FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 7, 2023
Over 100 Young Leaders Elected to Municipal Offices Across New Hampshire
603 Forward continues winning record with strategic year-round investment in recruitment, training, and independent expenditures in local races.
MANCHESTER, NH - A historic slate of young leaders have been elected to city offices across New Hampshire tonight and are ready to tackle the crises stifling our future. In response to the sweeping victories of young leaders, 603 Forward co-founder Lucas S. Meyer, released the following statement:
“The next generation of leaders are ready to flip the paradigm and deliver relief for our generation. Soaring housing costs, fueled by decades of discriminatory zoning policies, have put homeownership - let alone the ability to afford rent- seemingly out of reach for most. Parents are being forced to choose between their careers and child care, with skyrocketing costs and centers closing. People are working harder than ever, but they are still struggling to get by - which is why now more than ever it is vital that we have effective, inspiring, local leaders in office to show that our government can deliver and our democracy can work for all.
They will do this while fighting back against extremists and conspiracy theorists who continue to chip away at the bedrock of our democracy - with their conservative allies in the State House working overtime seeking to undermine free and fair elections, dismantle public education, roll back fundamental freedoms, and tighten their grip on their minoritarian power.
While these challenges are steep and daunting - there is a path forward with the historic slate of over 140 young, diverse Granite Staters appearing on municipal ballots today, and over 100 of them winning. These candidates ran to build stronger communities, protect our fundamental freedoms, and make our government work for all hard-working Granite Staters by giving us the tools we need to live a good life.”
“We can and should make government work for the people,” added 603 Forward Leadership Development Director Tim Peltier, “and these next-generation leaders will help make that a reality. There is no office too small for someone to make a difference. Win or lose, we must take every opportunity to fight for a more representative democracy and move the ball forward on the issues that are impacting our communities most. From Ward Selectman to Mayor, we have champions for our democracy and strong, inclusive communities. We look forward to working with all of our elected leaders to make a New Hampshire where everyone can thrive.”
603 Forward is committed to building a New Hampshire where everyone can thrive. That starts by electing young leaders to every level of the ballot, in every election. We know that these leaders are going to bring the necessary urgency to tackle these crises because they are living through them daily.
To build the next generation of leadership, 603 Forward made a comprehensive six-figure investment in candidate recruitment, training, and independent expenditures, including:
603 Forward recruited/trained 72 candidates of which 53 won, a win rate of 74%.
603 Forward invested 1,940 staff hours into candidate recruitment and training, a total spend of $73,307.
603 Forward hosted 9 training workshops with 140 total attendees
603 Forward invested independent expenditures to support 35 candidates of which 26 won, a win rate of 74%. 603 Forward sent two to three passes of mail in targeted districts with layered digital ads.
Total Independent Expenditure Spend: $42,000
Total Mail Spend: $25,000
Total Number of Mail Pieces: 25,500
Total Digital Spend: $12,000
Total Digital Impressions: 900,000
Total Staff Hours: 121 hours
These investments helped secure the victories of young leaders, including:
Ali Sekou, a community leader and activist who made history tonight as Concord’s first New American and first Muslim City Councilor.
Matt Gerding, an educator, LBGTQ+ leader, and At-Large City Councilor was elected tonight as New Hampshire’s youngest mayor.
Deaglan McEachern and Joanna Kelley, young leaders who were re-elected as Mayor and Assistant Mayor in Portsmouth to continue their work to build stronger, more inclusive communities.
Tim Sennott, a longtime election administrator (6yrs) and democracy advocate who won his election for Nashua Ward 7 Alderman.
Latoya Beck, a BIPOC mother of 3 in Laconia who organized MLK day events, who ran for and won a seat to replace Dawn Johnson, a far-right extremist former State Representative, on the School Board.
Pro-public education advocates also secured major wins in Manchester tonight, winning 12 out of 14 School Board seats, including:
Jason Bonilla, a passionate advocate for inclusion on the School Board was elected after first being appointed in 2021.
Liz O’Neil, an educator, union member, and first-time candidate who stepped up to put students and teachers first.
Peter Argeropoulos, an educator who was re-elected as the youngest member of the Manchester School Board.
Democracy champions also stepped up to run for critical local election positions (LEOs) across the state. The majority of LEOs in city-center Manchester 3 are now under 50.
