More Concord Candidates Explain Why They Are Running In 2023

CONCORD, NH — A late flurry of filing in the final days of Concord city council and school board municipal race signups caught everyone by surprise.

Including some of the candidates themselves. The city will have 13 out of 15 races contested in 2023.

Here are a few more who responded to Patch in the last 72 hours to tell voters why they are running.

3rd Zone C Candidate Files

Filing on Monday for the Zone C school board seat (Wards 8, 9, and 10) was Kassey Cameron, who said she wanted to play “a more active role in our school community.”

The candidate, who has had children in the school system for about five years and has been active in the Mill Brook PTA, said she had a unique perspective about some of the challenges the schools and students face. Volunteering, she said, led to support for teacher efforts, “creating community building programs,” advocacy, and fundraising for the betterment of students and staff.

“I believe that regardless of if you have school-aged children or not, the education of our youth is the biggest investment we can make in our community's future,” Cameron said. “These children will be the future doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, police, electricians, etc. The education and experiences they receive today will change their future and ours.”

Cameron said she wanted to ensure the city was “investing in that future and supporting the students and schools in helping them to reach their full potential.”

Also Read

• More Concord Council Candidates Jump Into The Fray On Last Filing Day
• As Final Filing Day Approaches, Concord Municipal Races Get Crowded
• New Candidates Emerge For Concord Mayor, City Council, School Board
• Dad Upset About Crossdressing Art Teacher Runs For Concord School Seat
• Candidates Enter Concord City Council Races On First Day Of Filing
• New Candidates Emerge In 2023 Concord Races As Signup Date Approaches
• Champlin Confirms Concord Mayoral Run; Some Out, Others Thinking
• Second At Large Concord City Councilor Considers Mayoral Run
• Concord At-Large Councilor Champlin Eyes Mayoral Run
• Herschlag: Our Mayor Is Not Seeking Another Term
• Concord’s Longest Serving Mayor Won’t Seek Re-Election In November

2 More At Large Councilors Offer Thoughts

Taylor Hall ran for mayor two years ago, receiving close to a quarter of the vote.

At the time, he said he would be running again. And he fulfilled that promise last week by filing to run for one of two at large city council seats.

Hall said he was taught that community was a branch from which all things grow.

“Concord is a beautiful community, and all of its residents deserve to have a voice on the city council,” he said. “I have a track record of understanding people’s concerns and working collaboratively to address them in a mutually beneficial way. If elected, the residents of Concord have my commitment that I will be readily available to them in whatever form they choose, and I will do my utmost to ensure that their voices are heard.”

Hall pointed to safety and security as key issues that affected all residents. Creating an environment that attracts new business to the city should also be a focus.

“Combating brain drain by making Concord an enticing destination for young people to live and work” was another issue of importance, he added.

Another at-large candidate is Judith Kurtz, an educator, librarian, and community volunteer.

Kurtz said she had always wanted to run for office and had been involved in “community building my entire life.” When she saw an open at-large seat, she decided to run.

“I felt this was the right time for me, my family, and the city,” Kurtz said. “I see a need for collaboration across committees and community partners to face the current challenges head-on. I think it’s important to have a female voice, the voice of a mother and educator.”

Kurtz said, if elected, she would “promote transparency in government and encourage greater civic engagement” and was “committed to collaboratively addressing pressing issues such as housing and the intersecting challenges of homelessness, mental health and addiction, and supporting our first responders.” She also considers herself a strong communicator who believes that “working together and building consensus is how we can make positive change for all Concord residents.”

Ward 5 Gets A Last-Minute Entry

In Ward 5, Noemi Wierwille declared on the last day of filing.

Wierwille said she had witnessed growth, challenges, and opportunities in Concord as a long-time city resident.

“I believe that now, more than ever, we need dedicated and passionate individuals to help shape the future of our community,” she said. “With a background in education, non-profit management, and organizational learning, I am eager to bring fresh ideas, a collaborative spirit, and a commitment to transparency to the city council.”

Wierwille said her entire career was dedicated to educating and helping teachers and students. But conditions around those students and teachers in the city also needed to be supported, which was where the council could come in. Raising two kids in the city, she had seen that.

