Concord City Council, School Board, Charter Candidates Emerge

CONCORD, NH — A number of new candidates filed to run last week for city and school municipal offices.

But as the deadline nears for the 2021 election cycle, many races are uncontested.

Signups to run for mayor, both ward and at-large city councilor positions, SAU 8 at-large board of education seats, and nine members to serve on the district’s 10-year review of the charter commission, as well as elections officials, too, end on Monday.

School Board Race May Be Contested

The campaign for three at-large school board seats appears to be heading toward a contested race as three candidates have signed up to run and a fourth, an incumbent, said she will file on Monday.

As expected, Pamela Walsh of Hanover Street, who won the special election in 2020 to fill the one year remaining on the seat vacated by former board member Jennifer Patterson, filed to run on Tuesday. She said, during the last 10 months, the board made progress in getting students safely back into school, improving transparency and communications, and investing federal relief funds strategically in helping students recover.

“If re-elected, I will continue focusing on helping our students recover socially and academically from the pandemic, but also look forward to how we can strengthen our schools and our curriculum,” she said, “improving transparency with the community, and using taxpayer dollars responsibly.”

J. Robert Cotton of Pond Place Lane and Timothy Benitez of Coventry Road also filed to run last week.

Cotton said he was a “firm believer” in civic responsibility, community service, and participation. His experience as a veteran and an attorney, working in financial risk management and restructuring, as well nonprofit board membership, would be an asset on the board, he said.

“The Concord School District needs to become increasingly nimble to address the ever-changing needs and challenges it faces in providing the best possible education to Concord’s children in a cost-effective and efficient manner,” Cotton said. “The needs and concerns of working families, single-parent households, racial and ethnic minorities, New American families, LGBTQIA+ students and parents, special needs students and others all impact on the learning environment and the staffing, infrastructure and fiscal requirements the district must address.”

Cotton said climate change readiness, remote learning challenges, health and pandemic readiness and IT advances, would also impact budget, staff and building needs, and the district needed to build strategic plans to address those issues.

Barbara Higgins, a longtime board member, off and on, said she will file for re-election on Monday, making the race a contested one.

Candidates in Concord for 2021: Promote your campaign for free. Fill out this Patch profile before the election and then email a photo to Concord NH Patch Editor Tony Schinella at tony-dot-schinella-at-patch-dot-com.

Charter Commission Candidates File

Roy Schweiker of Chapel Street and Robert Washburn, who lives on Cambridge Street, both filed to run for one of three at-large school district charter commission seats last week.

Schweiker, a regular contributor of ideas and commentary about public policy, is a past political candidate, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor four years ago, state representative and school board last year, and for the original SAU charter commission in 2010.

“I am running because there were too many lawyers last time,” he quipped, “and the first thing they did was hire another lawyer to do the actual work.”

Schweiker said one specific issue he would like to see occur is an amendment to the school charter, “with a similar amendment to the city charter, to require city reimbursement of school costs in TIF districts,” pointing to the situation in Penacook with the Exit 17 development project.

Washburn, a former city councilor, previously served on the city charter commission many years ago with Charlie Russell, as well as others. As a longtime resident with an abundance of experience, he believed there was an opportunity to contribute.

“It worked out well then and I think it is a healthy process now to review the school district charter,” he said. “Good governance is a cornerstone of a sound charter.”

Tom Croteau initially filed to run for one of the three at-large charter commission seats but then, changed his mind and re-filed to run for one of two Ward 1, 2, 3, and 4 seats. He has also filed to run for treasurer of the district. A former educator and school board member for many years who exited in 2020, Croteau loved the aspect of staying involved in the general workings of the district and its connection to the city and state.

“I’m pleased with the current charter,” he said, “but every document should be looked at for possible change after 10 years of use. Being a member of the commission would give me the opportunity to hear what others have to say and consider ideas and thoughts I have not thought of. I’m always interested in contributing my thoughts and ideas that may help the district specifically and the city in general.”

Also filing to run for a Ward 1, 2, 3, and 4 seat were Tracey Lesser of Elm Street and Matthew Fisk of Loon Avenue.

Former Board of Education member Wilbur “Bill” Glahn of Coventry Road, who also served on the legislative study commission for the school charter, has filed to run for one of two Wards 5, 6, and 7 seats as did Nancy Kane of Rolinda Avenue, who served for a year in the District B school board seat, filling out the remainder of Jennifer Patterson's district seat term in 2018.