List of young leaders elected to office tonight:
Berlin:
Seth Quarrier - Moderator
Claremont:
Nicholas Koloski (I) - City Council At-Large
Chad Myhre - Ward 1 Moderator
Allison St. Aubin - Ward 2 Moderator
Jonathan Hayden - Ward 3 City Council
Elyse Crossman - Ward 3 Ward Clerk
Lynn Simino - Ward 3 Supervisor of the Checklist
Concord:
Nathan Fennessy (I) - City Council At-Large
Judith Kurtz - City Council At-Large
Jessica Campbell - School Board Zone A
Liz Boucher (North) - School Board Zone B
Michele Horn - Ward 2 City Council
Paul Dustin (I) - Ward 2 Ward Clerk
Sarah Koutroubas - Ward 3 Supervisor of the Checklist
Karen McNamara (I) - Ward 4 City Council
Stacey Brown (I) - Ward 5 City Council
Lydea Irwin - Ward 6 Moderator
Emma Sisti - Ward 6 Supervisor of the Checklist
Eric Feldbaum (I) - Ward 7 Ward Clerk
Ali Sekou - Ward 8 City Council
Stephanie Lewis - Ward 8 Ward Clerk
Kris Schultz - Ward 9 City Council
Dover:
Lindsey Williams (I) - City Council At-Large
Linnea Nemeth (I) - City Council At-Large
Robin Trefethen - School Board At-Large
April Richer - Ward 1 City Council
Amy Hunt - Ward 1 Selectman
Daniel Richer - Ward 1 Selectman
Robert Warach (I) - Ward 2 City Council
Jeffrey Warach - Ward 2 Supervisor of the Checklist
Tony Retrosi - Ward 3 City Council
Micaela Demeter (I) - Ward 4 School Board
Kate Hill (I) - Ward 4 Moderator
Trapper White (I) - Ward 4 Selectman
Stephanie Wares - Ward 4 Ward Clerk
Seth Miller (I) - Ward 5 Moderator
Linnea Hartsuyker (I) - Ward 5 Supervisor of the Checklist
Michelle Clancy (I) - Ward 6 School Board
Betsey Andrews Parker (I) - Ward 6 Moderator
Kirt Schuman (I) - Ward 6 Supervisor of the Checklist
Keene:
Kate Bosley (I) - City Council At-Large
Matthew McKeon (I) - Ward 2 Moderator
Jamie L. J. White (I) - Ward 2 Ward Clerk
Katie Folts - Ward 2 Selectman
Laura Tobin - Ward 4 City Council
Laconia:
Eric Hoffman - Ward 3 City Council
Latoya Beck - Ward 4 School Board
Nick Grenon (I) - Ward 5 School Board
Manchester:
Peter Argeropoulos (I) - School Board At-Large
Julie Turner (I) - Ward 1 School Board
Aaron Losier - Ward 1 Moderator
Calley Milne - Ward 1 Ward Clerk
Sean Parr (I) - Ward 2 School Board
Ryan Richman (I) - Ward 2 Ward Clerk
Shannon Welsh (I) - Ward 2 Selectman
Karen Hegner - Ward 2 Selectman
Shannon MacLeod (I) - Ward 3 Moderator
Molly McGhee - Ward 3 Selectman
Stephen Meno - Ward 3 Selectman
Christine Fajardo (I) - Ward 4 Alderman
Marcella Termini - Ward 4 Ward Clerk
Vanessa Blais - Ward 4 Selectman
Brian Blanton - Ward 4 Selectman
Jason Bonilla (I) - Ward 5 School Board
Chris Potter (I) - Ward 7 School Board
Olivia Lenox - Ward 7 Selectman
Jessica Spillers - Ward 8 School Board
Katrina Gayle - Ward 8 Selectman
Nancy Deol - Ward 9 Selectman
Dan Charlebois (I) - Ward 10 Selectman
Liz O’Neil - Ward 11 School Board
Michael Wolf (I) - Ward 11 Ward Clerk
Jason Constant - Ward 12 Selectman
Nashua:
Ben Clemons (I) - Alderman At-Large
Jennifer Bishop (I) - Board of Education
Rob Johnson - Board of Education
Kirsten Prinn - Board of Education
Shewanda Daniels Williams - Board of Education
Manny Espitia - Board of Public Works
Matty Gregg - Board of Public Works
Thomas Lopez (I) - Ward 4 Alderman
Tim Sennott - Ward 7 Alderman
Paige Beauchemin - State Representative
Portsmouth:
Deaglan McEachern (I) - Mayor
Jo Kelley (I) - Assistant Mayor
Josh Denton (I) - City Council
Andrew Bagley (I) - City Council
Rich Blalock (I) - City Council
Kate Cook (I) - City Council
Pip Clews (I) - School Board
Byron Matto - School Board
Lisa Bellanti (I) - Ward 1 Selectman
Elaine Apatang-Butts - Ward 3 Selectman
Tom Holbrook - Ward 3 Selectman
Sarah LaChance - Ward 4 Ward Clerk
Amy Abbott - Ward 4 Selectman
Rochester:
Patricia Turner - Ward 1 City Council Seat A
Nick Bellows - Ward 1 School Board Seat B
Amy Malone (I) - Ward 2 City Council Seat B
Jenn Mutolo (I) - Ward 2 Supervisor of the Checklist
Bryan Karolian - Ward 3 City Council Seat A
Shauni McGowan - Ward 3 School Board Seat A
Matt Pappas (I) - Ward 3 School Board Seat B
Paul McNally - Ward 4 Supervisor of the Checklist
Alex de Geofroy (I) - Ward 5 City Council Seat B
Joelle Boumel - Ward 4 Supervisor of the Checklist
Devon Christen - Ward 6 Selectman
Somersworth:
Matt Gerding - Mayor
Paul Goodwin - City Council At-Large
Sarah O’Brien-Hart - School Board At-Large
Krystle De St. Croix - School Board At-Large
Bonnie McNair (I) - Ward 1 Moderator
Barbara Wentworth (I) - Ward 2 School Board
Crystal Paradis-Catanzaro - Ward 4 City Council
Stacie Paradis (I) - Ward 5 Ward Clerk