Open Ward 9 Concord City Council Seat Brings Out Political Veterans: Watch

CONCORD, NH — When the new city council is seated later this year after the November election, at least a third of the members will be new.

One of them will be from Ward 9.

The two candidates running for the open seat, Andrew Georgevits and Kris Schultz, sat down for a debate on Concord TV. The debate was cosponsored by Patch and the New England Take podcast.

Both Georgevits and Schultz are known to the community — Schultz is a state representative for the floterial district covering Wards 8, 9, and 10, while Georgevits is a lifelong resident who has been politically active for decades.

So many new faces on the council have some residents concerned. Georgevits said if elected, he would focus on communication, being open-minded to change, and general principles to ensure stable governance.

“You’re never 100 percent right,” he said. “You always have to work (together) to get things done.”

Schultz said there were “big shoes to fill” with long-time Councilor Candace Bouchard exiting the seat after many years. But with her mentorship and Byron Champlin, an at-large councilor running for mayor and other councilors, “I think it will essentially be something that I don’t see as a difficulty as much as a learning process.”

Housing is a major issue facing the city, and Schultz, a renter, said all of the ideas must be on the table to meet multiple needs. She did not blame builders for making “the most money that they can,” but officials needed to assist them with zoning, accessible dwelling units, and co-housing. She called for a public-private partnership because developers did not always construct what was in the community's best interest since their main motivation was making a profit. Schultz said several renters she knew had bought houses outside of Concord because none were available.

Georgevits said density needed to be looked at, as well as zoning. He said major developments were breaking ground or being constructed right now. But Georgevits, who works in the construction field, said developers still faced difficulties doing business in Concord compared to other cities. The candidate pointed to a recent $50 million building being constructed in Portsmouth that could never be built in Concord because “everyone wants their hands in the pot … oh, you can only have this color for the building … you have to get this variance … it has become so expensive, it has become unattractive for builders to build in Concord.”

On homeless crime, which has exploded in the city, Georgevits said there needed to be a dual approach to the situation — helping those who genuinely need assistance and are willing to receive it and the ones causing all of the problems to be held accountable for their actions. He said residents and firefighters also raised concerns about the camps and the dangers inside them. Schultz said, for the most part, she agreed with Georgevits. She added the police department had issues with recruitment, which was part of the problem. Schultz said there did not appear to be effective outreach, noting the recent murders of a retired Concord couple who lived in her apartment complex, to ensure residents felt safe and knew how to protect themselves.

On tax base expansion and economic development, Georgevits called for controlling spending and expanding development with retail and manufacturing, including utilizing the rail system in the city more effectively. He pointed to the rail yard, Storrs Street, and Horseshoe Pond as places for economic opportunity.

Schultz agreed property taxes were too high. She suggested looking at mansion and big box store taxes to raise revenue while relieving taxes on the average person and shifting costs to “the wealthiest among us.”

Georgevits and Schultz also addressed the Beaver Meadow Golf Course clubhouse project, whether councilors should receive higher stipends to serve, and a new solid waste contract on the horizon.

2023 Debates

• Lifelong Resident, Long-Timer, And Newcomer Run In Concord's Ward 8
• In Ward 4 Concord City Council Race, It's Experience Vs. Experience
• An Open Ward 2 Concord City Council Seat Brings Out Newcomers: Watch
• Ward 5 Concord City Council Candidates Talk Trash, Taxes, Engagement
• 5 Concord At Large City Council Candidates Vie For 2 Seats: Watch

Candidate Profiles

• Kris Schultz, Concord City Council Ward 9 Candidate
• Andrew Georgevits, Ward 9 Concord City Council Candidate
• Jess Campbell, Zone A Concord School Board Candidate
• Sarah Beauregard, Ward 4 Concord City Council Candidate
• Jim Schlosser, Concord City Council Ward 7 Candidate
• Brent Todd, Concord City Council Ward 1 Candidate
• Brenda Hastings, Concord School Board Zone C Candidate
• Noemi Wierwille, Concord City Council Ward 5 Candidate
• Karen McNamara, Ward 4 Concord City Council Candidate
• Taylor Hall, At Large Concord City Candidate
• Byron Champlin, Mayor Of Concord Candidate
• Stacey Brown, Concord City Council Ward 5 Candidate
• Dennis Soucy, Concord City Council Ward 8 Candidate
• Kassey Cameron, Zone C Concord School Board Candidate
• Nathan Fennessy, Concord City Council At Large Candidate
• Judith Kurtz, Concord City Council At Large Candidate
• Jennifer Kretovic, Concord City Council Ward 3 Candidate
• Rob Kleiner, Concord City Council Ward 2 Candidate
• Matthew Hicks, Concord City Council At Large Candidate
• Kevin Porter, Concord City Council At Large Candidate

Campaign 2023 Stories

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• City Of Concord: 2023 Election Info
• Some Concord Council Candidate Signs Not In Compliance With NH Law
• Concord School District Hosts 2 Meetings Concerning New Middle School
• Concord’s Longest-Serving Mayor Named 2023 Citizen Of The Year
• More Concord Candidates Explain Why They Are Running In 2023
• 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

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