Latest news with #JayRuais
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
44 candidates running for major offices in 2025 Manchester municipal election
The number of candidates running for alderman and school board seats in the 2025 Manchester municipal election continues to grow, with another three individuals filing paperwork at City Hall on Wednesday. A total of 44 candidates for aldermen and school board seats have filed during the first week and a half of the filing period. Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais filed papers seeking a second term Tuesday, along with his former opponent for mayor in the 2023 general election, Kevin Cavanaugh, who is seeking the Ward 1 alderman seat he occupied for eight years. Ruais is running unopposed at the moment. Cavanaugh enters the Ward 1 alderman race with one opponent thus far — Planning Board chairman Bryce Kaw-uh. The two-week window for candidates to file papers to run for office in the 2025 Manchester municipal election opened Monday, July 14, at 8 a.m. Declarations of candidacy will be accepted at the City Clerk's Office at City Hall during regular business hours until the filing period ends at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 25. Voters in each ward will select a mayor, two aldermen at-large, two school committee members at-large, one alderman, one school committee member and various ward officials, including a moderator, a ward clerk and three selectmen. The municipal primary election will be held on Sept. 16 with the general election being held on Nov. 4. The following candidates all filed paperwork as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 23, to run for office: Citywide races Mayor: Jay Ruais. Alderman at-large: Chris Morgan, Dan O'Neil School committeeman at-large: Jim O'Connell, Cindy Stewart WARD 1 Alderman: Bryce Kaw-uh, Kevin Cavanaugh School board: Julie Turner WARD 2 Alderman: Dan Goonan, Ben Prescott School board: Sean Parr, Melodye Smith WARD 3 Alderman: Avery Cyr, Dana Dexter, Glenn RJ Ouellette School board: Sarah Georges, Cali Rojas WARD 4 Alderman: Christine Fajardo, Paul LaFerriere School board: Leslie Want, Jason Hodgdon WARD 5 Alderman: Jason Bonilla, Kathleen Paquette School board: Jeff Taylor, Mark Millet WARD 6 Alderman: Crissy Kantor School board: Dan Bergeron, Chastice Cocchiarella WARD 7 Alderman: Ross Terrio, Tom Bozoian School board: Chris Potter WARD 8 Alderman: Ed Sapienza, Clyde Perezcastaneda School board: Malinda McCusker WARD 9 Alderman: Jim Burkush, Troy Micklon School board: Bob Baines WARD 10 Alderman: Bill Barry School board: Gary Hamer WARD 11 Alderman: Norm Vincent, Lawrence Bryant School board: Elizabeth 'Liz' O'Neil-Wong WARD 12 Alderman: Kelly Thomas School board: Carlos Gonzalez Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ruais, Cavanaugh among 41 running for major offices in 2025 Manchester municipal election
Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais filed papers seeking a second term Tuesday, one of 41 candidates running for office thus far in the 2025 municipal election. Among those filing Tuesday was Ruais's opponent for mayor in the 2023 general election, Kevin Cavanaugh, who is seeking the Ward 1 alderman seat he occupied for eight years. Since publicly announcing his intention to run for a second term in January, Ruais's campaign reports over $500,000 raised, with more than $450,000 cash on hand. Ruais said when he was sworn into office 19 months ago, he promised the people of Manchester "a new beginning" with a goal of making the Queen City the best mid-sized city in the United States. 'Working collaboratively with our community partners, we have realized many successes on affordable housing, reducing crime and overdoses all while delivering two budgets that came further under the tax cap than any previous budgets,' Ruais said in a statement. 'However, we know much more work remains, and we are just getting started. 'We have bigger plans on the horizon to keep Moving Manchester Forward. I humbly ask you for the opportunity to lead the city for another two years so that we can continue achieving positive results for the Queen City.' Ruais is running unopposed at the moment. Cavanaugh enters the Ward 1 alderman race with one opponent thus far — Planning Board chairman Bryce Kaw-uh. 'Manchester is where I was born and raised as well as where my wife Kerri and I chose to raise our kids. To us, Manchester is home,' Cavanaugh said in a statement. 'With every campaign, I have focused on public safety and public education, and this campaign will be no different.' Ward 1 resident and former Manchester Chief of Police Allen Aldenberg voiced support for Cavanaugh, saying he was 'very supportive of the Manchester Police Department and public safety initiatives' during his tenure as chief. 