KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) On today’s Good Morning with Dan Mitchell show on WKBK Radio, City of Keene Mayor Jay Kahn discussed several important issues affecting the City of Keene, including hurricane damage, emergency preparedness, downtown bike lanes and transparency in local government. He also took questions from callers.

Mayor Kahn opened the conversation by sharing a personal story about his son, who lives in Asheville, N.C., and recently experienced significant disruption due to hurricane damage. His son was without power for six days, though he was able to stay with a friend during the outage. Kahn used this experience as a reminder of the importance of emergency preparedness, particularly in the face of increasingly severe weather events.

The mayor acknowledged Keene’s past efforts to mitigate flood risks, mentioning work done on the Ashuelot River, Beaver Brook, and improvements to the city’s stormwater management system. However, he pointed out a current challenge: the recent retirement of the city’s emergency management director has left a gap in the city’s ongoing preparedness planning. Kahn emphasized the need for continued vigilance and leadership in this area, especially as extreme weather becomes more frequent.

The main focus of the mayor’s discussion centered around ethics and conflicts of interest in city government decision-making. Kahn announced that he is proposing changes to Keene’s rules of order, aimed at requiring city councilors to disclose potential conflicts of interest. The proposed revisions would include not only councilors themselves but also their spouses or household members, increasing transparency in the council’s decision-making process.

There’s been some debate on the council about how far the disclosure requirements should extend, Mayor Kahn said, acknowledging differing opinions on the subject. The goal of these reforms, he explained, is to bolster public trust by ensuring city councilors remain transparent and accountable.

He also discussed local quality-of-life improvements, including enhanced accessibility around Goose Pond and ongoing discussions about a proposed solar project that has raised environmental concerns. He reaffirmed the city’s commitment to balancing sustainability with local ecosystem preservation.