( - promoted by Laura Clawson)
[Dean suggested that us Mancheser people try writing something about the mayor's race, so here goes; I am stealing some of this diary from an op ed piece I wrote in the Union Leader last week]
The Manchester city primary is September 15. There are five announced candidates; the two candidates with the largest vote will be in the November runoff. One of the five, Glenn Oullette, does not seem have any organization or a very active campaign.
State representative Richard Komi is a first term Democratic state representative. His focus is on fiscal restraint, economic development and public safety. Representative Komi lacks the organization and resources of the remaining candidates, and is unlikely to be one of the two finalists. But he can build both name recognition and a base of support for what can be a bright future in city politics.
The two finalists are likely to be drawn from Ward 1 Alderman Mark Roy, Ward 2 Alderman Ted Gatsas, and former State Senator Bobby Stephen.
Alderman Roy, a Democrat, has made education central to his campaign. For Alderman Roy, good schools are crucial to economic development. He voted against the current school budget - a budget that has resulted in nearly 100 fewer teachers in the school district this year. A businessman, Alderman Roy also stresses the importance of quality of life issues, such as dealing with abandoned buildings, graffiti and public safety. He is energetic, thoughtful and hard working.
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The remaining two candidates reflect the often Byzantine nature of Manchester politics. Alderman Gatsas should have the support of Republicans, but a nominal Democrat, Bobby Stephen, is running to the right of Mr. Gatsas.
Alderman Gatsas is known for his involvement in the rehabilitation of Livingston Park (which was a good thing), and for drafting the city budget every year (not so good). The budget he wrote this year is devastating to the school district, but since it will result in a small tax increase, he raised hackles among those of the party faithful who see any tax increase as Satan's work.
Bobby Stephen supports the tax cap being promoted by the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition, which is a Republican front organization. Although a former Democratic state senator, Bobby Stephen has a cookie cutter Republican platform: cut taxes, without providing any specific ideas as to programs he will cut.
In two recent debates, Mr. Stephen has been all over the place when it comes to Manchester's schools. On August 12, he told a Union Leader reporter he would look into closing some schools. At a subsequent debate, he was asked if the city should close the smallest of the the city's three public high schools, Manchester West. He said maybe that would be an area to consolidate. Mr. Stephen has not done his homework on this issue. Currently, Memorial High School, with about 2200 students, is at capacity. According to an assessment done a couple of years ago, Manchester Central potentially could take another 300 students, raising its population to about 2600.
As West has 1300 students, that would leave about 1000 students with no place to go if it closes. I don't know what Mr. Stephen's plan is for those kids; perhaps they could drop out.
He also said during a debate, when asked where he would cut the budget, that there always is fat. Given that there area about 100 fewer teachers this year, not to mention cuts in the purchasing of textbooks, elimination of most non-sports extracurricular activities, cuts in supplies, cuts in maintenance, cuts to the bone, the idea that there is any fat anywhere is laughable.
I am a big tent Democrat; I think we should have room for liberals, moderates, conservatives, etc., in our party. But there are some things that are deal breakers for me. One of those is support for public education, because educating kids is fundamental to our democracy, our security, our future. While this mayoral election is non-partisan, I still bring those principles with me when I go to vote. I know Mark Roy has supported public education. I know that Ted Gatsas authored a budget that hurt public education. I cannot predict with certainty what Mr. Stephen will do, but, based on his rhetoric, the thought of what will happen to our Manchester school system under a Bobby Stephen administration scares the heck out of me.
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