FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2013
ALDERMAN PATRICK ARNOLD ANNOUNCES BID FOR MAYOR
Says Manchester needs new leadership, visionManchester, NH – Alderman Patrick Arnold announced today he will be running for mayor of Manchester in the upcoming 2013 city election. A two-term Alderman from Ward 12, Arnold says Manchester needs new leadership to usher in job growth, innovation, and strengthen our education system.
“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.”
Alderman Arnold says his campaign will reach out across the city to engage residents on the issues that matter to them. “I believe in the grassroots,” he said. “Our greatest resource as a city is our people, and this campaign will be about talking with – and more importantly, listening to – all our city’s residents. We need a mayor who sees leadership as an opportunity to build consensus and engage with stakeholders. Instead, we have a mayor who thinks it should be his way or the highway. That’s not real leadership, and our city is suffering because of it. As mayor, I’ll work to bring people together to solve the problems facing our city.”
Alderman Patrick Arnold is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire School of Law and a practicing attorney at Backus, Meyer & Branch LLP in Manchester. As founding Chairman of the Committee on Economic Development and Jobs, he has a track record of helping make Manchester more business-friendly by working to streamline regulations and advocating for innovative new ways to boost investment and job creation. As a member of the Committee on Accounts and Revenue Administration and the Committee on Finance, he has been a force for fiscal responsibility in city government.
In addition to his work on the city council, Alderman Arnold serves as a Director of the Manchester Development Corporation, which manages over $4 million in assets and lends to qualified entrepreneurs for business expansion and job creation. In the last thirty-six months, MDC has made expansion loans of nearly $1.2 million to various business enterprises. Alderman Arnold also serves on the Board of Directors of NeighborWorks Greater Manchester, which builds and rehabilitates properties for affordable housing. Since 2006, NWGM has built or rehabilitated over 300 units, and generated $59 million in local investment.
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