After missing the filing deadline due to a voter registration snafu, a former special education teacher at Rundlett Middle School is waging a write-in campaign for the Concord Board of Education.
Aaron Thompson moved to Concord in 2019, and although he no longer works for the district, his three children attend Concord schools.
Thompson, who teaches at Keene State College and New England College, said he wants to reign in school spending and tackle the “major financial pressures” the district is facing, like the recent $5 million budget shortfall and the imminent vote on whether to construct a new $155 million school at the Rundlett site — a proposal Thompson said he opposes.
Thompson also said he wants to make information about local schools easier to access by posting more reports online along with “plain language” summaries for the public.
“I believe Concord needs a stronger voice for transparency, fiscal responsibility and accountability and how decisions are made,” Thompson said.
He’ll face Alexander DuBois, who’s also seeking to fill the seat for “Zone C,” which encompasses most of Concord east of the Merrimack River, city wards 8, 9 and 10. The incumbent, Sarah Robinson, is not running for reelection.
DuBois, who was the only candidate to file for office in Zone C, is a graduate of Keene State College and works as a special education teacher in Derry. His top issues are special education, academic outcomes and student mental health and well-being.
“As an educator myself, I want to ensure that the children of Concord are given proper opportunities to learn and grow,” DuBois wrote on a Monitor candidate survey.
Thompson is running a write-in campaign, so while voters may notice signs bearing his name propped up by the road, they won’t see his name listed on the ballot.
When Thompson went to file his candidacy at the SAU office, he was not registered to vote and had not voted in any New Hampshire elections since moving to Concord in 2019. He’d registered to vote more than 20 years ago while living in Florida, he said, but didn’t realize he’d need to sign up again after moving. The school district’s charter requires candidates to be registered voters in the district and zone where they’re running.
When asked why voters should elect him if he’s never participated in local elections before, Thompson said that at the time he moved to Concord, he was pursuing his doctorate degree and welcoming a new baby.
“My time and focus was really heavily on teaching, raising my family and getting involved in schools and the community in other ways,” he said. Thompson has coached recreational sports teams in Concord and volunteers as a faculty adviser to a fraternity at Keene State.
Thompson said that once he discovered the requirement, he tried to register but didn’t bring all the right documents the first time around. By the time he was able to return and get registered, the filing deadline had passed.
Assuming his voter registration goes through and is verified by the local supervisors of the checklist, Thompson will be eligible to hold public office, the Secretary of State’s office confirmed.