Levasseur: Manchester Mayor Broke His 'Read My Lips' Promise — He Owns This Tax Hike

By Joseph Kelly Levasseur, NH Journal

I warned Republicans well before he won his first term that Jay Ruais was nothing but a Democrat in disguise. He won his first term running as a Republican, then stabbed the party that elected him in the back by running for reelection as Manchester’s first “nonpartisan” mayor.

During that campaign, in a three-minute speech on MCAM, Ruais looked voters in the eye and promised, “I will never allow an override of the tax cap.”

That promise was his George H.W. Bush “read my lips” moment. And, like Bush, it will follow him for the rest of his political career — whether he runs for reelection or for something higher.

On June 9, the Board of Aldermen voted 11-3 to override the voter-approved 3% tax cap and pass a roughly $453 million budget for fiscal year 2027. Only two Republicans stayed strong and voted no: Ed Sapienza and Crissy Kantor. Ross Terrio did not support the final Ruais-backed Democratic budget. Instead, he joined Norm Vincent and Kelly Thomas in offering a more restrained alternative that would have raised taxes about 1% less. Mayor Ruais refused to voice his support for it.

Ruais did not veto the nine-member Democrat budget override. He openly said he wouldn’t “play performative politics” by using his veto pen, because the 10 votes existed to override a veto anyway.

That is not leadership. That is surrender. He had the power to force a better outcome, or at least make a stand. He chose not to.

The Manchester City Charter requires the mayor to submit a budget at or below the tax cap. Ruais submitted one — not because he believes in it, but because he had no choice. Instead of fighting to protect taxpayers, he worked directly with Democrats to craft and then green-light an override.

For Democrats, this was their Holy Grail moment. For Manchester taxpayers, it is a betrayal.

This budget raises property taxes by an estimated 10 percent — far above the 3 percent cap — with the final numbers still unknown until the revaluation is complete. The revaluation notices won’t be fully out until late summer, but the real impact hits this November. Your fiscal year 2027 tax bills will combine your new, much higher assessed value with the new rate. Because this budget raises the overall tax levy well above the cap, most homeowners will see their taxes go up, not down.

The spending increases are everywhere: millions more for city departments, a struggling school district, unnecessary projects, health insurance, a skateboard park, and a new $1.3 million homeless shelter — all on the backs of Manchester property taxpayers and renters. The school district continues to divert millions from a bond-funded account meant for renovations into administrative costs.

In his first term, Ruais enjoyed a rare Republican majority on the board, including seven Republican aldermen. With that leverage, he could have stopped the Beech Street school building boondoggle and reined in the reckless spending of previous budgets. Instead, he helped push massive school district borrowing and now stands aside while Democrats raid dedicated funds.

The tax cap once meant something in Manchester. It was a real limit that protected homeowners and renters from runaway spending. Now that it has been broken — with the mayor’s active cooperation — who knows if it will ever be respected again?

Ruais failed to lead. He failed to veto. He worked hand in glove with Democrats to override the very promise he made to voters. Republicans, taxpayers, and renters will not forget what he did. This tax hike has Jay Ruais’ fingerprints all over it. He owns it.

Joseph Kelly Levasseur is a former seven-term alderman at large in Manchester. He wrote this for NHJournal.com.

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.