Jeff Foote, Ward 10 Concord City Council Candidate

Jeff Foote

Age (as of Election Day)

59

Position sought (including district number if applicable)

Concord City Council Ward 10

Party Affiliation

no affiliation

Family

I have been married to Cindy Foote for 33 years and have three grown children

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

Just me, I am the director of public works in Bedford, NH where I have served for 20 years

Education

Bachelor of science civil engineering (BSCE) and masters of public administration(MPA)

Occupation

Licensed professional Engineer, 30 plus years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Director of public works in Bedford NH and by charter serve(d) on its planning board, highway safety committee and poles and wires committee

Campaign website

footeforcitycouncil.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

My candidacy for city council is purely altruistic. I love this city and especially Ward 10 where my wife and I raised our children. As a former NHDOT engineer and the current Director of Public Works in Bedford I have had decades of experience in collaborating with residents to advance all sorts of projects for betterment of the community. I believe my education, training and experience will bring a unique perspective to the city council that would benefit the city.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Maintaining the quality of life that we as East Concord residents enjoy is the pressing issue for me. Police, Fire and General Services play a significant role in ensuring residents are safe and provide basic city services we all rely on. All three of these departments have significant personnel vacancies which in turns strains other staff members in the performance of their respective duties. The City needs to continue and expand efforts to improve employee compensation and retention for first responders as they are the folks who we rely on for safe streets and neighborhoods. Well maintained infrastructure including roads, clean water and sewer infrastructure, parks, pools, hiking trails, the city ice arena and golf course facilities are important city attributes that resources need to be directed towards. The increase of homelessness, encampments and panhandling has significantly impacted and altered the delivery traditional city services and is a public safety concern. I support an all hands-on deck approach to help those who need and want help to get them off the streets and into housing.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

As a community volunteer for many years whose involvement ranged from coaching youth sports to serving on transportation boards for the development of safe, environmentally sustainable transportation systems, I do not believe volunteerism should have a financial compensation component for those who serve on city boards and commissions.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Constituent service is an important aspect of serving the public. As an appointed municipal official I have a responsibility to the public that our team responds to all inquiries, if elected to the city council I utilize the same performance measurement metrics I use as a manager to track all requests for assistance from initiation to resolution.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I support economic development that is thoughtful, well planned and methodical with a purpose that expands the tax base, I do not support economic growth that provides a short-term gain but has long term negative impacts to our neighborhoods and community.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As the director of public works in Bedford, I am proud of a couple of ongoing environmental projects to promote clean air and water. I created the town’s recycling and compost committee where members educate residents and elementary school children of the advantages of recycling and composting. This effort includes a program where resident food waste, leaf litter and grass clippings are composted to create a soil amendment material that is then used on ball fields, parks and cemeteries as a replacement for synthetic fertilizers. I was also instrumental in advancing an ongoing municipal-owned photovoltaic solar array project to be placed on the town's capped landfill. This effort will offset all electrical consumption for Bedford's town-owned buildings and facilities and is projected to save property taxpayers millions of dollars over the life of the project.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

you learn more from listening than from speaking

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

If elected, I will always be honest, transparent and accountable to the residents of Ward 10.