Claremont
But they are less certain when asked what the council must do to address those problems. While some believe spending cuts would help, others want the focus to be on increasing the tax base and getting the state to fund its mandates, such as the retirement fund.
There are six candidates, including two incumbents, for four at-large seats. And for the open seat in Ward I, former Democratic state Rep. Andrew O’Hearne, a retired Claremont police officer, is facing Francis Gauthier, a freshman Republican state representative. City Councilor Carolyn Towle, who currently represents the ward, is not running again.
Mayor Charlene Lovett, Assistant Mayor Allen Damren and Ward II Councilor Scott Pope are running uncontested for re-election and newcomer Jonathan Stone is the only candidate for the Ward III seat.
Also on the ballot is a question on whether to allow keno gambling machines in the restaurants and other establishments that serve alcohol.
At-Large
Incumbent Nick Koloski, 40, is a call firefighter with the city, an alternate to the Zoning Board of Adjustment and a member of the Conservation Commission and Master Plan Steering Committee. He has served four, two-year terms on the council and is currently the Ward III councilor. He owns the Time-Out Sports Bar and Grill with his mother.
He said he decided to run for an at-large seat because he often got questions and heard about issues from residents outside his ward and this would give him the chance to represent all residents.
Koloski said he believes his experience on the council and familiarity with policies and practices of the council as well as state law are advantages over those who will need to learn policies and practices as first-time councilors.
As a priority, Koloski said he favors stepping up development efforts for both industry and housing. “We need to steadily and aggressively bring in more development to increase the tax base,” he said.
During the budget review, Koloski commented frequently on spending but has opposed steep cuts, saying it is not the way to improve the city economically. “I know we are on a very tight budget but there may be some wiggle room (to trim spending),” he said, adding that the budget process needs to be improved so the council can have more time going over the city manager’s proposal. He would also be willing to consider subcommittees of the council to review department spending.
The other incumbent, Abigail Kier, 31, is a support manager at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and has lived in Claremont for three years. She was appointed to the council in September after Vic Bergeron resigned and moved out of Claremont. She also serves on the Historic District Commission, the Zoning Board of Adjustment and Master Plan Steeering Committee.
Kier said she doesn’t see the city being able to make deep tax cuts that would have much of an impact on lowering the rate.
“We have to look at how we can get more business and more families to move here and that will broaden the tax rate burden,” Kier said. “We need to market Claremont to attract as many families as we can.”
In her brief time on the council, Kier said, she has come to believe that there are new perspectives to the city’s problems. “We have new points of view and (are) asking if we can look at things from a different angle.”
If elected, she promises to look “very carefully” at the budget to “justify” all spending. Primarily, Kier said, the council needs to get behind economic development to encourage more workforce training and affordable housing to create better opportunities for people to move to Claremont.
Candidate Claire Lessard, 76, was born and raised in Claremont. She and her late husband, Norm, ran a couple of businesses in town, including NCL Engraving for 15 years. She is the executive director of the Claremont Senior Center on Maple Avenue.
“People want us to do something about the taxes,” Lessard said. “I don’t claim to have the answers, but if we have a good council and we sit down together and plan, we can get the job done. My philosophy is to get a plan and stick to it. We just need to keep it simple.”
Lessard has been working a plan to bring a senior housing complex similar to Quail Hollow in West Lebanon to Claremont.
In her role working with seniors, Lessard said, she fully understands what many are going through trying to pay their taxes.
“Claremont needs it,” Lessard said of senior housing. “I know the problem. I know the situation.”
David Pacetti, 51, works at Whelen Engineering in Charlestown. He ran unsuccessfully for School Board last March and, along with Kier, submitted his name to fill a council seat following Bergeron’s resignation.
If elected, Pacetti said, one of his focuses will be to save the jobs of the three firefighters who are being paid through a federal grant that expires in March with no money in the budget for the rest of the fiscal year ending June 30.
“Once I get up to speed, I want to look at all avenues to reduce spending and cut enough costs so the city can keep those firefighters without raising taxes,” he said.
Pacetti is critical of the city administration and council for not preparing for the inevitable expiration of the grant that paid the firefighters’ salaries and benefits for the last three years.
