Door’s Open!
That’s the essence of our five-word slogan here in the Port City—City of the Open Door.
The slogan was released in 1922 by the then Chamber of Commerce, whose purpose was to “maintain a healthy economy…while improving the quality of life for residents of the community,” as quoted in J. Dennis Robinson’s story found here.
The slogan has stuck with us throughout the years. And if you’ve followed Mayor MacEachern these last 11 months, you’ve likely picked up on his love of the slogan. He quotes it often at events around the city. He is also featured in the book, Portsmouth NH in 101 Objects for this very topic.
“…Slogans take on a life of their own…being on the banks of the river we’ve had to be open. Yet, it’s not easy to be open. Change is hard. But we have changed for the better over the course of our 400 years of history,” he shared.
“It’s important to keep the door open. It’s our secret sauce. Our tradition. We opened the doors to the first female mayor in the state and in Portsmouth. Resident Valerie Cunningham opened the door to our black history. Resident and former Deputy Mayor and City Councilor, Jim Splaine, opened the door to anti-discrimination policies. So many great examples.”
“We’re also open to tourists. But we can do better. Because being open is not just about hospitality. It’s about opening doors for those who feel the doors aren’t that open.”
Executive Director of the Chamber Collaborative of Portsmouth, Ben VanCamp concurs.
“As a travel/tourism destination, Portsmouth is open and welcoming to our visitors. Where we fall short is for people who want to live here. Housing costs and barriers to housing are staggering. At a recent economic development meeting, our new school superintendent talked about how the next generation of teachers cannot afford to live here and be neighbors with their students. I think this also applies to those in the fire and police departments. To live up to our slogan, we need to make it possible for them to live here. We’re working on this at the state level, pushing for legislation that allows towns more options and tools.”
Further reflecting on the slogan, the mayor talked about his childhood.
“When I grew up in Portsmouth, we had better economic diversity than now. We need to do a lot more to get back to that diversity. But there’s a limit to what government can do. If everyone got involved, we’d have a better city. I want to open the doors to more service and more community. To open the doors for people to see they can make a difference because it’s intoxicating!”
“The most patriotic I’ve felt was being at Strawbery Banke during the naturalization ceremony that takes place on Independence Day. I think of my great grandfather who immigrated from Ireland to Nova Scotia and then to Portsmouth with pennies in his pocket. He worked at the Morley Button Factory. Our slogan, City of the Open Door is aligned to the vision of what America is and can be.”
