Craig Announces Campaign Co-Chairs

MANCHESTER – Citing a need for leadership in City Hall that will bring people together to solve problems, Alderman Joyce Craig announced her 2015 campaign for Mayor of Manchester, N.H.  

Craig: She's in!

Craig: She’s in!

“It’s time we have a Mayor who can bring people together to solve the problems facing our City.  As a PTO volunteer, School Board Member, business person and Alderman, I have a proven record of finding solutions to problems by working with parents, educators, business people and community leaders across our city,” said Craig.  “Together, we can work to improve our schools, address the growing threat of drug addiction in our community, invest in and maintain our roads and infrastructure and make Manchester the best place to live and work in New Hampshire.”

Born and raised in Manchester, Joyce began her public service in 2007.  As the mother of three young children, she was concerned by the many challenges facing Manchester’s schools.  Joyce ran for and won a seat on the Manchester School Board in 2007 and has served as an Alderman since 2009.  A bipartisan leader focused on results, Joyce has authored three city budgets adopted by the majority of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. These budgets invested additional dollars in our schools while lowering the tax rate, funding additional road repairs and hiring more police officers.  Craig also led efforts to implement citywide Single Stream Recycling, which in its first year saved the City $200,000 and increased recycling by 900 tons.

Craig also announced that former Alderman William B. Cashin, State Representative Mary Heath, David Allen, Senior Vice President & General Counsel of Dyn, and Kerry Schleyer, owner of Elm Grove Property Solutions, will serve as campaign co-chairs.

“For the past six years, we have seen what happens when confrontation is favored over collaboration in City Hall. Manchester must begin to move forward, and that change must start in the Mayor’s Office. Joyce Craig is a proven leader with a record of bringing people together to solve problems for the people of Manchester, and she is exactly the right person to lead Manchester,” said Alderman Cashin.

“Joyce Craig understands that improving our schools is a priority for our parents, educators and business community,” said Representative Heath, former Deputy Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Education. “As a volunteer at her children’s schools, a School Board Member and an Alderman, Joyce has spent years working to improve our schools and is committed to making our schools a priority when elected Mayor.”

“Manchester’s businesses and young professionals need a Mayor who is committed to attracting and retaining an educated and skilled workforce. We need a Mayor who understands that to attract the best employees, Manchester needs a great school system, safe streets and modern infrastructure, including the expansion of commuter rail from Boston to Manchester. I know that Joyce Craig shares the priorities of Manchester’s young professionals and business leaders, and I am proud to support her campaign for Mayor,” said Allen.

“As a parent and small business owner, I know that Joyce Craig is the right person to lead Manchester as our next Mayor. Joyce knows that we need to change direction in Manchester and I am proud to support her campaign,” said Schleyer.

“I am honored to have Alderman Bill Cashin, Representative Mary Heath, Dave Allen and Kerry Schleyer as co-chairs of my campaign for Mayor of Manchester. I look forward to working with them.  It’s time to move Manchester forward.”