Baer Gives At-Large Concord City Council Race Another Try

If the stars had aligned differently in 2009, Concord retiree Jim Baer would be in his sixth year on the city council.

In that year, he was one of four candidates running for two seats and barely missed winning – by 111 votes – out of a paltry 10.9 percent of the city’s then-30,794 registered voters who decided to participate that year.

During that campaign, Baer, who is a regular at city council meetings and often offers colorful commentary in the newspaper, focused on issues with the city’s budget and escalating property taxes that were hitting retirees, families with young children, and renters.

ALSO READ:

• First Concord School Board Candidates File
• Concord City Council Update: More Incumbents to File
• Former Police Officer Runs for Concord City Council
• Bouley, Herschlag, Others Line Up to Run for Concord Offices
• Filing Period for Mayor, Concord City Council Races Starts Friday
• Conners: A Continuing Problem in Concord
• Concord School Board Candidates Needed
• Get Ready to Run for Concord Offices
• Statehouse Fountain Grant Money Falls Through
• Report: Bouley to Seek Re-Election
• Herschlag: Attack the Victim and Ignore the Problem

Six years later, the same issues that irked Baer before are still issues today, he said, and at a spry 78-years-old, he’s decided to give the council race one last try.

“I have a traditional New Hampshire upbringing that taught me the value of work,” he said in an email. “I know what a 60-hour work week feels like. I am not a professional politician but I do have common sense. I have lived elsewhere and learned that there is no place quite like New Hampshire … I have no hidden agendas and I do not have an ego that needs to be fed. I will work cooperatively with other councilors. I’II vote what my conscience dictates for the best interest of all of Concord citizens, including property taxpayers.”

Baer called seniors who remain in Concord the foundation of the community who should be afforded the opportunity to remain in the homes that they love and not be a burden to their children. At the same time, young city residents are the future and they should be able to purchase homes in Concord to continue to build the community. Even modest fixer-uppers are becoming difficult to afford, he said.

“We need to stop relying on overtaxing homeowners to fund more and more dubious city services,” he noted.

The city, he said, needed to stop spending money “recklessly” on consultants and have city employees, “expensive talent,” he said, work on projects like parking studies while also controlling payroll costs and maintaining current infrastructure.

If elected, Baer said he would focus on expanding the property tax base “by encouraging new businesses along with manufacturing and educational institutions that offer good jobs with good wages” to come to Concord.

Baer also suggested that it was time for voters and residents to discuss Concord’s current city charter and whether or not it would be better to have a strong mayor system and a city administrator instead of a weak mayor and city manager. The mayor and councilors might become more accountable, there would be better transparency in public policy, and more people would run for office and participate, he said.

“It’s been over 40 years since we eliminated the strong mayoral position,” he said. “On balance, I don’t think that it has worked out as well as some people had hoped for.”