'He was willing to have open and honest discussions about public safety issues and the means to address them,' Aldenberg said. 'As a Ward 1 resident I am confident that Kevin will continue to serve the residents of Manchester well and with integrity.' The two-week window for candidates to file papers to run for office in the 2025 Manchester municipal election opened Monday, July 14, at 8 a.m. Declarations of candidacy will be accepted at the City Clerk's Office at City Hall during regular business hours until the filing period ends at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 25. Voters in each ward will select a mayor, two aldermen at-large, two school committee members at-large, one alderman, one school committee member and various ward officials, including a moderator, a ward clerk and three selectmen. A total of 41 candidates for aldermen and school board seats have now filed paperwork during the first day of the filing period. The municipal primary election will be held on Sept. 16 with the general election being held on Nov. 4. The following candidates all filed paperwork as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 22, to run for office: Citywide races Mayor: Jay Ruais. Alderman at-large: Chris Morgan, Dan O'Neil School committeeman at-large: Jim O'Connell, Cindy Stewart WARD 1 Alderman: Bryce Kaw-uh, Kevin Cavanaugh School board: Julie Turner WARD 2 Alderman: Dan Goonan, Ben Prescott School board: Sean Parr, Melodye Smith WARD 3 Alderman: Avery Cyr, Dana Dexter, Glenn RJ Ouellette School board: Sarah Georges, Cali Rojas WARD 4 Alderman: Christine Fajardo School board: Leslie Want WARD 5 Alderman: Jason Bonilla, Kathleen Paquette School board: Jeff Taylor, Mark Millet WARD 6 Alderman: Crissy Kantor School board: Dan Bergeron, Chastice Cocchiarella WARD 7 Alderman: Ross Terrio, Tom Bozoian School board: Chris Potter WARD 8 Alderman: Ed Sapienza, Clyde Perezcastaneda School board: None WARD 9 Alderman: Jim Burkush, Troy Micklon School board: Bob Baines WARD 10 Alderman: Bill Barry School board: Gary Hamer WARD 11 Alderman: Norm Vincent, Lawrence Bryant School board: Elizabeth 'Liz' O'Neil-Wong WARD 12 Alderman: Kelly Thomas School board: Carlos Gonzalez Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kantor bows out of run for Manchester mayor, looks to retain alderman seat
Manchester Alderman Crissy Kantor, owner of Chill Spa on Hanover Street and a Republican, confirmed Wednesday she has decided against running for mayor and will instead look to retain her Ward 6 alderman seat. Crissy Kantor Crissy Kantor Kantor launched a website in March declaring her candidacy for mayor. She had been the lone candidate to declare a desire to unseat incumbent Mayor Jay Ruais, who is also a Republican. 'I want to continue to serve the people of Ward 6 and bring more transparency and accountability to City Hall,' Kantor said in a statement. 'I believe Manchester cannot afford radical ideas that threaten our Manchester values and divide us. I aimed to motivate Manchester citizens to attend Board of Mayor and Aldermen meetings and hold all of us officials accountable. Wasteful spending impacts not just our wallets but our future generations.' Ruais announced in late January that he will seek a second term. While acknowledging the end of her mayoral campaign, Kantor thanked those who supported her. 'Running against an incumbent mayor of the same party was challenging, but there were incredible people who stood by me and put their necks out on my behalf,' Kantor said. 'I am very grateful to all who supported a Manchester First campaign. I believe the best thing I can do for our city is to run for reelection and fight for the things that matter most to the people of Manchester: greater transparency, common sense, and fiscal responsibility.' At the moment, Ruais is running unopposed in his bid for reelection. The filing period to run for office in the city's 2025 municipal general election begins on Monday, July 14, at 8 a.m. and runs until Friday, July 25, at 5 p.m. Asked for comment on Kantor's decision, Ruais campaign spokesman Ethan Zorfas said since taking office the incumbent mayor has been 'relentlessly focused on further reducing crime, addressing homelessness, expanding affordable housing options, while keeping taxes low.' 'The future of the Queen City is bright, but he knows more work remains, and is committed to working with anyone and everyone to continue moving Manchester forward,' Zorfas said in a text message. Kantor is in the second year of her first full term as alderman for Ward 6. She defeated Maxine Mosley in a special election for the seat in early 2023, 725 votes to 561, after former Alderman Sebastian Sharonov resigned citing 'enormous pressure' the war in Ukraine put on him physically and emotionally. Kantor ran for reelection to a full two-year term in the seat in Nov. 2023, once again defeating Mosley, this time 1,195 votes to 885. Kantor's website, now describes her as a 'Trump Republican for Alderman.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Manchester school board warns language in budget trailer bill could cost city schools $10.2M
