-
Our Community
-
- Welcome Visitors Community Programs & Events Climate Remembrance Project Diversity Welcome Statement Life in Durham Places to Stay Places to Eat Places to Park Promotional Video Transportation Schools Oyster River School District
- Durham Public Library Programs & Events Trails and Town Lands Conservation Commission Land Stewardship Conservation Lands & Parks Conservation Easements Trails Youth Organizations Durham Preservation Durham Historic Association
- Volunteer Town of Durham Land Stewardship Public Library UNH Cooperative Extension Churchill Rink Parks & Recreation Recreation Program Calendar Outdoor Recreation Activities Outdoor Recreation Sites Sustainable Durham Recycling Information Swap Shop Information Earth Day 2023
-
-
Doing Business
-
- About Durham Economic Development Doing Business in Durham Why Choose Durham? Why Choose NH? Testimonials The Development Process Current Project Overview Town Wide Master Fee Schedule
- Business Visitation & Survey Project “In the Biz” Durham Business Video Spotlight
- External Resources Celebrate Durham Durham Business Association Business Directory
-
-
Inside Town Hall
-
- Departments Assessing Building Business Office Code Enforcement Information Technology Planning Town Clerk/Tax Collector Parks & Recreation Boards, Commissions & Committees Agricultural Commission Conservation Commission Historic District/Heritage Comm. Other Boards & Committees Planning Board Zoning Board
- DCAT Media Productions DCAT 22 Studios - Programming Weekly Schedule Zoom Video Meeting Schedule Town Council Town Administration Public Hearings Public Safety Police Fire McGregor Memorial EMS (Ambulance)
- Public Works Engineering Division Operations Division Sanitation Division Water Division Wastewater Division Stormwater Town Directory Telephone Directory by Department Services Directory
-
-
Helpful Resources
-
- Quick Links Assessors Online Database Bids and RFP’s DCAT Media Productions GIS Digital Maps Jobs Online Services Parking Information Social Services Town Holidays Trash Pick Up Holiday Schedule Transfer Station & Recycling Center Information Curbside Residential Pickup by Street Zoom Video Meeting Schedule
- Town Documents Budget & CIP Forms & Applications Master Plan Tax Increment Finance (TIF) Districts Tax Maps Town Charter Town Code Town Reports Town Wide Master Fee Schedule Zoning Ordinance Voter Information
- Contact Us Cemetery Information Social Media Facebook Twitter Town Newsletter Friday Updates Town Meetings & Events Agenda and Minutes Calendar Public Hearing Notices State & U.S. Representatives
-
Kenny Rotner - Town Council
KENNY ROTNER - Town Council
18 Bagdad Road
Education: M.D.
Occupation: Family Physician
Years as Durham Resident: 31 years
Previous Service on Governmental/Community/Civic Boards:In the 1990’s – the early 2000’s,
I served as the Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine and also as the Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Wentworth Douglass Hospital. I was also a member of that hospital’s Executive Committee.
I represented the Town of Durham in approximately 2000 as well as in the fall of 2014 on a Town - UNH Outdoor Pool committee. I was a co-founder of the Friends of the UNH Outdoor Pool and with others, helped to lead that campaign.
I am currently serving on the Oyster River Cooperative School District School Board, having been elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2016. I am on the Policy Committee as well as the Middle School Building Evaluation Advisory Group and the SB representative on the Sabbatical Committee.
I have been on the Town Council since March of 2015 and for the past two years have been the Vice Chairperson. I continue to be on the Parks and Recreation Committee and for the past two years have been Chairperson of the Land Stewardship Subcommittee. I have been on the advisory group working with UNH on Town-UNH agreements as well as a group working with UNH on improving student behavior off campus as well as bettering Town-UNH relationships in general.
Lastly I am the current President of the Seacoast Swimming Association, a club swim team open to all youth in the greater Seacoast area.
Reason for Interest in Running for Elected Office:
My soon to be wife (Tracy Schroeder) and I moved to Durham in the fall of 1986. In these past 31 years, we have raised a daughter (Emma), established many meaningful relationships and have launched extremely satisfying careers. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to live these productive years of my life in a town such as Durham with its wonderfully supportive community, natural beauty and opportunities.
I strongly believe that it is only through the involvement of its citizens, do towns (or cities, countries or the global community for that matter) achieve their full potential; recognizing the possibilities and ensuring the highest possible quality of life for its inhabitants. I am also committed to the notion that these contributions of being involved, repay to some extent what we have been fortunate to receive and hopefully lead to a better future.
Durham has been changing significantly these past few years with the search for tax dollars leading to large student housing projects both on the periphery of town, but even more substantially, downtown. Most of us appreciate the tax relief this affords, but many of us are apprehensive about what this means for our quality of life. Try as some might want, we will not be able to return to the days prior to this construction. One of my major reasons in hoping to serve on the Town Council is to attempt to realize more than tax relief for the citizens of Durham with this development. My goal is to try to ensure that the retail spaces provided for, can be filled with businesses that are accessible and of interest to more than just students; bringing enrichment to our lives. I am also committed to seeing that further development is aligned with the greater interest of our community and maintaining a sense of community that I highly value.
Briefly, I also believe that it is our obligation to protect our natural resources and beauty. We achieve this by being cognizant of energy use, paying attention to sustainability, analyzing what we do with an awareness to its environmental impact (and that includes new development) and trying to remedy some of the detrimental actions that have been taken in the past.
My three years on the Town Council have been largely focused on these themes. I was involved with the hiring of Rachel Gasowski who has tremendously expanded the recreational opportunities for citizens of all ages living in Durham. I work very closely with Rachel as well as with Ellen Snyder who was brought on to lead and help the town in the stewardship necessary to adequately care for Durham’s public lands and those we hold in easement. I continue to work with the Town Council, Durham residents and the appropriate representatives from UNH in trying to make both our downtown and neighborhoods desirable for all with hopes of continued vitalization and diversification.
Additional Background Information:
I am committed to transparency with all appropriate discussions and the making of decision taking place in public. Moreover, I encourage significant input from town residents and feel that it is my duty and obligation to represent town members and to not pursue a personal agenda. This is how I perform as a School Board member and it is how I act on the Town Council and my various committees.
My career as a Family Physician has afforded me the opportunity to get to know many members of our community and to learn of their concerns and values. Inherent in my practice is the need to be a good listener and to always be respectful; skills that I have hopefully honed over the years. My significant involvement with Durham town politics began with my School Board membership and then the Friends of the UNH Outdoor Pool. These endeavors furthered my personal connections and familiarized myself with the workings of town government and also how the Town of Durham interacts with the administration of UNH. My years on the School Board has seen continuous enhancement of the educational experience provided to our children with the re-establishment of needed stability. Although the Outdoor Pool campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, I believe in looking forward and not fighting past battles; instead moving forward and always trying to be positive and constructive. With an open mind and imagination, we should try to see that Durham continues to be a town where we are proud to live, to raise our families and to grow old. We are all in this together and I believe that the track record of my three years on the Town Council reflects this ethos.
