Josh Denton, Portsmouth City Council Candidate

Josh Denton

Age (as of Election Day)

40

Position Sought

City Council

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Rebbi is five, Monk is four, and both are dogs.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Used GI Bill to graduate from UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law (2012); waited tables while earning a master's of public administration from UNH (2009); and used a ROTC scholarship to obtain a bachelor's from UNH (2003).

Occupation

Attorney that has become a Portsmouth Naval Shipyard lead negotiator (3 years).

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #168 (2021- present); President of 501(c)(3) PopUp NH Board of Directors (2020-present); Portsmouth City Councilor (2016-2020); Chair of Renewable Energy Committee (2017-2018); Member of Sustainability Committee (2013 – 2019); and Army Officer (2003-2007).

Campaign website

https://dentonforcitycouncil.com/

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am a proven leader running to restore competency and respect to the City Council. An understanding of the policy board's proper role made me an effective City Councilor and is necessary to stop the ongoing loss of the institutional knowledge Portsmouth needs to stay vibrant. Respect has to be restored for our volunteer boards by not replacing them with partisan hacks, respect has to be restored for our staff by recognizing they only work for the city manager, and respect has to be restored for our residents by not overturning a unanimous Ethics Committee conviction like this City Council did for Councilor Kennedy.

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

Portsmouth’s affordable housing crisis, that I have lived since returning from Iraq, has become exponentially worse during COVID. The residential revaluation increases that make it difficult for many to stay, stem from the strong desire to live here, our severe housing shortage, and new luxury condos. Our hot housing market negatively impacts anyone relying on fixed incomes, aspiring first time home buyers, and the half of our population that rent. Zoning must encourage our housing stock to increase until supply meets demand and incentive requirements should be adjusted so more affordable units are built. We should encourage the Portsmouth Housing Authority to build more projects like the one on Court Street, that I voted to waive $140,000 – 160,000 in fees for, and then City Councilor Becksted voted against during the previous term.

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

Just like my previous campaigns, I have been bicycling door to door every weekend from Labor Day to Election Day to learn your priorities, from sound barriers to relocating the Pan Am Rail Yard. To date, I have hit over 2,000 voters' doors and do not plan to stop until Election Day. Please feel free to share your thoughts with me. Many of my successful individual initiatives from when I previously served on the City Council started from a resident informing me of an issue.

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

The urgent need to restore competency and respect is epitomized by the current City Council’s inability to deliver on their 2019 campaign promise to reign in development. Policy is set by passing ordinances. For example, two years ago, my climate change focus pushed enacting the flood plain district zoning ordinance before any North Mill Pond development was submitted. By contrast, instead of setting policy by amending our zoning ordinances, this City Council harasses our talented staff that simply enforce existing ordinances. This has resulted in the former deputy city manager, planning director and traffic engineer all quitting in an unprecedented loss of institutional knowledge. Additionally, this City Council risks more lawsuits by replacing our thankless quasi-judicial board volunteers with ones not abiding by existing zoning. Worse, these actions by the City Council have been counterproductive because the City now lacks the staff to adequately enforce the current zoning on the proposed developments they promised to reign in.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

The City staff, especially our first responders, need to be commended. However, the City Council did very poorly in responding to the coronavirus. The pandemic will persist until all elected officials listen to the science, lead by example, and become proactive. Despite overwhelming support from medical experts, the current City Council failed to enact a mask mandate until Sept. 14 of last year. Worse, in a complete disregard for the health of all residents and staff alike, Mayor Becksted and Councilor Huda not only voted against that ordinance, but currently refuse to wear masks during City Council meetings. Being the seacoast’s slowest City Council to allow outdoor dining resulted in last year’s PopUp and this year they were incredibly reluctant to approve outdoor dining again. If elected, I will listen to the science, lead by example, and proactively codify outdoor dining in an ordinance to ensure that Portsmouth becomes even more vibrant!

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Pursuing more successful climate change mitigation initiatives. I previously conceived, recruited, and chaired Portsmouth's Renewable Energy Committee that created both our Net Zero Energy policy and the framework to achieve it. That framework led to many successes from expanding the solar power tax exemption to numerous electric vehicle initiatives. If elected, I would update our Net Zero Energy policy’s framework and restore the downtown Electric Vehicle fast chargers to our Capital Improvement Plan that the current City Council removed. I am well known for having made Portsmouth the first city in New Hampshire that enacted a citywide Styrofoam ban with my 2019 single-use disposables ordinance. In concert with codifying outdoor dining, I would push enforcement of that ordinance that requires businesses on public property compost. This ordinance built upon my previous successful curbside composting rebate and is crucial because food waste is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions.

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

My successful initiatives to assist my fellow veterans. Before I was elected to the City Council, Portsmouth’s longstanding $500 veterans tax credit was only allowed for veterans that served during specified times of conflict. In 2017, I introduced and passed my $500 All Veterans Tax Credit which required two 5:4 votes against the then City Manager’s desires. In 2019, I introduced and passed a similar resolution that doubled the Disabled Veterans Tax Credit. When Portsmouth's VFW Post was suspended this past spring, I accepted the role of Commander, returned the Post to good order, and found us a new meeting location. We started planning a Welcome Home End of the Afghanistan War Parade, but wisely postponed it just before Kabul fell. I also oversaw the creation of at least one $1,000 scholarship in perpetuity in the Post's name for seniors in our school system, using $50,000 from the interest from the sale of our building in 2018. I have also been speaking at City Council meetings since we submitted a resolution in July, that would create a $500 residential tax credit during the year(s) members of the New Hampshire National Guard and Reserves are called to active duty in combat service.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Be yourself.

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

I fell in love with Portsmouth as a UNH undergraduate, thought about the city often while I was in the Army, and moved here upon returning from Baghdad where I served as a combat adviser to an Iraqi infantry battalion. I have always believed in public service, as a former City Councilor from 2016-2020, as President of the 501(c)(3) PopUp NH during the height of the pandemic’s uncertainty in 2020, and now as the Commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #168. Please vote for me, Josh Denton, for City Council on November 2nd!