MANCHESTER, NH – A dozen mayors from across New Hampshire gathered at the Greater Manchester Chamber offices Monday on Hanover Street for a summit in what has become an ongoing collaborative of Granite State municipal leaders.
Organized by Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais, the gathering was only the second in-person meeting of the state’s mayors, who have increased cooperation with each other since the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the meeting, which was closed to media, Ruais and the other mayors told assembled media that the meeting was an opportunity to follow last fall’s elections with what could be potentially the first of quarterly discussions between the local executives in municipalities that house hundreds of thousands of Granite State residents.
“I really wanted to just be proactive, it’s Q1 of the year, how can we get together, roll up our sleeves, identify some of the best practices that we have as well and then really make this a rotating routine occasion,” said Ruais.
The only New Hampshire mayor not in attendance was Robert Cone of Berlin, with the other mayors echoing that the meeting was positive and a reminder that while each of the mayors may have different political views, they share common ground when it comes to the sharing the challenges of being a New Hampshire mayor.
“I look forward to the next (meeting) because nobody looks at us at the community level as a Republican or a Democrat, they look at us as a neighbor, a soccer coach, a friend,” said Portsmouth Mayor Paul McEachern. “So when we put the party labels aside, folks start listening and we can actually get some stuff done, even if we’re coming from two different backgrounds.”
McEachern also echoed the other mayors on the need to get more support from Concord, with Concord Mayor Bryon Champlin jokingly noting that the mayors were referring to the state government when they mentioned Concord, and not his city.
“One thing I have learned serving on the (city) council and now being mayor of Portsmouth is that when it comes to solving a problem in Portsmouth, usually the answer to that problem is somewhere in Portsmouth, somebody has the expertise or ability to do that,” said McEachern. “I think when we look at Concord, we’re looking at the same type of dynamic; not to solve the problem, but help enable us to solve the problem.”
Laconia Mayor Andrew Hosmer agreed with that sentiment.
“Just like we’re working together and sharing best practices in what works in our communities and sharing what’s been challenging in our communities, we look for the state to come along and assist us rather than point the finger at us and be a good collaborative partner on issues like housing and education and taxes,” said Hosmer. “Because we can’t go to the grocery store or to a ballgame without bumping into somebody who’s got a very strong opinion about what’s going on in the community.”
McEachern also stated that while New Hampshire cities are not looking for New Hampshire to become a “sanctuary state,” discussion over that topic stresses the need for comprehensive immigration reform given the importance of immigrants to local economies. He and Ruais also shared the belief that the best way to fight the phenomenon of “NIMBY” or “Not in my backyard” residents regarding increased housing is by communicating that more housing can be achieved without fundamentally changing the nature of a community.
Other mayors at the summit also shared their viewpoints on a variety of topics that were discussed. Rochester Mayor Paul Callaghan mentioned the heightened risk of homelessness for senior citizen populations and the need for more elderly housing. Dover Mayor Bob Carrier stressed the need for more financial assistance from the state and federal government around the issue of housing. Keene Mayor Jay Kahn stated more work needed to be done in identifying unused parcels of land that could be purposed for housing and addressing budgetary challenges relating to homelessness. Lebanon Mayor Timothy McNamara talked about more work that needed to be done regarding multi-family or “missing middle” housing. Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess discussed the need for the state to fulfill its obligations in education funding aid, which in turn would lower local property taxes. Somersworth Mayor Matt Gerding noted the connection between the opioid epidemic and homelessness.
While a future meeting of the mayors was not announced at the press conference following Monday’s meeting, Ruais said he would be in favor of inviting leading elected officials from the state’s larger towns to join future meetings while Kahn thanked the New Hampshire Municipal Association, which represents all of the state’s towns and cities, in making Monday’s event happen.
“I am a believer in more communication, not less,” said Ruais.