“They should have looked to the future. You can’t hire someone, pay them salary and then say, ‘We don’t need you.’ ”
If elected, Pacetti said, he will bring a “transparent” approach to the council and fiscal discipline. “The city needs to be run more like a business. If we don’t have the money … don’t spend it.
He believes savings can be found in all areas of the budget, including legal and administrative.
Lee-anne Deveney, 50, is a secretary at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. She lived in Claremont from 1990 to 1999 then returned in 2007.
“People say if you want to make a difference, you have to run for office,” said Deveney on why she is making her first bid for public office. “Taxes are huge (as an issue) in Claremont. We need to bring in business and also keep making repairs to our roads. Nothing will happen overnight,” she said. “I’d love to lower taxes but I’m not sure we can until we get more revenue.”
Deveney wants to see Claremont do a better job of marketing its positives.
“There is a lot of beauty here but all people sometimes see are empty storefronts.”
Born and raised in Claremont, Jeremy Zullo, 31, owns a property maintenance business and Lake Sunapee Paving.
“I believe the tax bills in Claremont are rather high and I am hoping to do something to solve that issue,” Zullo said. “I think we really need to get more businesses in town and make the city more user friendly.”
As for specifics on how to address the high tax rate, Zullo said he would have to have the opportunity to sit on the council and review spending in more detail before deciding on best approach.
Ward I
Andrew O’Hearne, 50, worked for the Claremont Police Department for 31 years before retiring last June. He was a Democratic state representative for two terms and has also served on the School Board.
“I served the city so have seen it from the inside out,” O’Hearne said. “Most on the council only see it from the outside. Being on the street (as an officer) I have seen the worst but also what is good about the city,” he said.
“I may not have all the answers but solving people’s problem is what I did for a career. I don’t have an agenda. I served the city for 31 years and this is another way to serve.”
O’Hearne said he will bring a new way of looking at old problems. “Sometimes I get the feeling they are doing the same old thing and it is not working. The biggest thing is taxes. I pay taxes on three properties. My hope is that with other councilors, I can try to resolve that.”
Francis Gauthier, a licensed electrician and Republican state representative, has lived in Claremont since 2006 and works recycling old computers for reuse.
He cites high taxes and low median income as drags on the city’s efforts to improve economically.
“As a city councilor, I want to explore those issues and work to find solutions to them,” Gauthier said in an email.
“Our No. 1 priority is solving the economic development problem. We can accomplish this by making budget cuts in the short run to reduce the tax burden and show the outside world that we are open for business.”
A supporter of keno locally, which will be decided by Claremont voters on Nov. 7, Gauthier also wants to put more pressure on the state to take on some of the expenses it has downshifted to communities, such as its share of the state retirement fund. He suggested councilors testify in Concord against bills that would adversely affect the city.
“We need to start upshifting responsibilities back to the state,” Gauthier said.
Another area that Gauthier wants to look at is local ordinances and regulations that may be inhibiting growth, similar to what the governor wants to do at the state level. He supports “streamlining” the process of economic development to make it “easier and more efficient.”
Racial Incident
Candidates said the August incident that brought unwanted national attention to Claremont should be addressed by the community as a whole.
The incident — in which an 8-year-old biracial boy wound up hanging by his neck on a rope swing while playing with some young teens in what his mother says was a “hate crime” — remains under investigation by the state. No charges have been filed to date.
“We are all responsible for teaching kids it is not acceptable,” said Deveney, echoing what most of the other the candidates said. “We all have to take a leadership role.”
Lessard said the school district is tackling issues of bullying and racism, which is a positive development.
“The council could also contribute, but it will take a lot of organizations,” she said.
Pacetti was careful not to express any conclusions about what happened until police release more information, but in a general sense, his view on what others can do was expressed by others as well.
“The City Council, as elected leaders, should be role models,” he said. “I think we can lead by example in our community.”
Editor’s note: Voting in city elections is Nov. 7, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Ward 1 and Ward 2 vote at the Claremont Middle School on South Street. Ward 3 votes at Disnard Elementary School on Hanover Street. Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
