| October 22nd, 2009 Manchester mayoral candidates: Q&A with Mark Roy and Ted Gatsas With current Mayor Frank Guinta not running for re-election, the race for the mayor’s office in Manchester has come down to two candidates: Aldermen Ted Gatsas and Mark Roy. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. The two are scheduled for a televised debate on Oct. 27 (at MCAM studios, broadcast on WGIR and MCAM). Hippo reporter Jeff Mucciarone spoke with each candidate recently. Ted Gatsas: State senator and Ward 2 alderman Ted Gatsas is looking to capture the mayor’s office in Manchester. His campaign tagline is “Building a Better Manchester … Together.” Gatsas has been on the aldermanic board since 1999 and he’s been a state senator since 2000. With his brother Michael, Gatsas founded Staffing Network, an employee-leasing company they eventually sold. Visit www.tedgatsas.com. Q: What is the message that you’re trying to get across to voters here in Manchester? Well, there’s no question that we’re facing once-in-a-generation challenges ... and I think leadership is what needs to come forward. It’s got to be bipartisan leadership and certainly it needs to be talking about ways that we can move Manchester forward, protect our citizens, have government do what it does best and no more, and making sure the doors of City Hall are open. Because we are a service business, the customer should always be right and we should make sure that we provide those services to the people of Manchester in as quick a manner as we can and making sure the quality of service is there. Talk a little bit more about ... the importance of bipartisanship. I think it’s important that we have conversations with everybody, because when you listen, you listen possibly to some very good ideas that you can bring forward. I think that everybody should have the opportunity to engage in the discussions that you’re having to come up with a plan that makes the most sense for the city of Manchester. If you had to name three things ... things you’d want to address, what would they be? ... I think the quality of education ... is paramount. ... We have an awful label in this community, a district in need, and I don’t believe in labels and I think we have quality educators and quality administrators and quality students. We have students that go on to Harvard and Yale and Dartmouth and so that doesn’t just come easily, that comes because teachers are working hard and students are working hard. I think that economic development is certainly one of those three legs of that three-legged stool.... We have the Jac-Pac project that’s moving forward. It’s a $100 million project here in Manchester. ... We must make sure that Exit 7 is ... moved forward in the 10-year plan so that that exit is there not only ... to grow Hackett Hill but certainly for the safety issue for fire being able to get access to I-93.... The completion of I-93 is another thing that is certainly high up on the agenda because a safer road brings more people to New Hampshire and there’s no question we’re a tourist state and they will have to come through Manchester.... The airport is probably the engine of the entire state. We must do everything in our power to make sure we get Jet Blue here and retain Southwest and bring other airlines in and hopefully, eventually turn it into an international airport.... Safety is probably the third leg of that stool ... I think that from a safety issue, the community policing that is in place right now ... it certainly looks like it’s working. I think it’s important that we have neighborhood watch groups continue to grow.... Neighbors should start paying attention for their neighbor next door and making those calls when they think something is not right.... When you look at yourself as a candidate, what are some things that you think separate you from your opponent? Well, I never compare myself to an opponent. I never have in the 10 elections that I’ve been in and I always look to the positive manner and go out and talk to people and tell people who Ted Gatsas is and what he believes in and I think that’s the important thing. That lets people make their own decisions. And certainly we’ve rolled up our sleeves and we’ve worked very hard in this campaign and we will continue to work very hard.... If we are successful in November, we’ll work even harder to make sure Manchester does the things it’s supposed to do to bring businesses to this community and to make sure the citizens are safe and the children are educated. What are your thoughts on the proposed spending/tax cap? I’m a great believer in process. The process in the charter says that if 4,000 signatures appear, that they have the ability to put that item on the ballot. The wording of the spending cap was sent to the attorney general’s office and approved and also sent to Department of Revenue and it was approved there. So the voters should have an opportunity to vote.... I will be the first one to tell you that ... if there is a problem that affects our bond rating, interferes with the operations at the airport or water works ..., I will make sure that I do everything in my power to override the spending cap.... So I think it’s about leadership and I think it’s about having a blueprint ... that makes people understand where we’re spending the taxpayers’ dollars. Your thoughts on a residency requirement for department heads ...? ... I think that the people of Manchester, if they’re paying the employees of this city in excess of $100,000, those people should be participating in the everyday life as they are and understanding what the tax ramifications are and I think that living in a community and growing in a community and participating in a community are very important. Are you concerned at all that it would limit potential candidates? Absolutely not. Why are you running? Well, certainly I think that — in 1999 my brother and I sold our company, it was time to give something back to the city and state.... I think this is an opportunity to come in some of the most difficult times ... that we’ve seen, to run ... the largest city in the state ..., to make sure that we offer citizens the best value we can find, the best services we have to offer and the best education for the students.... I thought it was an opportunity to come back to the city that I grew up in, was educated in and had an opportunity to work directly with the impacts facing the citizens of Manchester. What are some things you’ll draw from your business experience if elected mayor? My brother and I ran a service-oriented business that provided services to small companies from one employee to 400 and it basically dealt with health insurance, workers’ [compensation], payroll, [human resources] situations. So I think when you take a look at the makeup of the city, some of the largest line items that we have are workers’ [compensation], health insurance and benefits and employees. We had 4,000 employees in 32 different states, so the complexity of the business ... and it was a $250 million business, much like the City of Manchester is ... a $300 million business. I think it gives us an opportunity to understand and talk to employees and making sure that we get the best value.... Why should residents vote for you? I believe I’d bring experience and leadership from day one. I work on asking tough questions to find the right answers to problems. And I’ve always put solutions before politics.... - written by Jeff Mucciarone for the Hippo Press, October 15, 2009 Back To News |
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Paid for by Ted Gatsas for Mayor. B. Rivard, Fiscal Agent PO Box 6655, Manchester, NH 03108 603.623.0220
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