Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais is seeking to hold a town hall-style meeting in each ward of the city and after Tuesday’s Ward 8 meeting at Manchester Memorial High School, he’s on track to hit all 12 wards before the end of the year. Here’s a recap of the topics that were discussed by the mayor and neighborhood residents.
Opioids/Homelessness/Downtown/Housing
Ruais lauded decreasing opioid data from EMR, the city’s ambulance service, showing that significant improvement had been made in July regarding opioid deaths and overdoses. Generally, July is the busiest month for opioid-related paramedic calls in Manchester.
He reiterated the Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s modification to the city’s camping ordinance on July 2 (joking with the crowd that his wife was upset at him for being at that meeting on her birthday). In addition to that ordinance change, he discussed the impact of a $500,000 transfer of funds from salaries for park rangers in the city to the Manchester Police Department that began on July 12. Between July 12 and Tuesday, he noted 84 additional arrested related to the transferred money, many for criminal behavior, and 251 citations issued.
Ruais reiterated that it is not a criminal offense to camp on city land and it is not a criminal offense to be homeless, but he also noted that the city government is seeking to help Manchester’s homeless population and it also will treat homeless individuals no differently than anyone else if they violate laws or make the downtown area an unwelcome place for other residents.
He added that while homeless encampments will be broken up, shifting them around the city is not a viable solution and he prefers more foundational approaches working with local organizations and introducing programs such as homeless courts that can help homeless individuals.
“I don’t just want bandaids on the problem, I want a tourniquet. I want to get rid of the problem itself,” he said, adding the importance of Narcan, and efforts the city’s homeless shelters have tried to make helping homeless individuals who once had difficulty getting third-shift jobs due to shelters’ curfew rules.
He also praised the recently established downtown cleanup crew, which as of Tuesday has picked up 3,150 pounds of trash, 34 pounds of human and animal waste and 52 needles despite not still not being at a full compliment.
Speeding motorists
One woman expressed concern over trucks driving on Goffes Falls Road at night even though signs indicate that they are not allowed to do so. The mayor said that traffic police can modify their details and a few tickets can permanently change the behavior of these truck drivers.
There was also concern about teenage drivers speeding on Weston Road and South Willow Street, although another resident said that the area near the Shoppes on South Willow, traffic enforcement had increased recently.
LGBTQ Students
One man expressed asked if Manchester public school teachers would be required to disclose things students tell them in confidence regarding their sexual identity.
Ward 8 Board of School Committee Member Jess Spillers said that this was a very tricky balance and encouraged everyone that knows parents or friends of students to act as a support network for those students. She also urged parents to become involved in their children’s lives and their schools and also urged any parents with concerns to contact her.
Ruais echoed these sentiments and said that the key is those involved feeling that they can talk to and be listened to by decision makers.
Safety on Rail Trails, Crystal Lake
One person asked if cameras could be put along the rail trail near Nutt Pond, with Ruais stating that any residents seeing something wrong should use the city’s See Click Fix app (also known as Manchester Connect) to document the problem and let city departments know. He agreed that areas used by residents should feel safe.
There was also concern about a lack of lifeguards at Crystal Lake, and one person that drown at the lake.
Ward 8 Alderman Ed Sapienza said that signs at Crystal Lake indicate that swimmers use the lake at their own risk and the person that drown went beyond marker within the lake urging no swimming at all.
Ruais said that there is currently a hiring freeze for most positions in the city government, meaning that any specific hire, including those for lifeguards, must receive additional oversight from the mayor’s office.
Placement of Refugees
Sapienza asked Ruais if refugee resettlements were planned comparable to those happening in Massachusetts. Ruais said that he had not heard of any in the near future and there is significant communication between the city and the federal government regarding this issue.
He added that there are two organizations in the State of New Hampshire tasked with refugee resettlement and that while the city cannot stop federal resettlement efforts, they attempt to not overburden any municipality.
Ruais said that Manchester aims to be a welcoming place for immigrants, noting that his wife is an immigrant from Peru and his grandparents immigrated to Manchester from Quebec, but he also noted that the city cannot welcome more new residents than its infrastructure will allow and Ruais has stressed that point with federal officials.
For previous mayoral town hall meetings, see below.
- February 16, 2024 (Ward 1) – Ruais discusses city issues during Ward 1 meeting
- March 13, 2024 (Ward 11) – Ward 11 Town Hall: Talking the talk with residents on crime, housing, garbage and West High School
- March 23, 2024 (Ward 3) – Mayor hears from downtown residents at latest town hall
- May 17, 2024 (Ward 9) – Ward 9 Town Hall: Mayor fields questions on tax breaks for developers, bail reform, traffic and school safety
- June 19, 2024 (Ward 7) – Ruais tackles questions from Ward 7 residents
- June 20, 2024 (Ward 12) Sparse crowd at Mayor’s Ward 12 Town Hall
- July 24, 2024 (Ward 10) Homelessness, housing, education and more discussed at Ward 10 town hall with the mayor