At the same time, Wierwille said, the city had made some “important improvements during the past decade.” She added, “I want to be a part of that future progress.”

Wierwille also pointed to safety and affordability as issues the council had to address.

"We’ve got some work to do there,” she said.

She called the 2023 election “really important” and “rare that there was a transition in the mayoral position.” Good governance, she added, was “a team sport,” and she hoped challenging Stacey Brown would draw out more voters in Ward 5 and get them engaged into “thinking about the issues that matter.”

Third Candidate Files In Ward 8

Jonathan Cate is a farmer and a lifelong resident of Concord.

And now, a city council candidate, too.

Cate said he decided to run because he did not think the city was budgeting its assets or financial focus as well as it had in the past. There have been “some great positives” and “wonderful improvements,” but, he said, “I think we’ve lost that bit of charm we used to have.”

Cate said the homeless problem was a big issue — especially businesses dealing with thefts and people defecating on their property with no recourse. Companies have been calling police and responding officers “do what they are told to do” and “all they can,” but “we need to move the needle forward a bit.”

Cate, too, said he had been known to change his mind about issues in the past. Initially, he thought the Main Street improvement project was “stupid … going from four to two lanes, with the trucks in the middle strip.” But, he added, “Boy, was I wrong. The project spurred more business, and things have gotten beautiful downtown.”

At the same time, Cate questioned the financial loss of the employment security building purchase and complaints by officials that the state sold the department of transportation building to a developer instead of the city. He said officials should not buy properties they don’t have plans for, and city government should not be in the development business.

“There’s a little irresponsibility going on,” he said.

Cate spent most of his life working at Bartlett Farm, ventured out on his own, and was now a small business owner.

“I started with nothing and built my own dairy farm at a time when it’s not really a great idea,” he said, adding the business was succeeding.

And now, Cate wants to give back.

“(My candidacy) is about threading the needle, making more improvements,” he said, “not necessarily a pullback but at least a little more thought about what is going on.”

Candidate Filings

Mayor: Byron Champlin, George Jack, and Kate West

At Large (2 seats, 4-year terms): Nathan Fennessy, Taylor Hall, Matthew Hicks, Judith Kurtz, and Kevin Porter

Ward 1: Brent Todd

Ward 2: Michele Horne and Rob Kleiner

Ward 3: Jennifer Kretovic

Ward 4: Karen McNamara and Sarah Beauregard

Ward 5: Stacey Brown and Noemi Wierwille

Ward 6: Jay Belyea and Paula McLaughlin

Ward 7: Keith Nyhan and Jim Schlosser

Ward 8: Jonathan Cate, Ali Sekou, and Dennis Soucy

Ward 9: Andrew Georgevits and Kris Schultz

Ward 10: Zandra Rice Hawkins and Jeffrey Foote

All Ward seats and the mayor are two-year terms.

School Board (single, three-year seats)

Zone A (Wards 1, 2, 3, and 4): Robert Avery, Jessica Campbell, Michael Guglielmo, and Kristen Jackson

Zone B (Wards 5, 6, and 7): Liz Boucher and G. Bruce “Gib” West

Zone C (Wards 8, 9, and 10): Kassey Cameron, Brenda Hastings, and Peteris Surmanis

According to Janice Bonenfant, Concord’s city clerk, no candidates have filed via petition to run. Any candidate choosing to get signatures has until Friday.

Free Profiles & Debates

Once again, for the 2023 election cycle, Concord NH Patch will offer candidates free profiles before the election and will team up with partners to bring voters debates for competitive races.

Concord TV has agreed to allow Patch to use its studios for recorded debates between the candidates. The nonprofit will also be posting the videos on its YouTube.com site. The New England Take podcast, based out of Concord, will also share the information with its audience.

More information about debates will be forthcoming.

Candidates will also be allowed to put together a free Patch Candidate Profile. Fill out the g-doc here, after nominations have been confirmed.

Have you got a news tip? Please send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel. Check out the #FITN2024 NH Patch post channel and follow our politics Twitter account @NHPatchPolitics for all our campaign coverage.