John Tabor, Portsmouth City Council Candidate

John Tabor

Age (as of Election Day)

68

Position sought (including district number if applicable)

City Council

Party Affiliation

Dem

Family

My wife Betsy and I have two children, Laura, 35 and Max, 32.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

Not currently

Education

B.A., Yale 1977

Occupation

Retired after 20 years as Publisher of the Portsmouth Herald and Seacoast Media Group

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Two-term incumbent City Councilor

Campaign website

taborcitycouncil.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

In my second term, I launched Portsmouth Community Power to lower residents' electric rates - some months as much as $30 - and create more green options. It's an example of government being a force for the greater good, and of teamwork – we created an Energy Committee of experts. I've also led the council to set budget guidelines so the tax rate does not go up faster than residents' incomes. In my third term, I want to work on our toughest issue - affordable housing. For our city to survive, more of the people who keep Portsmouth going need to be able to live here. While none of us can cancel the economic forces that are making rents and house prices go up, we can create meaningful amounts of workforce housing on city property, and through partnerships.

I go door to door every campaign. It reminds me who I work for....

- Helaine and her son who live in Pannaway Manor. She is a renter who knows her landlord is likely to sell her 1,000 square foot house any day.. "Where can my son and I afford to go when that happens?"
- Maria, a widow on Cabot Street who is retired on Social Security, and struggles to hang on to her house of 30 years.
- Erica a Portsmouth mother on Dunlin Street who wants our schools fully funded and safe as her son catches up after COVID remote learning at New Franklin
- Pam and Doug, who live on Dennett street on low ground on the edge of the North Mill Pond. They see sea level rise bring the water closer to their home each major storm. They want action on climate and resilience in our infrastructure

I want to continue to work on solutions for them. With two terms of experience and proven leadership abilities chairing three committees, I know I can make a difference

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

Affordable housing. I am currently working with our city planning department on a housing dialogue in which those who oppose new housing could have a dialogue with those who need it. We hope to recruit several hundred residents to participate in small group discussions over four weeks. The input will not only help create consensus and provide ideas for the housing element of our city Master Plan next year.

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

Here are things I believe
Housing is our number one issue to solve.....Im working on citizen engagement for 2024 housing plans.
Listening and curiosity are essential – I've gone door to door to more than 1,500 homes in the last two elections to hear what you have to say
Innovation generates essential citizen input: I initiated Flashvote electronic polling to guide policy and engage citizens who can’t come to meetings
Local government can be a force for the greater good – Portsmouth Community Power.
Government needs to have a heart – I expanded senior and disabled tax exemptions.
The cost of government should be stable and predictable – I led the city council to vote for budget spending limits and engaged all departments in collaborative budget work sessions during the COVID crisis.
Council action requires consensus and public support first. As a founder of Portsmouth Listens and promoter of Study Circles for citizen input, I know small-group dialogues amongst citizens create solutions from the bottom up.

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

I am a member of a progressive and effective City Council that deserves re-election.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

As a former newspaper publisher I believe strongly in open and transparent government.

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

In addition to accomplishments in office above, my bio includes

- expanding Seacoast Media Group from a $12.5mm to a $29 million company with 200 employees.

-Co-chair of Portsmouth Listens for 20 years. Jim Noucas and I were given the Mayor's Award for the 2005 public dialogue process that shaped the city's Master Plan using small group dialogues to get the best ideas and priorities from more than 270 residents.

- Board chair of the Prescott Park Arts Festival. Also past Chamber president, United Way Campaign Chairman, and board chair of St. John's Church among others.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

You can get a lot done if you don't care who gets the credit.

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

Here's a fun song I wrote about all the streets in Portsmouth I and other candidates have seen going door to door... https://fb.watch/8NG_SYu1s9/