With few contested races, Concord residents chose a mix of old and new candidates in Tuesday’s election, voting in Mayor Jim Bouley and incumbent Ward 1 Councilor Brent Todd along with council newcomer Stacey Brown in Ward 5.
Bouley won a decisive victory against challenger Taylor Hall, winning 2,786 votes against 783 for Hall. This will be Bouley’s 8th term as Concord’s mayor.
Brown, who received an endorsement from outgoing Ward 5 Councilor Rob Werner, won her ward seat with 548 votes, while former at-large councilor Mark Coen received 277. Coen served on the council for 13 years until he retired in 2019.
Russell Ingraham was one of the voters who filled in a bubble on the ballot for Brown at the Green Street Community Center on Tuesday. “It felt good,” Ingraham said. His wife Sheryl said she voted to keep moderate people in city leadership.
Another Ward 5 voter, Bob Larsen, said he appreciated that Concord’s municipal elections are free from partisanship. Larsen said he was choosing among good people – and he had no clue if they were Democrats or Republicans.
“A lot of these people are people I’ve known who have served in the community for a long time. That was my principal reason for voting for who I voted for,” he said. “There were some newcomers I was really impressed with, without naming names, that have made a real effort to engage with the community.”
After the results were called Tuesday night, Brown celebrated her victory alongside her family, including her 11-year-old daughter Francesca, whose 2019 fight for a change to Concord’s chicken ordinance represented the Brown family’s first foray into city politics.
“This was so exciting. Everyone should run for City Council. It was really fun,” Brown said. “Now it’s on to the next chapter.”
Current Ward 1 Councilor Brent Todd handily defeated challenger William Barton, who had said he filed to run against Todd to contribute to the community. Barton had also cited homelessness and high taxes as some of the issues facing Concord. He was not at the polls on Tuesday, but his wife stopped by to vote for her husband in the afternoon.
Kevin Twombly, a Ward 1 voter, said he was excited about Todd’s work on the council and future possibilities for the development off of Exit 17, including the Market Basket set to open in the summer. “I’m believe he’s going to do some good work,” Twombly said.
He also supported the mayor: “I’m always a fan of Jim Bouley.”
Todd won 240 votes in Ward 1, while Barton received 63.
In Ward 10, Councilor Zandra Rice Hawkins easily beat a last minute write-in campaign from Joe Shoemaker, who lost against Rice Hawkins in 2019.
In an email sent out Tuesday morning, Shoemaker asked neighbors to write his name in for Ward 10 councilor, accusing Rice Hawkins, who founded progressive advocacy group Granite State Progress, of serving “special interest groups.”
Shoemaker said he was troubled by Rice Hawkins’ motion to change the name of the Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day at a September City Council meeting. She had originally asked that the council vote on the name change without holding a public hearing, which will now be held on Nov. 8.
“I certainly understand both sides of the issue, but that’s why the people of Concord should have a voice. That’s why you have public comment,” Shoemaker said.
Rice Hawkins wrote a post on Facebook Tuesday morning urging Ward 10 voters to turn out. “My opponent is running because he opposes my work on police transparency and accountability and promoting Indigenous People’s Day. Make no mistake about who and what is behind this,” she wrote.
Shoemaker said he was motivated to run because he thinks Rice Hawkins is too focused on national issues instead of local ones.
“The write-in campaign is a long shot,” he admitted earlier on Tuesday. He ultimately received 97 votes to Rice Hawkins’ 347.
Some neighbors and friends did show up to vote for him, including Holly Jenness. “He’ll do a great job,” Jenness said. “He’s a good dad and neighbor.”
Rose Marie Lanier voted for Rice Hawkins at Broken Ground School on Tuesday afternoon.
“I’m really concerned about openness and community orientation and inclusiveness,” Lanier said, referring to Rice Hawkins.
Lanier, a 40-year Concord resident, said she’s more politically progressive than most of the candidates, and doesn’t agree with everyone she voted for on every issue. Lanier also supported Bouley for mayor.“I think Jim’s done a good job.”
Six ward councilors who ran unopposed retained their seats; Erle Pierce in Ward 2, Jennifer Kretovic in Ward 3, Keith Nyhan in Ward 7, Gail Matson in Ward 8, Candace Bouchard in Ward 9, and Ward 4 Councilor Karen McNamara, who was elected in a special election this summer. Ward councilors are elected every two years.
Paula McLaughlin, who also ran unopposed, will replace outgoing Ward 6 Councilor Linda Kenison.
At-Large Councilors Amanda Grady Sexton and Fred Keach were each elected for another 4-year term, also running unopposed.