Election Day is Tuesday: Concord voters face contested races all over the ballot

Sean Burch of the Concord Public Properites division puts up a voting booth curtain at the Concord Community Center on Canterbury Road in Concord that will be the Ward 9 voting place on Tuesday. The crew started at 6:30 a.m. on Monday to put up the voting ward places and they will have to start at 4 a.m. on Wednesday to take everything down before school starts that day in some ward places. GEOFF FORESTER / Monitor staff

Sean Burch of the Concord Public Properites division puts up a voting booth curtain at the Concord Community Center on Canterbury Road in Concord that will the Ward 9 voting place on Tuesday. The crew started at 6:30 a.m. on Monday, November 6,, 2023 to put up the voting ward places and they will have to start at 4 a.m. on Wednesday to take everything down before school starts that day in some ward places. GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff

Workers from the Concord Public Properties division put up voting booth curtains at the Concord Community Center on Canterbury Road in Concord that will the Ward 9 voting place on Tuesday. The crew started at 6:30 a.m. on Monday to put up the voting ward places.

Tucker Farenwald (on ladder) of the Concord Public Properties division tapes over a camera at the City-wide Community Center in Concord that will be the Ward 9 voting place. GEOFF FORESTER / Monitor staff

Tucker Farenwald (left) and Sean Burch of the Concord Public Properites division puts up a voting booth curtains at Concord Community Center on Canterbury Road in Concord that will the Ward 9 voting place today. The crew started at 6:30 a.m. to put up the voting ward places and they will have to start at 4 a.m. on Wednesday to take everything down before school starts that day in some ward places. GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff

Brian Wiik of the Concord Public Properites division puts up a voting booth curtain at Concord Community Center on Canterbury Road in Concord that will the Ward 9 voting place today. The crew started at 6:30 a.m. to put up the voting ward places and they will have to start at 4 a.m. on Wednesday to take everything down before school starts that day in some ward places. GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff

By MICHAELA TOWFIGHI

Monitor staff

Published: 11-06-2023 3:33 PM

Modified: 11-06-2023 5:29 PM

Concord voters will elect a new mayor on Tuesday and choose between candidates in contested races up and down the ballot.

After 16 years at the helm of city government, Mayor Jim Bouley decided he would not seek another two-year term. Instead, At-Large City Councilor Byron Champlin, former school board member Kate West and author George Jack are vying now for the position.

In addition, voters will see contested races for two at-large council seats with five candidates vying, and in eight out of ten city wards, with only Brent Todd and Jennifer Kretovic running unopposed in Wards 1 and 3, respectively. All three Concord School Board races are contested as well.

Even if all incumbents hold their seats, at least four new faces will be on the city council – with one new at-large councilor and new councilors in Ward 2, Ward 8 and Ward 9. If voters are in the mood for upsets, as many as 11 newcomers could fill seats on the 15-member board.

In the last city election, when Bouley ran for his eighth term and only two ward races were contested, the turnout was 14 percent, or 3,680 Concord voters.

Voters in Nashua, Manchester, Laconia, Dover, Claremont, Rochester, Somersworth and Berlin will also elect leaders Tuesday.

In Manchester, voters will choose former state senator Kevin Cavanaugh or Jay Ruais, a former congressional staffer and National Guard member, to be the next mayor. The current mayor, Democrat Joyce Craig, is running for governor.

In Nashua, incumbent Mayor Jim Donchess faces Mike Soucy, a retired Nashua police officer and current county commissioner.

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