Concord Mayor, City Council, School Election Signups Begin Friday

CONCORD, NH — Candidates who are interesting in serving the city of Concord or SAU 8, the Concord School District, begin signing up to run on Friday.

Candidate signups for dozens of offices and positions to be decided in Nov. 2, 2021, run through Sept. 13.

Mayor, City Council, Other Positions

Signups for city of Concord positions will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with extended hours on Thursday until 6 p.m. at the Concord City Clerk’s Office at 45 Green St. On Sept. 13, the last day of filing, the clerk’s office will accept filings until 5 p.m.

Open seats include: mayor, which is a two-year position, currently held by Jim Bouley for the last 14 years; two four-year at-large city council slots held by Amanda Grady-Sexton and Fred Keach; and a single ward city council seats in each of the city’s 10 wards which are two-year positions. Rumors have been circulating in the city's political circles that there may be some vacant ward council seats this year but none of those councilors have confirmed to Patch that they are not running. Only Erle Pierce from Ward 2 has confirmed he would be running this year (although more incumbents are expected to run again this year).

There are also 10 ward moderator, ward clerk, as well as supervisor of the checklist positions.

Call the Concord city clerk at 603-225-8500 with any questions.

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.

School Board, Charter Commission, Other Positions

Signups for 14 Concord school district positions will begin on Sept. 3 and run for 10 days, according to SAU 8 Clerk Roger Phillips.

The signups include three at-large Concord board of education seats which expire on Dec. 31. The three seats are held right now by Barbara Higgins, Danielle Smith, and Pamela Walsh, who was elected last year to serve out the remainder of a term of a member who resigned.

Walsh has confirmed she will be running again in 2021.

The district clerk seat, held by Phillips, a Concord attorney, and treasurer position, held by long-time educator Clint Cogswell, will also be on the ballot. Phillips said in an email that he will not be seeking re-election, after serving in the position for 36 years.

An information session about the positions will be held in early September. The filing fee for the board, clerk, and treasurer positions is $5.

At the same time as Concord board of education seats is being held, a charter commission election will also take place.

The Concord School District Charter, which was established in 2011, required a commission to be established after 10 years to review, revise, and/or establish a new charter. After members are elected and the commission meets to study the current charter, members will make recommendations for city voters to approve or reject during the November 2022 general election.

The commission shall determine its own rules, shall hold public hearings, and shall issue a preliminary report within 170 days, and a final report within 231 days.

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.

The filing period for all seats runs from Friday, Sept. 3 to Monday, Sept. 13, at Phillips Law Office, 104 Pleasant St. (enter on Pine Street) in Concord. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call Phillips at 603-225-2767.

2011 Patch Charter Commission Posts

• AG: Concord School Board Member Violated Elections Laws
• Rep. to File Complaint Against School Officials
• Concord Voters To Consider Ballot Questions on Election Day
• Voters Face School District Charter Ballot Questions
• Charter Proposal Hits a Snag
• School District Charter Commission Approves Recommendations

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