It’s Election Day in the city of Manchester as voters go to the polls to determine who will be their next mayor, welfare commissioner, alderman, school board member and a plethora of ward office holders that govern the polling places. Voters will also decide whether or not to adopt proposed revisions to the city charter. At the top of the ballot of course is the race between incumbent Mayor Ted Gatsas and Ward 12 Alderman Patrick Arnold. However, the more interesting races on the ballot include the rematch between Welfare Commissioner Paul Martineau and challenger Diane Guimond and the battle for alderman at-Large featuring incumbents Dan O’Neil and Joe Kelly Levasseur and Ward 6 State Rep. Will Infantine. Down ballot, competitive races for alderman in wards 2, 6, 9, 10 and 12 will have people headed for the polls as will school board battles in wards 6, 7, 8, 11 and 12. We’ll have reports from the polls, analysis of the most watched races and candidate call-ins throughout the morning, so keep it here on Girard at Large…not that you wouldn’t anyway! Among those who won’t be voting today, by the way, are Bill Powers and Jeff Powers, the suspected aliases used by Alderman at-Large Joe Kelly Levasseur to attack political opponents and sing his praises on the Union Leader Web site. We’ve checked the voter registration rolls and they don’t exist. Of course, who knows whether or not they will after today, dot dot dot.
Campaign finance filings poured in to City Hall as nearly 20 candidates waited until the last day to file. Unfortunately, the Manchester City Democratic Committee failed to file its report. Among those who did are embattled incumbent Ward 6 Alderman Garth Corriveau who reported raising just shy of fifty five hundred dollars. Twenty five hundred of it came from city employee and other trade unions and two hundred bucks came from Police Commissioner Dick Bunker who, after being caught stealing a sign for challenger Joe Whitten from his neighbor’s lawn, said he was stricken with the flu after pulling it up and forgot to return it to its rightful place. Ward 10 aldermanic candidate Bill Barry continued to rake in the union cash adding another thousand bucks to his . The reports of Ward 6 incumbent school board member Daniel Bergeron, Ward 12 aldermanic candidate Roger Beauchamp and Ward 9 Alderman Barbara Shaw showed anywhere from ninety to one hundred percent of their less than impressive war chests coming from unions. Mayoral candidate Patrick Arnold reported raising forty five thousand in cash, however, at least eight thousand of that came from in kind contributions from his staff and at least another twelve thousand came from employee and trade unions.
Be sure to tune in to this radio station and Manchester Public Television Channel twenty two starting at six tonight as Mike Lopez, Jim Gaudet and your Humble Host bring you commentary, analysis, interviews and, most importantly the results of today’s elections as they come from the wards.
News from our own backyard continues after this.
Opponents of Common Core nationally are urging parents to celebrate Don’t Send Your Kid to School Day on November 18th. They’ve chosen that day because it is the beginning of National Education Week and it Revolution Day in Mexico. Organizers note that the Mexican constitution nationalized education, taking it away from localities back in the day, so they thought it was apropos that the day coincided with the beginning of National Education Week. We‘ve linked to the story so you can read all about it. Meanwhile, those concerned about Common Core in New Hampshire are invited to a meeting at Souhegan High in Amherst tomorrow night from 6 to 8, a meeting forced open to the public after the district was caught inviting specific folks in town to a one sided meeting featuring only pro-Core advocates. On Thursday night at seven, the New Boston Republican Committee will host Education Advocate Ann Marie Banfield at the Whipple Library and the public is invited.
Former Second District Congressman Charlie Bass announced he will not seek the United States Senate seat now held by Jeanne Shaheen. He released a statement saying while he’s given the matter considerable thought, his personal and professional commitments preclude a run. He expressed confidence that a strong Republican challenger to Shaheen would emerge from the primary. Former State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Jim Rubens, the only declared G O P candidate in the race responded by saying time is short and now is the time for Republicans to unite behind his candidacy.
That’s news from our own backyard, Girard at Large hour ___ begins right now!
