EDC narrows priorities to benchmarking, communications and privacy topics
September 12, 2026 | Portsmouth Boards & Commissions, Portsmouth, Rockingham County, New Hampshire
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The Portsmouth Economic Development Commission on Sept. 11 agreed to focus early working-group efforts on benchmarking Portsmouth against comparable cities, improving city communications after the parking rollout, and exploring privacy and cybersecurity concerns tied to branded camera systems.
Anne, who reported on the Aug. 28 working-group conversation, outlined the three topics and urged a flexible timeline for completion. "The first thing that we talked about was the challenge of it's September... I'm gonna throw out topics and we just feel like you pick a topic and you just work on it till it's done," Anne said, urging leads for each topic.
Commissioners debated whether benchmarking should be topic-driven (selecting peer cities after choosing a focus) or city-driven (finding parallels across topics). One commissioner recommended benchmarking specific issues—childcare, transportation or outdoor dining—so research could be targeted. The group discussed field visits and examples including Newburyport for design standards and Savannah for social districting.
Members also recommended outreach to City Council to clarify the EDC's role and suggested one-on-one meetings between commissioners and councilors, plus a one-page "cheat sheet" about what the EDC can provide. The commission agreed to invite Monty, the city's communications director, to brief the group on notification tools and a pending ordinance update that would let the city rely more on text/email notices rather than newspaper publications.
The EDC emphasized that working-group meetings should begin with an intake-protocol review and explicitly define outputs—letters, presentations or design manuals—so projects produce actionable deliverables rather than open-ended study.
Anne, who reported on the Aug. 28 working-group conversation, outlined the three topics and urged a flexible timeline for completion. "The first thing that we talked about was the challenge of it's September... I'm gonna throw out topics and we just feel like you pick a topic and you just work on it till it's done," Anne said, urging leads for each topic.
Commissioners debated whether benchmarking should be topic-driven (selecting peer cities after choosing a focus) or city-driven (finding parallels across topics). One commissioner recommended benchmarking specific issues—childcare, transportation or outdoor dining—so research could be targeted. The group discussed field visits and examples including Newburyport for design standards and Savannah for social districting.
Members also recommended outreach to City Council to clarify the EDC's role and suggested one-on-one meetings between commissioners and councilors, plus a one-page "cheat sheet" about what the EDC can provide. The commission agreed to invite Monty, the city's communications director, to brief the group on notification tools and a pending ordinance update that would let the city rely more on text/email notices rather than newspaper publications.
The EDC emphasized that working-group meetings should begin with an intake-protocol review and explicitly define outputs—letters, presentations or design manuals—so projects produce actionable deliverables rather than open-ended study.
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