More 2023 Concord Ward Council Candidates Jump Into The Fray On Last Filing Day

CONCORD, NH — Congratulations to Concord City Councilor Brent Todd in Ward 1 and Jennifer Kretovic in Ward 3, who, unless a candidate files a last-minute initiative petition to run against them, will be the only candidates in 2023 to win by default.

The rest of the candidates? Get ready to start your engines.

On the last day of filing, three more city council ward candidates had challengers file, while one Zone A school board candidate dropped out, and another dropped out and filed to run for city council instead.

Challengers File To Challenge Incumbents

On the last day of filing, three more incumbents had candidates file against them.

In Ward 4, Sarah Beauregard, who initially filed to run for the Zone A school board seat, dropped out and filed for city council against Karen McNamara.

“After careful consideration,” she said, “I believe there are a number of amazing candidates that are running (in Zone A), and I feel like Jessica Campbell and my goals are extremely similar. She has a great drive and passion for education, like myself. We both put what is best for our community and the children first.”

In Ward 5, Noemi Wierwille, the chief learning officer for Teach For America, filed to run against Stacey Brown.

Jim Schlosser, a board member of the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness, a steering committee member for Concord’s Plan to End Homelessness, and a physician, also filed to challenge Keith Nyhan in Ward 7.

Jonathan Cate of Josiah Bartlett Road also filed to run for the open Ward 8 seat.

Also Read

• 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

Another School Board Candidate Drops Out

According to Patrick Taylor, the SAU 8 clerk, one other Zone A candidate, Steven Kazakis, also withdrew his candidacy.

Kazakis said voters had “several options” to choose from with the remaining candidates, so he decided to drop out.

“I’m withdrawing this year but may consider running again next election season,” he said.

Before post time, Taylor had not submitted an updated list of candidates running.

Why Ward 9 Candidates Are Running

Ward 9 Concord City Council candidates responded on Monday with statements on why they were running.

Kris Schultz said she was running to be the “Love Your Neighbor candidate in Ward 9.” She said she hoped outgoing councilor, Candace Bouchard, would run again, calling her amazing.

“But unfortunately, Trump’s former deputy campaign manager filed instead,” she said. “Right now, Concord draws out-of-town Nazis to protest our welcoming, diverse (and) inclusive community! Seriously, this is not a situation where there are ‘good people on both sides,’ as Nazis are not who we are. Only love defeats hate, and I want to make sure only love has a home here in Concord.”

Andrew Georgevits, who filed on the same day as Schultz, nine days after Bouchard told Patch she was not running again, also commended her for her dedication to the city.

“My wish as a city councilor is to continue her efforts in keeping Concord a great community to live, work, and visit,” he said.

Georgevits, a lifelong resident of Concord who chose to stay to raise a family, said one of the most pressing concerns of the council was the homelessness issue and panhandling in the city. He said he was disheartened to learn the city has spent more than $40,000 to clean up the hazardous waste created by a few of the city’s homeless camps, calling the problem a significant financial burden on local businesses, too.

“Battling local crime and the growing drug epidemic is crucial to keep Concord a vibrant community for many years,” he said. “We must work together to find a resolution that will aid in supporting our townsmen while keeping all our streets safe.”

Infrastructure, he added, “should be made a priority,” including fixing fire and safety stations that had been forced to make do with short-term structural repairs.

“I strongly believe that if we as councilors are able to set aside our political differences and focus on working as a united front for our community, we can safeguard Concord's future for all,” Georgevits added.

Zone C Candidate Shares Why He Is Running

Peter Surmanis, who filed for the Zone C school board seat (Wards 8, 9, and 10) last week, said, after two decades in the city, he had seen how the system both benefitted and failed his son, who graduated in 2022, and his classmates.

Concord High School, he said, was ranked 51st in the state and 70th in graduations. Surmanis also pointed to “poor ratings” in math proficiency — 34 percent, science at 43 percent, and reading at 64 percent. Surmanis called the low numbers “just not acceptable,” while adding the solutions were not simple. The “awful numbers” made it “completely understandable why parents are looking into other educational alternatives for their children.” At the same time, the city deserved schools the public could be proud of.

“Our teachers are doing all they can to help our students,” Surmanis said, “but somewhere the system is failing them. I intend to look into what needs to be done to make our schools better, giving teachers and administrators the tools to make our schools better.”

Surmanis said his extensive work experience — being a snowplow driver to working for a global organization gave him the experience to listen and understand what people want. He also questioned the SAU 8 budget of around $100 million, saying it amounted to $24,500 per student, calling it “a lot of money.” “Cost-effective solutions” should be created to benefit students and eliminate ineffective programs while helping students recover from the coronavirus learning losses.

“The Concord School Board determines its budget and educational portion of the city’s tax rate without a citizen vote or any city approval either,” he added. “Because of this, any change in the tax rate must be understood and justified. I will work to make sure the school budget is appropriate for our district, that teachers get paid what they deserve, and residents of the city don’t pay more than they should.”

Surmanis, who noted he was a registered Republican even though school board seats are nonpartisan, said he was happy with the progress made toward building a new middle school while adding the location should be one that encourages students to walk or bike to school — even though, regardless of the site, many students will still be driven or will take a bus. He said the district also needed to consider the city’s growing migrant population and ensure a new middle school “helps support them” while benefitting everyone. Surmanis added nearly a quarter of the students were considered economically disadvantaged, and about 20 percent, being minority students, presented challenges to the city and the district.

“We must remain mindful of each group, as they are often the ones who can be overlooked or even worse, ignored,” he said. “This is not acceptable. As a community and school board, we must ensure that all voices are heard and considered in all decisions.”

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, and Michael Guglielmo

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

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

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.

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