| June 8th, 2009 Announcement Speech: Building a Better Manchester . . . Together. President Abraham Lincoln once said, “I am a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down.” I have been fortunate to spend my life surrounded by people who have supported my dreams, ambitions and passions. My wife Cassandra, my mother Pauline, my father Louis who is no longer with us, my brother Michael, our extended family, my life-long friends, former teachers and coaches at Smyth Road and Central, and political mentors like Ray Wieczorek have all played an important role in my life. I would not be where I am today without them. 41 years ago I walked out of the Central High School doors past that wonderful statue of Abraham Lincoln and into the world determined to achieve my own version of the American Dream. I stepped out of Central with a solid public education and the invaluable life lessons bestowed upon me by the dedicated men and women responsible for preparing Central students to be productive members of society. From Miss Foley I learned that in order to find the solution to a complicated problem you have to be determined to ask all of the necessary questions, even ones that might make some uncomfortable or seem in the moment to be ill advised. And from Coach Ed Wade I learned that in order to achieve your objective you had to find an engaging way to harness the individual strengths and energies of each person to work for the betterment of the team as a whole. I carried these and many other lessons with me as I went from Central to the University of New Hampshire where I earned my degree and then came back to Manchester to enter the workforce. I returned to a city that was in rough economic shape and in a time much like today when a college degree was not a guarantee of success. I started pumping gas for Roland Rivard on Elm Street where I serviced customers like former Alderman Bill Cashin, Judge Marty Laughlin and Sheriff Larry Shea. Mr. Rivard taught me many valuable lessons among them the value of listening to the customers needs in order to meet their expectations. I eventually went on to get my real estate license and began selling, buying and developing property in the Manchester area. Running our own business, and facing the challenges that small businesses face, gave my brother Michael and I the idea for following a business model that provided valuable resources and services such as workers compensation, healthcare plans and payroll services to small and medium sized companies so that they could focus on growing their business and creating jobs. Our business prospered with a lot of hard work, a strong team of employees and good word of mouth from happy customers. I’m proud to say that before we sold the business to a publicly traded company in 1997, we went from two people in a small office to a company with over 75 employees, clients in 30 states, and multi-million dollar revenues. Almost 30 years after I left Central High School, with the help of many, I achieved the American Dream. But I quickly realized that financial freedom and business success were not the only parts of the American Dream that I wanted to define my life. What would matter most was whether or not I could give something meaningful back to the community that gave me so much. From as far back as I can remember, my father instilled in us the importance of service to others. He was a wonderful role model, for the way that he lived his life and for the impact he had on the people around him. He was a living example of how service to others pays far greater dividends then service to self. 10 years ago I embarked on a journey of public service to my city and my state. Over the course of that time I worked day in and day out to be a good steward of the trust and confidence my constituents put in me. I worked in a bipartisan way to build support for responsible budgets, solutions to the education funding crisis, more favorable utility rates, tax exemptions for senior citizens, and a more efficient and effective city and state government. And I made it a point to ask the tough question so we could find the right solutions. During my time in government I have always put solutions before politics. And so today, in this magnificent public building, in a chamber rich with history - where countless individuals from various cultural backgrounds and political parties have served their city with honor and dignity, I humbly announce my candidacy for Mayor of the city I love. If I have the honor of being elected to be your next mayor, my commitment to each and every resident of the Queen City is to provide you with the type of first class representation and constituent service that you are so deserving of. I think the combination of my diverse business experience and local and state government experience will allow me to lead this city and its people at a time when we need leadership most. You only need to read the Union Leader or watch WMUR to know that our city, state and nation are facing a number of once in a generation challenges that will require some tough decisions to be made. In honor of Miss Foley I would like to ask the people gathered here today a few critical questions; do you agree with me that city government could do more with less just like every working family in Manchester has had to do? Do you agree with me that we need to do everything we can to create an environment for businesses to come to Manchester and stay in Manchester? Do you agree with me that the streets and public spaces of Manchester should be safer? Do you agree with me that the best answers to our biggest challenges don’t always have to come from government? Do you agree with me that the time has come for all of us to put politics aside and work together for the greater good of the city? And do you agree with me that our best days are yet to come? Then I ask that you join me in the fight to ensure that we have principled leadership here at City Hall. By bringing people together, fostering citizen participation, having government do that which it does best and no more, and making the tough decisions that will come before us, we can and will address the challenges that we face. We will do it together and we will do it with our heads held high. Together we can streamline city government and look for more effective and efficient ways to deliver essential city services. We can and should consolidate where it makes sense. If we put politics aside and act in the spirit of non partisanship, we will meet our responsibilities to the taxpayers. And we should more aggressively explore cost saving “green” initiatives that will help make Manchester a more sustainable place to live and work. And finally, without any further delay, we will develop and enact a long-term strategic plan for the city that provides clear direction over the next decade and a level of flexibility as economic conditions shift. Seeing things one year at a time is no longer an acceptable way to lead or to manage. Aside from my time at UNH, I have never ventured far away from my parents house on Belmont Street. In fact, Cassandra and I have lived just a few blocks away on Birchwood Road for over 25 years. We have stayed in this classic Manchester neighborhood because Manchester is our home and there is no place we would rather be. This is why there would be no greater personal honor for me, as a life-long resident of Manchester to serve as its leader. If you give me your confidence I won’t let you down. Coach Wade’s powerful concept of team work applies as much off the court as it does on the court. If we work tirelessly to harness the collective energy and talents of the people of Manchester there is no limit to what we can achieve. While the task at hand seems at times to be insurmountable, I’m confident that there is no challenge too big and no problem too large. In order to begin bringing people into the process and to foster an open and transparent government, I will spend the next month embarking on a city-wide, ward by ward listening tour with only one goal - to solicit the thoughts, ideas, and concerns of the people of Manchester. Between now and the official filing date in July, we will knock on doors, make phone calls, visit local businesses, utilize the power of the internet, and survey residents in order to harness the collective power of the people and identify both the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I look forward to that dialogue. As we leave here today, I’m reminded of one more quote from President Lincoln that summarizes our efforts from now until Election Day. He once said, “Things may come to those who wait...but only the things left by those who hustle.” Today we begin the journey to earn the support and confidence of the people of Manchester, support that will lead us to victory in November and confidence that will allow us to lead this city towards a brighter tomorrow. I hope you will join me on this journey because I’m confident that we can build a better Manchester together. God Bless you and God Bless the City of Manchester. 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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