2 weeks Ago
Past and present Democratic mayors across the state turned out to urge voters to support former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig's bid for governor. Republican rival and former U.S.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte has her own stable of municipal leaders in her camp as this tight race heads into its final week. A group of nine past and present Democratic mayors urged voters at a press conference Tuesday to elect one of their own for governor, former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, who is locked in a tight race with former Republican U.
S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte.
Concord Mayor Byron Champlin said Craig, during her three terms in Manchester, worked with municipal colleagues from both parties to tackle issues such as homelessness and state downshifting of costs to local communities. “Joyce has been in the trenches with us, facing the same challenges that communities across New Hampshire deal with every day,” Champlin said. “She is dedicated to making sure state policies don’t just look good on paper, but actually support growth and opportunity for people in Concord and beyond.
" Former Berlin Mayor Paul Grenier said he’s concerned that Ayotte has vowed to keep the state on the same course as outgoing four-term GOP Gov. Chris Sununu. “Our economy in the North Country is struggling thanks to the so-called Sununu miracle,” Grenier said.
In 2023, Sununu vetoed legislation to provide continued subsidies to the Burgess BioPower plant; the company has filed for bankruptcy and Berlin has asked a judge to force it to pay $1 million in unpaid property taxes. “The North Country economy is on a knife’s edge," said Grenier, a city councilor. Sununu said since 2014 other ratepayers had subsidized more than $200 million for the power produced at the Berlin plant that until last September was sold to Eversource, the state's largest electric utility.
Craig said she’s got a proven record of accomplishment. “As mayor, I worked every day for families across Manchester, addressing affordable housing, strengthening public education and protecting reproductive freedom,” Craig said. “I have the executive experience needed to help strengthen cities and towns across New Hampshire.
” Throughout this campaign, Ayotte charged Craig allowed homelessness and the opioid epidemic to get out of control while she ran the state's largest city. Ayotte has five past and present mayors supporting her, including Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais, who succeeded Craig, and Robert Cone, who unseated the seven-term Grenier as mayor of Berlin last November. “Joyce Craig failed Manchester and would raise our taxes as governor, that is the last thing that we need in the corner office.
,” Rochester Mayor Paul Callaghan said in a statement. “Kelly Ayotte will be a great partner for cities and towns, and the leader we can trust to build consensus around tough issues, protect the New Hampshire Advantage, and keep our state on the right track.” Ayotte said she was judged one of the most bipartisan members of the U.
S. Senate. “I’m proud of my record of working across the aisle to deliver for New Hampshire communities, from securing more than $1 billion to fight the opioid crisis to protecting New Hampshire’s environment, and I’ll bring that same bipartisan leadership to the corner office to tackle our toughest challenges and keep New Hampshire on the Sununu path,” Ayotte added.
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