I’m calling on all like-minded Granite Staters to mark their calendars for Tuesday, November 4, regardless of whether they live in a city. If you live in a city, you should already know when your local election is, who to vote for, and who you need to get rid of. If you live in a town, your local elections are in late winter, and you can “pay it forward” by adopting a city and one or more of its desirable candidates. I recently spent several hours at Manchester’s Ward 6 polls during their primary, where both Aldermen Joe Kelly Levasseur and Crissy Kantor had primaries to overcome.
If you live in a city, you can lend a hand in another city if you think yours is so lost at sea that your efforts would be more helpful elsewhere. Megan Schmitt, the Concord JBS chapter chair, and her son joined me at Charlotte school in 2023 when I was Alderman Dowd’s opponent. After some time with me in Ward 2, they went to Ward 6 to join future Alderman Chris Thibodeau, who is now running for reelection, at Fairgrounds school.
I paid it forward in 2023 when Brookline school candidate and accused book banner Candice Aiello Cunha was running against some TU darlings and sadly lost. It was really cold outside that day, so I’ll remind everyone that while undesirable weather can and does happen, it’s usually less likely and not as harsh in November as it is in February or March.
Why the comment on the weather? I am hoping that readers will commit (now) to helping their urban friends invest in saving their cities and not cancel at the last minute if they don’t get the weather they want. Dress accordingly. Wear shoes that are comfortable and well-insulated. Bring a camp chair if standing for too long is not for you. The NTU useful idiots ALWAYS come out in droves early and all day to hold totems for the enemy camp at Charlotte school and I have no reason to think it’s any different elsewhere.
If you’re not available on November 4, you can still help with some funds or some of your time with canvassing or sign waves. Choose candidates worthy of office and put their campaign website links in the comments because I don’t know all of them in every city. I will start by putting in a plug for Alderman Dowd’s opponent, Matthew Gouthro, because there’s a special place in my heart for ending the political career of that senior swamp rat before he’s an octogenarian.
I counted 12 cities in NH: Nashua, Manchester, Concord, Keene, Lebanon, Claremont, Berlin, Laconia, Portsmouth, Dover, Somersworth, and Rochester. I am not intimately familiar with all of them, but it’s fair to say they’re mostly blue cities, and some have a few quirky situations. For example, the enemy of 91A and the enemy of Gunstock fake Republican, Rep Bordes, is running for mayor in Laconia. Wink, wink, nod, nod, just in case you’d like to troll him, and there’s a recent editorial on supporting his opponent.
Claremont is known for its dumpster fire school situation, an example of why school elections matter, and more good people need to step up and run in the future. Concord has Mrs Sexton, who was the object of a recent Claire Best article and appears on everyone’s ballot, no matter where they vote.
Keene has its own share of blue, violent rhetoric from one of their aldermen on the heels of the death of Charlie Kirk. Bronwyn Sims wrote about a Keene candidate to reject.
Dover is where I thought Matt Mayberry lived until I learned he’s running for mayor to “Mass up” (Or should I say “Maine up”?) Rochester. After learning that Rep Kelley Potenza and Senator Gray withdrew their candidacies from that race, I heard that it’s not just Mayberry and that annoying old Dem alderman that keeps winning recounts and special elections and hates Charlie Kirk.
There are two other candidates on the final slate, and astute voters should be asking why they’ve received little to no attention. Due diligence is still a work in progress, as it should be, because there’s a large number of voters who are NOT fans of Mayberry or the Dem. I have no skin in that game, but what I do know is that our Editor in Chief sent a questionnaire to all four candidates, and Douglas Robbins, the only political newcomer, was the only one to respond (Editor’s note: Matt Mayberry’s campaign responded at the deadline).
I will also note that some local social media naysayers quickly shrugged off Robbins as a possible “candidate propped up by Granite Grok.” If you, the reader, vote in Rochester, remember that Granite Grok is not a candidate for office in any city, so I’ll leave it at that because official Granite Grok endorsements are seldom given.
