Proposal changing term length for Manchester elected officials moves forward without recommendation

MANCHESTER, N.H. – In the future, will Manchester’s Aldermen At-Large and Mayor be elected for four-year terms? That is a question the Board of Mayor and Aldermen will take up next month.

On Tuesday, the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s Committee on Administration and Information Systems were split on recommending that a charter change allowing voters to transform terms for Manchester mayors and aldermen at-large to four years from their current two-year terms. Ward-specific aldermen also currently have two-year terms.

The concept was proposed by Manchester resident Rick Blais, initially consisting of changing all Aldermen to two-year terms, although Ward 3 Alderman Pat Long felt that limiting the proposed change to just at-large aldermen would be more appropriate given the additional effort needed to campaign in all 12 of the city’s wards.

Ward 5 Alderman Anthony Sapienza, who does not serve on the committee, opposed the concept, saying that voters deserved a chance to remove elected officials every two years, stating the shorter terms provide accountability.

Ward 8 Alderman Ed Sapienza agreed, believing that aldermen elected for four-year terms would have less incentive to work hard during the start of their terms given the amount of time left before re-election.

Alderman At-Large Joseph Kelly Levasseur also agreed, believing that four-year terms would result in more special elections, with the city struggling to find candidates that can provide a four-year commitment.

Long replied that often votes taken in election years reflected the desire for re-election more than anything else. He also noted that Manchester has not had a one-term mayor since Emile Beaulieu 35 years ago, indicating that Manchester residents have come to expect their mayors to serve multiple terms. Anthony Sapienza joked that over the past 35 years, mayors in the city have just worked harder to retain their positions.

Ward 4 Alderwoman Christine Fajardo was fine with two-year terms given the level of accountability it provides to voters, but felt that elections each year in the city alternating between municipal elections in odd years and state/federal elections in even years could feel relentless to some residents. She also believed that the decision on the length of terms should be made by the voters of the city rather than aldermen.

Fajardo and Long supported the measure while Ed Sapienza and Levasseur opposed it as a motion by Levasseur to receive and file stalled, which would have killed the bill. The four members of the committee unanimously voted to give no recommendation to the full board, which will act on the issue at their first meeting in April.

If the full board accepts the proposal before June, wording for what voters would see on the ballot would go to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office before returning to Manchester in September to see if the board would allow it to be placed on the ballot in November.

Given efforts in Concord to modify state and federal primary elections from September to June, a charter amendment proposing to move municipal primary elections from September to June could also potentially be on city ballots this fall.