Ruais announces ‘Manchester Community Outreach’ team members

    Jay Ruais. Photo/Jeffrey Hastings

    MANCHESTER, N.H. – On Wednesday. Mayoral candidate Jay Ruais announced members of a group his campaign calls “Manchester Community Outreach Team.”

    In a statement, Ruais says the group has members from different backgrounds who are seeking to support positive and solutions-based approaches that his campaign represents.

    The statement indicated that this was the first group of leaders in the initiative and all of the members were immigrants to the United States.

    The list of members (and their countries of origin) includes:

    • Diego Catano (Colombia)
    • Militza Pagan (Puerto Rico)
    • Abderazak Ali and Abdulrahman Abdulle (Somalia)
    • Candy Phan (Vietnam)
    • Junior Munzimi (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

    Ruais added that he seeks to build consensus and build responses based on listening to residents if elected mayor.

    “My wife immigrated to the United States from Peru in search of a better life, much like my family did when they came to Manchester in 1896 from Montreal to work in the mills that helped build the City of Manchester. We have a rich and diverse city, and for Manchester to be truly successful we must be responsive to the needs of the entire community,” said Ruais. “Listening is one of the most important, and least appreciated aspects of leadership. Over the course of the campaign, we have knocked on over 21,000 doors, and we have learned that people are tired of feeling as though their voices aren’t heard.”