MANCHESTER, N.H. – Time is running out for candidates to file for Manchester’s 2025 Municipal Election and on Wednesday a pair of new candidates in Ward 4 led the sign-up list.
In the race for Ward 4’s Aldermanic seat, Paul LaFerriere. signed up to run against incumbent Christine Fajardo.
LaFerriere says he is running after hearing complaints from neighbors about sidewalk repairs that remain undone, issues with snow removal and other problems and encouragement from those neighbors that after experience in the military, the American Red Cross and other local groups, he has the leadership capacity to help solve those problems.
“I want to make sure that everyone is taken care of throughout the ward, not just people in my own section. I want everybody happy that things are getting done,” he said.
Ward 4 Board of School Committee Member Leslie Want will also now see competition, following the filing of Jason Hodgdon on Wednesday along with LaFerriere.
Hodgdon operates a State Farm office in Raymond and has lived in Ward 4 for the last decade following graduation from Manchester West High School in 2003 and attended Plymouth State University after that.
Although Hodgdon does not have any children, he says he would not feel comfortable putting kids into the Manchester School District at this moment if he had any, but wants to work toward getting the district to the place where he would be comfortable sending his children. He also wants to help take a deeper look at the district’s annual budget as well as what can be done to reduce class sizes.
The only other signup on Wednesday came from Malinda McCusker, who put her name in the ring for Ward 8’s Board of School Committee seat. Ward 8, which covers much of southern Manchester, was the last of Manchester’s 12 wards without a candidate for Board of School Committee.