MANCHESTER, N.H. – Although they weren’t quite as busy as the first day of the filing period for the 2025 Manchester Municipal Election, the second and third days of the filing period saw a trickle of new candidates arrive and ask to have their names put on the city’s ballots this fall.
On Tuesday, only two Aldermanic candidates signed up: Glenn Ouellette in Ward 3 and Dan O’Neil in the race for one of the two at-large seats.
O’Neil first joined the Board of Mayor and Aldermen in the 1980s and has served continuously on the board since 1998 outside of a two-year gap following his loss in the 2021 election.
He says he learned valuable lessons from that loss and has updated his campaign strategy since then, incorporating new technology into his approach. However, he says that the core of his approach is constituent services, and indeed he was able to help a resident find the right part of City Hall to meet their needs just moments before he filed.
“I really love helping Manchester residents, especially on the small things,” said O’Neil. “There’s no better feeling that helping someone get connected to the right people to help them address whatever is concerning them.”
The only sign-up for the Board of School Committee on Tuesday was Sean Parr, seeking to run for re-election in Ward 2.
Parr said that the Board of School Committee has done good work in recent years, but there is still more to do.
“I think there’s a lot of advocacy work to be done in terms of funding. I think we have to really think carefully about our long-term facilities plan and how we start to really put things into motion for that,” he said. “I think we have to work really hard to mitigate all the kind of diminishing funding efforts at federal, state, and local levels to really kind of see how we can best serve our students with fewer dollars.”
On Wednesday, two more Ward 2 candidates made things official as Melodye Smith joined Parr in the Ward 2 Board of School Committee race and Ben Prescott became the second candidate for Ward 2’s Aldermanic seat, following Dan Goonan’s filing for re-election on Monday.
Smith, who had two children graduate from Manchester Memorial High School, says she can bring common sense solutions and added transparency to the Board of School Committee.
“You get what you put into your education. My kids worked hard and both are succeeding and I think every kid in our city has that opportunity,” she said.
For Prescott, the key platform focus for his campaign was centered around government efficiency and fiscal responsibility.
Prescott and Smith signed up near the middle of the day, following a group of candidates signing up earlier in the day as incumbent Ward 6 Alderman Crissy Kantor joined Ward 3 Board of School Committee Candidate Cali Rojas and Ward 6 Board of School Committee Candidate Chastice Cocchiarella.
Kantor had announced earlier in the year that she planned to run for mayor, but decided to run for another term on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen instead, believing that it would be the best way to support her constituents and focus on issues that matter most to Manchester, adding that she enjoys serving on the board and fighting for her principles.
“With the experience I’ve gained as an elected official I can be a stronger, louder voice for Ward 6 and a true commonsense vote for all Manchester citizens. We must protect our great neighborhoods, prioritize public safety and bring real transparency and accountability to City Hall,” she said.
Kantor said the joint filing on Wednesday was a positive moment and indicative of a new generation of city residents seeking to make Manchester a better place.
“It is refreshing to see so many people deeply concerned about the future of Manchester and especially the future of our youth. I am witnessing new leaders rising with courage, compassion and a strong sense of personal responsibility,” she said. “They’re standing up for what they believe in and bringing people together around commonsense core values that bring unity. These are the voices we need, bold, honest and grounded in what’s right for our city. The future is bright when we lead with heart and purpose and we get to the polls to vote commonsense!”