MANCHESTER, N.H. – Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais officially filed his candidacy for a second term on Tuesday, making him the first candidate to file to run for Mayor in this fall’s upcoming municipal election.
The only other announced candidate for mayor, Ward 6 Alderman Crissy Kantor, decided to withdraw to instead seek another term on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
If another candidate does not arise to challenge Ruais, it would be only the second time in Manchester history that there has not been a contested election for Mayor, and the first time since 1863, when Frederick Smyth won his fourth term.
In spite of the potential lack of a challenger, Ruais is not modifying his perspective.
“We’re always going to run like we’re 10 points behind. We’re not going to take anything for granted. We’re going to continue to talk to folks, identify solutions to problems, and let the politics take care of itself,” he said. “I still want ro bring solutions to the city. I want to be able to say ‘here are the things I want to accomplish’ and lay it out there. I want to be transparent and I want to be held accountable for the solutions we’re putting forward, so for me nothing changes. We’re going to continue to run a campaign, we’re going to continue to work with the Aldermen and we’ll look forward to November.”
Since publicly announcing his intention to run for re-election in January, Ruais’ campaign reports over $500,000 raised, with more than $450,000 cash on hand. Additionally, an internal poll released by the Ruais campaign in January found that by a nearly 2-1 margin, city residents feel the city is heading in the right direction.
Ruais’ 2023 General Election opponent, Kevin Cavanaugh, also filed on Tuesday, albeit for the chance to return as the Alderman for Ward 1.
With incumbent Ward 1 Alderman Chris Morgan seeking an At-Large seat on the board, the race in Ward 1 now includes Cavanaugh and Planning Board Chair Bryce Kaw-uh.
Cavanaugh looks to focus on housing as well as education and public safety as priorities if he is elected, with former Manchester Police Department Chief and Ward 1 resident Alan Aldenberg praising Cavanaugh’s work during earlier terms as an Alderman and State Senator.
“During my time as the Chief of Police, Kevin was very supportive of the Manchester Police Department and public safety initiatives. He was willing to have open and honest discussions about public safety issues and the means to address them,” said Aldenberg. “As a Ward 1 resident I am confident that Kevin will continue to serve the residents of Manchester well and with integrity.”
The only other Aldermanic filing on Tuesday came from Ward 12, where incumbent Kelly Thomas filed for re-election.
Like Cavanaugh and Ruais, Thomas hopes to gather information from as many stakeholders as possible in her deliberative process, and she also hopes to continue efforts in addressing the city’s homelessness crisis as the chair of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s Special Committee on Drugs, Alcohol and Youth Services.
“I always try to look at all sides and do as much research as possible before making a vote. I hope that my constituents in Ward 12 are seeing that,” she said. “I’m here to help people, bring new ideas and unique strategies to help our city.”
Thomas was the first candidate for the Ward 12 Aldermanic slot, the final Aldermanic race without any candidates. Carlos Gonzalez filed for another term in the Ward 12 Board of School Committee seat, the second to last vacant race on the ballot for School Committee, with only Ward 8 now lacking a candidate.
The filing period concludes on Friday at 5 p.m.