MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Queen City will not have fireworks this Fourth of July.
On Tuesday night, the Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig defeated a motion to keep the fireworks display, breaking a 6-6 tie among the Board of Aldermen.
That motion was made by At-Large Alderman Joseph Kelly Levasseur and seconded by Ward 8 Alderman Michael Porter.
“We lost Memorial Day and now Independence Day? C’mon,” said Porter.
Craig preceded Levasseur’s motion by listing off several other cities in New England that have already cancelled fireworks this year due to safety concerns and also noted that the city would not have to pay a fee to the company they normally use for fireworks if they cancelled the event now.
Opposition votes to Levasseur’s motion included Ward 2 Alderman Will Steward, Ward 3 Alderman Patrick Long, Ward 5 Alderman Anthony Sapienza, Ward 11 Alderman Normand Gamache and At- Large Alderman Dan O’Neil.
Ward 1 Alderman Kevin Cavanaugh also voted against Levasseur’s motion after originally abstaining.
On Thursday, Cavanaugh told Manchester Ink Link that he briefly stepped away from the zoom meeting due to his dog barking, missing discussion on the matter and changing his vote after regaining his bearings.
Cavanaugh added that he was swayed by the continuing recommendation from Manchester Health Department Anna Thomas for the city to avoid any large-scale gatherings in attempts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Supporters of Levasseur’s motion included Porter as well as Ward 4 Alderman Jim Roy, Ward 7 Alderman Ross Terrio, Ward 9 Alderman Barbara Shaw and Ward 12 Alderman Keith Hirschmann.
Ward 6 Alderman Elizabeth Moreau and Ward 10 Alderman Bill Barry were absent.