Ayotte, Ruais meet with local business owners at Bonfire Country Bar to hear concerns, share ideas

MANCHESTER, N.H. – New Hampshire GOP gubernatorial nominee Kelly Ayotte made a stop at Bonfire Bar and Grill on Wednesday to share her ideas with local small business leaders, and listen to their concerns.

Joined by Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais, Ayotte repeatedly stressed the importance of the Queen City when it comes to the state of the Granite State’s overall economic health.

“This is a really proud city, it’s an important city, and I think that New Hampshire can only be as strong as its largest city,” she said.

Ayotte touched upon numerous points repeated by local and state officials over recent years when it comes to Manchester such as the need to hire more police officers, continuing the bail reform process and reducing regulations builders face when constructing housing.

She noted that her goal is to be a partner with small business owners, listening to their concerns and removing obstacles that stand in the way of their success. Ayotte also stated that while she dislikes the culture of Washington, she would use her experience as New Hampshire’s former U.S. Senator to fight for federal resources to come to New Hampshire on New Hampshire’s terms and support municipalities and local organizations in their quest to obtain federal grants.

Ayotte also attacked former Manchester Mayor and Democratic rival Joyce Craig, comparing Craig’s policies to those found in Massachusetts as a continuation of the attacks Ayotte made on the Bay State throughout her campaign. Ayotte clarified that these attacks, both on Craig and Massachusetts, were aimed at preserving the character of New Hampshire.

“I don’t think we need to become like (Massachusetts), I think we need to be who we are and be stronger and take on all the challenges we’ve talked about,” said Ayotte. “I don’t think (Massachusetts) are the models for us.”

Ayotte praised Ruais for a recent update of the city’s camping ordinance and in return Ruais praised Ayotte’s ideas as a continuation of those espoused by outgoing New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu.

“She’s emphasizing a lot of the same concerns that I think you all have and ways I think we can grow upon the success of the last eight years of Governor Sununu,” said Ruais. “I mean, what is it, every week I see a new report that New Hampshire is first, third, fifth in the country in something. Kelly talking about the continuation of that successful record of Governor Sununu is massively important and having her in the corner office will be extraordinarily beneficial to the things we want to accomplish (in Manchester.)”

Ruais also reiterated progress he has mentioned at several town hall meetings on homelessness in the city, today adding satisfaction with efforts near the Families in Transition shelter and Victory Park. However, he also noted that there is still work to do and some members of the audience agreed.

One of those audience members was Campo Enoteca General Manager Erin Convery, who said she had seen almost no improvement at her restaurant on Elm Street, just a few hundred feet away from the event at Bonfire.

She elaborated one incident where a homeless man asked Campo customers for money and they refused, at which point he threw their food to the ground. Ruais mentioned an incident at Campo involving one man who had already been arrested 37 times.

Convery said she does not want the city’s homeless population overall to be viewed in a negative light and that efforts had been made in some parts of downtown to make people feel more comfortable, but she reiterated that more has to be done.

“I just want everybody to feel safe,” she said. “I want everybody coming into Manchester, coming onto Elm Street to enjoy their night and take a nice stroll and not have to worry about that stuff.”