Filing Period Ends Leaving Voters with Numerous Choices for November

While most Ward city councilors will win their seats by default, citywide, voters will have a plethora of choices at the ballot box on Nov. 3, 2015, after the filing period for both Concord municipal and Concord School District ended this afternoon.

Citywide races

In the Concord mayoral race, challenger Paul Brogan filed today to run against incumbent Jim Bouley, who is seeking his fifth term in the position.

Two new candidates entered the at-large city council race today: Shawn Riley, the deputy fire chief of Laconia, and Dave Teune. They join Jim Baer in challenging incumbents Mark Coen and Stephen Shurtleff.

In a note on Facebook, Riley stated, “I believe Concord is a special place. My desire is to ensure it continues to be a city that is safe and clean; a place to buy a home, raise a family and start a business.”

Riley said he believed that the city’s parks and trails needed to be protected and promoted, and would be refusing donations.

Teune did not return an IM on Facebook at post time.

Ward races

This year, there are only three contested Ward races in Ward 3, Ward 6, and Ward 9.

On Sept. 14, two candidates filed for the open Ward 6 seat being vacated by J. Allen Bennett.

Timothy Willis, who unsuccessful sought an at-large seat in 2013, filed to run along with Chris Minery. Willis did not return an IM on Facebook at post time but over the weekend when he was considering a run, he noted that he originally considered running in Ward 6 two years ago but ran at-large inside. Previously, traffic issues, including problems on some streets in the South End, have been concerning to him.

Three candidates are vying for the open Ward 3 seat: Robert Harrison, Jennifer Kretovic, and Chris Pannapacker.

In Ward 9, incumbent Candace Bouchard is being challenged by Lenny O’Keefe.

Brent Todd in Ward 1, Allan Herschlag in Ward 2, Byron Champlin in Ward 4, Robert Werner in Ward 5, Keith Nyhan in Ward 7, Gail Matson in Ward 8, and Dan St. Hilaire in Ward 10, will all win their seats by default, receiving no challenges.

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Lauren Flieder filed to run for Ward 6 Clerk, Nancy Tewksbury filed to run for Ward 8 Clerk, and Stan Kelly filed to run for Ward 9 Clerk. Robert Waterm also filed for Ward 3 Moderator, Michael Gfoerer filed to run in Ward 5, Gregory Banks filed for Ward 6 Moderator, and Dennis Tewksbury filed for Ward 8 Moderator.

Candidates are sill needed for Ward 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 10 Ward Supervisor, according to the filings.

More school board candidates

A fourth Concord Board of Education stepped forward to run today.

Matthew Valle filed to run for one of three three-year at-large seats this year. Other candidates include incumbent Clint Cogswell, Nathan Fennssey, who is currently filling out the remainder of a term by a board member who resigned, and Maura Redmond-Scura, another challenger who filed earlier this week. Valle did not return a text message seeking comment about his race at post time. 

Kass Ardinger will win the three-year treasurer position and Roger Phillips will win the three-year clerk position by default, since they are unopposed.