Ward 5 will see four Aldermanic candidates this September
After last week’s filing period, most wards will not have a contested race for their aldermanic seat. Ward 5 though will not only have a contested race, but also a race that may become somewhat heated as well.
MANCHESTER, N.H. – After last week’s filing period, most wards will not have a contested race for their aldermanic seat. Ward 5 though will not only have a contested race, but also a race that may become somewhat heated as well.
Three candidates will join incumbent Tony Sapienza to see who will represent the ward in the heart of the city, which extends from Union Street in the west to Page Street in the east, containing landmarks like Elliot Hospital, Gill Stadium and Eastside Plaza.
Sapienza has represented Ward 5 since 2015, taking over for longtime Alderman Ed Osborne. In the most recent election, taking place in 2021, Sapienza defeated Teresa Vigneault, 438-255.
Marcus Ponce De Leon will seek to improve on his showing in 2019, where he accumulated 259 votes to Sapienza’s 488.
Ponce De Leon, who has served on the Southern New Hampshire Regional Planning Commission, filed on the first day of the filing period and feels good about his chances this fall.
“I find myself in the community quite a bit more than our current Alderman,” he said. “It’s time for change. Over the past 30 years, we’ve only had two Alderman and it’s time for us to have someone new who is aware of all the different diverse cultures that live and work in Ward 5 and have someone willing to support them and be a voice for them at City Hall.”
Over the past several weeks, Ponce De Leon was under the impression that Sapienza would not run, telling this to people even though Sapienza confronted Ponce De Leon after a Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting earlier this year that Ponce De Leon shared this belief without checking with Sapienza to gauge its veracity, irritating Sapienza.
Sapienza says homelessness, public safety and taxes will be the key issues this campaign season given what he’s heard from Ward 5 residents.
“We’ve been running the city the best we can,” said Sapienza. “I hope the citizens of Ward 5 will give me another two years on the board.”
Shortly after Ponce De Leon, Richard Komi filed for the position as well. Komi resigned from his role as a state representative from Ward 5 after inappropriate comments made against a woman accusing U.S. President Joseph Biden of sexual assault.
Komi says he regrets those comments and believes they were not indicative of him as a person, volunteering in the community in addition to resigning from his role as a state rep in hopes of atoning for his mistake.
Komi believes the Board of Mayor and Aldermen should be more supportive of the Manchester Board of School Committee’s budget requests and also joined Ponce De Leon in believing that Sapienza has not been responsive to constituents.
“The people (of Ward 5) will have better access to the Aldermen (if I win), he said. “I will always make myself available to whoever has questions and I’m always very open to questions from constituents because that will help me know what I need to help represent them at City Hall.”
The other candidate on the ballot, Kathleen Paquette, ran as a Republican for State Representative in 2022 in Ward 5. She earned 676 votes, short of the 853 and 899 earned by Democratic winners Kathy Staub and Amanda Bouldin, respectively.
Paquette says the four-way race does not matter to her, as she wants to help her neighbors address their key concerns, which she says are taxes, public safety and schools.
“I’ve lived in Manchester for decades. I have recently seen it changing for the negative. I do all I can to help change it for the better, but I often don’t feel heard, and I feel like my ward doesn’t currently have a strong voice speaking in their best interest. I felt the best thing to do was stand up and be that voice.” she said. “People in Ward 5 do not feel safe in their city anymore. They feel heavily taxed and there is no room for more tax increases, homeowners are already stretched so far. My ward wants a safer Manchester, and needs a more responsive Alderman that truly has their best interests in mind.”
Primary Day is Sept. 19, with Ward 5 residents voting at Beech Street Elementary School at 333 Beech St., with polls open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. The top two candidates will go onto the General Election in November.
