check the schedule for TV viewing, and see if Donchess sounds mayoral to you.

Show will be rebroadcast on Channel 96:
1/29/2013 at 11 a.m.
1/30/2013 at 9 p.m.
1/31/2013 at 10 a.m.
2/1/2013 at 8 p.m.
2/2/2013 at 3 p.m.
2/3/2013 at 6 p.m.

To contact Alderman Donchess directly: jim@jimdonchess.com or 8603-886-9577.