The Manchester school board is sending a letter to state legislators sounding the alarm about a small section — six lines, to be exact — in the state budget trailer bill (HB 2) that would cost the school district approximately $10.2 million next fiscal year. Page 70 of the bill includes language establishing what is essentially a cap on targeted aid for larger school districts. For districts with 5,000 or more students, the bill seeks to subtract from targeted state aid until the amount decreases to $3,750 per student. The cap would effectively cut Manchester's adequacy aid from $127.8 million under current law to just under $117.6 million — a cut of more than $10.2 million. By comparison, the city of Nashua would see its targeted aid jump by more than $1.2 million under the new language, from $83.2 million to $84.4 million. 'As far as we can tell, Manchester is the only municipality in New Hampshire that stands to lose money because of this cap on targeted aid,' the letter from Manchester's school board to the Legislature's Committee of Conference says. 'Such a loss would put at risk our ability to best serve the educational needs of our students.' The state's education aid formula was tweaked in response to Manchester getting a bonus from the introduction of the Extraordinary Needs Grant in 2021, a more than $30 million annual increase. The amendment limits that bonus and will lead to Manchester getting more than $10 million less than it gets now. The amendment received support from members of both parties, because the $10 million is being shared by other income- and property-poor communities like Berlin, Claremont and Franklin. Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais said Tuesday he has been in contact with some of the committee members, who will likely begin meeting later this week. "I am reaching out to the conferees to gather information and develop a course of action to address this issue," Ruais said. School board member Bob Baines, a former mayor and educator, said he spoke to Gov. Kelly Ayotte about the targeted cap last week. 'We've been in touch with various representatives, but this needs to be watched very, very carefully in the (Legislature's) Committee of Conference,' Baines said. 'Can you imagine the devastation that will occur in Manchester, the most significant devastation possible in our public schools. We all need to work on that with our representatives, because I think in any big government bill — no matter how big and beautiful it is — some people don't read it and don't understand. 'Why would Manchester be singled out as the only community in the state of New Hampshire that would lose funding? If you care about Manchester, we should get that funding — we planned on it.' School board member Sean Parr drafted the letter and gathered the signatures of fellow board members this week. 'We are hoping to reach out to the Committee of Conference to let them know that it has this particular effect only on Manchester,' Parr said. 'I think it would be good for us to at least explain the situation, tell them that it's a significant impact to our budget in its current form, and to ask that they reconsider that part of the budget proposal.' In the letter, school board members urge committee members to reconsider the 'targeted cap' portion of the bill, warning the proposed budget could lead to 'harmful cuts and reductions to student services.' School officials point out that despite being the largest school district in New Hampshire with nearly 12,000 students, Manchester ranks at the bottom of the state in per-pupil spending, with over 53% of students qualifying for free and reduced-price meals, 20% multilingual learners, and 23% special education students. 'The proposed reductions would therefore have devastating consequences for our students, our educators, and ultimately, the future of our city,' the letter says. 'We welcome the opportunity to engage in continued dialogue, and we hope that you will collaborate in crafting a budget that reflects the values, priorities, and long-term vision of a thriving state with excellent public schools.' pfeely@
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hallsville project heads to city ZBA for variances
