Manchester Developments

[FrankLloydMike]

Just a political note: Ward 12 Alderman Patrick Arnold has announced his candidacy for mayor of Manchester in November's election.

Here's Arnold's announcement, as published in the Union Leader:

I'm running for mayor because I believe in the city of Manchester and our bright future. I believe our city has countless opportunities to attract innovative new businesses and create good jobs. I believe our schools have the potential to be the best in the state, and that our quality of life should attract people and businesses from all over the country. What we need are leaders at City Hall who are willing to put politics, personal agendas, and ego aside and make the best decisions for the people of Manchester.

Unfortunately, Mayor Ted Gatsas is allowing these opportunities to slip away. Growth and development have stagnated. Our schools rank near the bottom in the state. Our city’s young families are choosing to raise their children elsewhere. In spite of these realities, Mayor Gatsas continues to tell us that everything is just fine. He's wrong.

Furthermore, Mayor Gatsas has led our city into one financial boondoggle after another. That's why I'm running for mayor: to capitalize on the opportunities we have to improve our city while keeping property taxes low. We need a new type of leader, a new way of doing business, and a new vision for Manchester.

I think Mayor Gatsas cares a great deal about the city, but I think he lacks the vision and priorities to guide it toward realizing its potential. I'm reserving judgement about the best candidate until I hear more about Arnold and anyone else who may enter the race, but Arnold's youth and commitment to improving the city are promising. Now, if Manchester had a mayor who advocated a strong vision for urban growth, rather than giving away city-owned land to suburban-style developments, and tried to compete for development with other cities rather than the city's own suburbs, I think Manchester could really take off.

[OSUPhantom]

Do you think Gatsas would run again? If not who do you think the GOP would put up.

Also I was in my planning studio class and I decided to write down a platform if I ever ran for mayor of my homecity. I'll have to send it to you sometime and see what you think.

[FrankLloydMike]

Originally Posted by OSUPhantom

Do you think Gatsas would run again? If not who do you think the GOP would put up.

Also I was in my planning studio class and I decided to write down a platform if I ever ran for mayor of my homecity. I'll have to send it to you sometime and see what you think.

I think Gatsas will probably run for a third term, but I'm not positive. He won pretty handily the last time around, I believe he has a lot of money to run, and he's obviously got the name recognition. I do, however, think things have changed a bit since the last election. The biggest change is the state of the schools, and I think Gatsas is getting a lot more flak about the schools than he did in the 2011 race. A lot of the issue with the schools has to do with state funding, which the mayor has fought, but it also has to do with a tax cap, which the mayor has supported and refused to override. I wrote on LivableMHT in July 2011 about all the reasons why I oppose the concept of a tax cap. Obviously, the school situation isn't entirely his fault, but I'd say his handling of it will be more of an issue if he decides to run for a third term.

I'm not sure who the GOP will put up if he decides not to run. City elections are officially nonpartisan, but it's safe to bet that the city GOP will line up behind a candidate if Gatsas doesn't run. Except for Bob Baines' time as mayor from 2000-2005, Republicans have held the mayor's office since 1990, despite Democratic super-majorities on the Board of Alderman for most of that time.

If Gatsas decides not to run, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ward 10 Alderman Phil Greazzo run. He's one of only two GOP alderman, a former GOP state representative, and he unsuccessfully ran for State Senate last year against long-time Senator Lou D'Allesandro. I don't often agree with Phil Greazzo on issues, and I think his attempt to unseat fellow Manchester state Rep. Mike Brunelle in 2011 was blatantly political, but he seems to be very involved in the West Side and could be well-positioned for a run for mayor. I don't know enough about his positions on issues facing the city, such as education funding, commuter rail, and land use to say whether I think he'd be a better advocate for the city and promote a stronger urban vision than Gatsas has. He did initially oppose the proposed liquor store at Granite Landing, which would have been a huge waste of a prominent piece of land, but I think that had less to do with supporting urban development patterns than thinking that his constituents opposed the idea.

The only other Republican who comes to mind is Joseph Kelly Levasseur, the bombastic alderman-at-large, who was perennial loser in city elections until 2011. I have to admit that I've been impressed by some of Alderman Levasseur's positions relating to the city, and his willingness to take on the mayor, a member of his own party, as well as fellow aldermen on issues that concern him. But he's known for nasty rhetoric, vitriolic attacks and recently maligned the police department, so I'd say he's shaky when it comes to reelection to the BOA, let alone becoming mayor.

It's early yet, and the election will be a lot different depending on whether Gatsas runs for a third term. I've said before that I think Gatsas is a fine public servant who cares a great deal about Manchester, but he wholly lacks the vision to make the city a strong urban alternative to other cities in the area. He's too open to suburban-style development and doesn't seem to be doing anything to make the city more attractive to young people and families. Nashua Mayor Donnalee Lozeau is a great example of a Republican who is pushing to make her city a stronger, more dynamic urban place. Even as a Democrat, I'd be very happy with a Republican mayor along the lines of her.

So while I don't know a ton about Alderman Arnold, it's promising to see someone under 30 making a strong run for mayor, and I wouldn't be surprised to see other young people like Alderman Garth Corriveau consider a run as well. Other than that, I'm not sure who will throw their names in, but the idea of a young mayor with a strong urban vision for the future of the city is very exciting.

I'd love to hear your ideas for a platform.

[FrankLloydMike]

Commuter rail is back on track in the Merrimack Valley. The Executive Council voted yesterday to move forward with the study of the Capitol Corridor commuter rail project, which will help determine startup and operating costs, as well as the economic benefits of commuter rail.

And on Tuesday February 12, Intown Manchester is hosting the Downtown Next Step Summit to help envision the future of downtown and craft a guiding vision for the city. The Summit is open to the public--I'll be there, and anyone else who is interested in helping to shape the future of downtown and can get the day off should also attend.

[MonopolyBag]

Man! I got work, I wouldn't mind going, but this snow has pushed tomorrows work to Tuesday. Hm...

[found5dollar]

This is great news. The Capitol corridor is desperately needed in NH.

[OSUPhantom]

Yes! I've been following the rail news a lot recently. I want nothing more than for NH to get a commuter rail.