| November 4th, 2009 Gatsas wins big in mayor's race MANCHESTER – Alderman and state Sen. Ted Gatsas trounced his opponent in the mayor's race yesterday, ensuring the city's top office will stay in Republican hands for another two years. Gatsas swept every ward and finished with 56.7 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results released by the City Clerk's Office. His Democratic rival, Alderman Mark Roy, was 2,516 votes behind, with 43.3 percent. Gatsas, speaking before throngs of supporters at the Derryfield restaurant, described the win as a "clear mandate." "The people have spoken loud and clear," he said. "With their votes, they've told us that they expect a city government that can do more with less." Roy conceded the race in a call to Gatsas around 7:45 p.m., shortly after the city clerk finished tabulating the results. "I told him that tomorrow morning he's my mayor-elect, and on Jan. 1 he's my mayor," Roy recounted. "Whatever he needs to move Manchester forward, I'm there to help." Gatsas' win was more commanding than either of Mayor Frank Guinta's two victories. Guinta, who is running for Congress, never got more than 54 percent of the vote. If there was one disappointment for the Republican victor, it was that his win came with no coattails. All but one of the aldermanic races swung the Democrats' way, leaving Gatsas to preside over a board that will comprise 13 Democrats and just a single Republican: newly minted Ward 10 Alderman Phil Greazzo. "Ted has got a board with the knives out, ready to slice and dice whatever proposal he puts in front of them," said Dan Pinard, a Republican who lost the Ward 7 school board race last night. Gatsas has previously said he would vacate his seat on the state Senate if elected mayor. So far, though, he has not said when he will do that. "We're going to celebrate tonight," he said at his victory party. "Tomorrow, we're going to put a plan together." Gatsas' dominance extended to Roy's home ward in the North End. The Republican carried that ward, Ward 1, by 255 votes, despite the fact that voters there have elected Roy three times to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. The Ward 2 Republican had every advantage going into Election Day, beginning with the name recognition that comes with 10 years in public life and a seat on the state Senate. He also had loads of campaign cash -- more than four times as much as his opponent, according to campaign finance reports. Roy consistently said he had little appetite for fund-raising, particularly in the midst of a recession. At times, he described himself as a political "rookie" and admitted to making some mistakes along the way. "I don't know if it came down to money, if it came down to name recognition," he said last night, when asked about the outcome. "I still think we were solid on message. But the voters voted, and you have to respect the people that came out." Like Gatsas and Roy, many voters who agreed to be interviewed yesterday could be divided into two camps: those who wanted a candidate who would be fiscally conservative, and those who wanted someone to improve the city's schools. By and large, the Gatsas voters were also in favor of the proposal to enact a cap on taxes and city spending. "That's what we need right now," said Bryan Starling, a construction worker who voted in Ward 8. "We don't need any more spending. Just like we have to tighten our belts, so does government." On the issues, the candidates were rarely in agreement. Gatsas favors the proposed cap; Roy calls the proposal a gimmick. Gatsas championed a new rule requiring city department heads to live in Manchester; Roy says it's bad policy and possibly unconstitutional. Roy's main line of attack during the campaign was aimed at this year's city budget, which Gatsas co-wrote. Roy insisted the budget did not give enough money to Manchester's schools. The message clearly resonated with a certain bloc of voters, including many parents and teachers. "I just think Mark is going to give the teachers what they need to do their job," said Carolyn Leite, who teaches in Litchfield. Leite's voiced some concern about Manchester's class sizes, saying her son, a senior at Memorial High School, is one of more than 30 students in his English class. Gatsas said this year's race will go down as the most positive in Manchester history. "Thank you, Mark, for helping to set such a positive example of what campaigns can be," he said in prepared remarks. In an interview, Roy noted he was 41 and had plenty of years in which to serve Manchester. "I'm proud of the campaign we ran," he said. "We ran on the issues. We kept personalities out of it." And with that, Roy went back to the phones, calling fellow candidates with their poll results. "You are incredible," he told a fellow Democrat. "I would've loved to have worked with you." - Union Leader, Scott Brooks 11/4/2009 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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