With all that said about the smaller cities, let’s get back to the two big blue monsters: Nashua and Manchester. You might live many miles away from them, but you or people you know probably have ties. You/they might work there, shop there, receive medical care there, spend money there, or get stuck in traffic there. My point is that what happens locally and affects “life in the big city” ripples out to everyone in NH in one way or another.
Tent cities, Jersey barriers, mask edicts, panhandling, crime, the concentration of unsavory people, higher property taxes trickling down to businesses’ operating expenses passed on to consumers, I could go on and on. They have something in common as they’re directly or indirectly the consequences of elections with low participation and poor results. Be proactive. While you can’t change the cast of characters appearing on any ballot this November, you can support the good candidates.
In Nashua, the candidates to support are as follows:
Ward 1
Hailey Gallagher for alderman
Tyler Gouveia for alderman at large
Mike Hurlburt for school board
Ward 2
Matthew Gouthro for alderman
Tyler Gouveia for alderman at large
Mike Hurlburt for school board
Ward 5
Paula Johnson for alderman
Tyler Gouveia for alderman at large
Mike Hurlburt for school board
Ward 6
Chris Thibodeau, incumbent alderman
Tyler Gouveia for alderman at large
Mike Hurlburt for school board
Ward 8
Dave MacLaughlin for alderman
Tyler Gouveia for alderman at large
Mike Hurlburt for school board
Ward 9
John Sullivan, incumbent alderman
Tyler Gouveia for alderman at large
Mike Hurlburt for school board
Wards 3, 4 & 7 do not have a decent candidate for alderman, but Tyler Gouveia and Mike Hurlburt still need votes there.
Because Manchester had a primary, below is their revised list of candidates to support:
Ward 2
Ben Prescott for alderman
Joe Kelly Levasseur, incumbent alderman at large
Will Infantine, nonincumbent alderman at large
Ward 4
Paul LaFerrierre for alderman
Joe Kelly Levasseur, incumbent alderman at large
Will Infantine, nonincumbent alderman at large
Ward 5
Kathleen Paquette for alderman
Joe Kelly Levasseur, incumbent alderman at large
Will Infantine, nonincumbent alderman at large
Ward 6
Crissy Kantor, incumbent alderman
Joe Kelly Levasseur, incumbent alderman at large
Will Infantine, nonincumbent alderman at large
Ward 7
Ross Terrio, incumbent alderman
Joe Kelly Levasseur, incumbent alderman at large
Will Infantine, nonincumbent alderman at large
Ward 8
Ed Sapienza, incumbent alderman
Joe Kelly Levasseur, incumbent alderman at large
Will Infantine, nonincumbent alderman at large
Ward 9
Troy Micklon for alderman
Joe Kelly Levasseur, incumbent alderman at large
Will Infantine, nonincumbent alderman at large
Ward 10
Robert Rivera for alderman
Joe Kelly Levasseur, incumbent alderman at large
Will Infantine, nonincumbent alderman at large
Ward 11
Norm Vincent, incumbent alderman
Joe Kelly Levasseur, incumbent alderman at large
Will Infantine, nonincumbent alderman at large
Ward 12
Kelly Thomas, incumbent alderman
Joe Kelly Levasseur, incumbent alderman at large
Will Infantine, non-incumbent alderman at large
Sorry, Wards 1 and 3, you don’t have a worthy candidate for alderman with ballot access because your primary was a train wreck, but Joe Kelly Levasseur and Will Infantine still need votes there, and you can find the correct school candidates in every ward by clicking here. I will add that Manchester’s disappointing fake Republican mayor was involved in efforts to oust Joe Kelly Levasseur, and two candidates received more votes than him in their primary. It’s imperative that he gets reelected, even if the usual bake sale cooks have to switch to pickle making!
This is an urban call to action with a few weeks’ notice. Rally up your like-minded friends and make a commitment to get involved. Your city friends can return the gesture a few months from now in the towns.