“After serving a one-year term on the Concord School Board, I feel I understand the workings of the district well enough to participate in a meaningful way on this commission,” she said.

Glahn said he thought the charter had served the city well.

"I suppose that I am running to maintain the independence of the school board," he added.

Eric Weiner of Hoit Road has filed to run for the charter commission to represent Wards 8, 9, and 10. He previously ran for a two-year school board in 2012 that Croteau won.

ALSO READ:

• More Incumbents File To Run For Concord City Council
• Navigating The Sordid Past Of Concord’s School District Charter
• Jim’s In: Concord’s Mayor Files For Unprecedented 8th Term: Watch
• Concord Mayor, City Council, School Election Signups Begin Friday
• Concord School Board, Charter Seat Signups Begin Sept. 3
• Stacey Brown, Ward 5 Concord City Council Candidate
• Brent Todd, Ward 1 Concord City Council Candidate
• Fred Keach, At-Large Concord City Council Candidate
• Erle Pierce, Ward 2 Concord City Council Candidate
• Mark Coen, Ward 5 Concord City Council Candidate

Concord City Council Updates

In Ward 1, incumbent Brent Todd, who lives on Weir Road, filed on Tuesday as did a challenger, William Barton of Elm Street.

Todd said it was a “great honor” to serve Penacook but there was more work to be done — including the Whitney Road development, new apartments, and paving, too.

“I also want to continue fiscal responsibility and keep an eye toward long-term investments, such as moving forward with planning for a Whitney Road extension, and development of a new park along the waterfront at Penacook Landing,” he said. “I’ve received lots of input from the community on adding additional police officers to boost local patrols, and on renewing contracts for our cable broadband service provider and waste disposal contractor. I’d like to use that input to guide those decisions.”

In Ward 2, Erle Pierce filed to run again on Monday as did Karen McNamara in Ward 4, who was elected in a special election in July.

Pierce said Ward 2 had done a lot of “successful advocating” including rebuilding Bog Road and the installation of a four-way stop at the Riverhill intersection. But like Todd, he, too, said there was a lot more to do.

“I want to be part of the solution for providing more workforce housing, tackling the growing problem of homelessness, and stabilizing the tax rate, both short and long term, for the city and MV (Merrimack Valley) School District,” he said. “The solution there begins with intelligently expanding the commercial tax base in Penacook.”

McNamara said since jumping into the role, she has found “it a rewarding learning experience.” If re-elected, one of her first tasks will be to meet with the NH Coalition to end Homelessness to gain insight on their Paths Toward Housing Solutions.

“In these few short months, I have responded to constituent calls and have submitted non-emergency requests to the Cities SeeClickFix app,” she said. “I toured all the fire stations, did a ride-a-long with Concord Police Department, met with the heads of city services and grounds, toured the wastewater plant and the city water department.”

Stacey Brown of Garden Street also filed to run for the open Ward 5 seat.

“I am running because I am good at getting things done,” she said. “As a Concord resident for the past 12 years, I have created and supported many successful community-building events. I believe I can make a difference and, as a city councilor, have an even greater impact.”

A number of other residents have filed to run for ward clerk, ward moderator, and ward supervisor positions, too.

Only three Concord seats on the city side of the ballot — the mayor race, Ward 1, and Ward 5 are contested this year.

How To Run For Office In 2021

The last day of filing for city of Concord positions will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 13, at the Concord City Clerk’s Office at 45 Green St. while school filings will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, at Phillips Law Office, 104 Pleasant St. (enter on Pine Street) in Concord.

Seats include mayor, which is a two-year position, two four-year at-large city council slots, and a single ward city council seats in each of the city’s 10 wards which are also two-year positions. There are also 10 ward moderators, 10 ward clerks, and 10 supervisors of the checklist, all two-year positions.

There are three at-large school board seats being decided in November along with the district clerk and treasurer positions. The filing fee for the board, clerk, and treasurer positions is $5.

Nine members will be on the ballot for the commission including three citywide positions and two positions from three districts broken down by city wards (District A members will come from Wards 1, 2, 3, and 4; District B members will live in Wards 5, 6, and 7; and District C members will represent Wards 8, 9, and 10).

Editor’s note: A number of candidates did not respond to emails seeking comments about their races. To ensure fairness, they will be given a chance to comment, if they respond, in future articles. Also, all candidates seeking office in 2021 will be offered a free candidate profile on Concord NH Patch. All stories and profiles will be featured in a future online voter's guide.

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