A developer looking to convert a vacant 134-year-old Manchester schoolhouse into up to 40 units of affordable housing will go before the city's zoning board this week seeking multiple variances needed for the project to proceed. York Hallsville Building LLC will request the variance for the proposed renovation of the Hallsville School building, 275 Jewett St., at Thursday's meeting of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, slated for a 6 p.m. start at City Hall. The Hallsville School has been closed since 2021, but Mayor Jay Ruais recently announced the city has agreed to sell the historic property to York Real Estate for $50,000. The building would be fully renovated as part of the project, with the facade remaining. The renovations will create a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. The site around the building will be improved, including new landscaping, with the gym remaining and available to the Manchester Parks and Recreation Department for pickleball and other activities. The sale won't become official until York is awarded funding from New Hampshire housing and historic preservation tax credits and other sources, a process which could take up to two years. During that time, York's team is working on permitting and design. York expects to file the project's first pre-application in June, with full applications due in September. Award details are announced in January, with funding available the next spring for chosen projects. If unsuccessful during the first cycle, applicants usually reapply in year two. The variances York is seeking are as follows: • 5.10.A.6-Allowed uses — Multifamily dwellings are not permitted within the R-2 Zone; • 5.10.H-5.2-Allowed uses — Gym/recreation centers are not permitted within the R-2 Zone. While the school itself is not currently being used, the existing gym is used as a pickleball center open to the public. The project proposes preserving the existing school gym with the intent to lease it back to the city to operate the recreation programs. The entrance and the lobby will be shared space between the residential and the leased gym. • 6.03.A-Front yard setback — R-2 zone requires 15-foot front setback for principal use. The existing school and gym that occupy the site, currently exist in a configuration which violates current zoning front yard setbacks. • 6.03.C-Side yard setback — R-2 zone requires 20-foot side setback for principal use. • 6.04-Maximum lot coverage — R-2 zone requires 75% for principal use. As the three lots currently exist today, they combine for a 96.9% impervious cover. The project is proposing to increased greenspace on the lots by approximately 5,330 square feet. • 6.06-Maximum floor area ratio. • 8.04-Multifamily dwelling density -– The R-2 zone does not utilize multifamily dwelling density. The project involves a combined lot area of 55,000 square feet. Current density calculations allow for one unit per 1,525 square feet, and the project is requesting a variance to allow up to 40 units, resulting in a density of one unit per 1,375 square feet. The final bell rang at Hallsville in June 2021, 130 years after it opened. In the 2022 fiscal year budget, former Superintendent of Schools John Goldhardt recommended that the school be closed. The three-story structure was originally constructed as an eight-classroom building, four classrooms per floor, with each classroom about 900 square feet in area. The basement contained the boiler room and restrooms. Two stairways, one on the east side of the building and one on the west side, connected the three stories. The stairways opened onto the center core of the building, measuring about 20 by 27 feet. In 1908, the building was cut in half, with the eastern half rolled 40 feet to the east and the void infilled with three full stories, creating four additional classrooms to create a 12-classroom structure. Various updates and renovations were made over the course of the building's history. In 1975, aluminum windows replaced the original double-hung units. In 1993, a gymnasium and lobby were added, along with an elevator, to make the building accessible. The site measures 220 feet along Jewett Street, 250 feet along Merrill Street, 250 feet along Hayward Street and is fully paved with asphalt. The site includes 28 parking spaces on the north side of the parcel, 15 spaces to the west and eight spaces to the east, for a total of 51 off-street parking spaces. Aldermen hit the reset button in 2023 on discussions about the future of the former school after plans to convert the vacant building into a mixed-use community center were scrapped. A proposal from Southern New Hampshire Services and Granite State Children's Alliance was withdrawn because of inadequate funding. Plans included 20 units of affordable housing for seniors, an early childhood classroom and a Child Advocacy Center, operated by Granite State Children's Alliance, which would have offered services to children who have experienced trauma. An architect hired to look at the feasibility of repurposing the vacant building into a community center estimated in 2024 that such a plan would require nearly $5 million in upgrades and $100,000 in annual maintenance costs.
