FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 7, 2023

Over 100 Young Leaders Elected to Municipal Offices Across New Hampshire

603 Forward continues winning record with strategic year-round investment in recruitment, training, and independent expenditures in local races.

MANCHESTER, NH - A historic slate of young leaders have been elected to city offices across New Hampshire tonight and are ready to tackle the crises stifling our future. In response to the sweeping victories of young leaders, 603 Forward co-founder Lucas S. Meyer, released the following statement:

“The next generation of leaders are ready to flip the paradigm and deliver relief for our generation. Soaring housing costs, fueled by decades of discriminatory zoning policies, have put homeownership - let alone the ability to afford rent- seemingly out of reach for most. Parents are being forced to choose between their careers and child care, with skyrocketing costs and centers closing. People are working harder than ever, but they are still struggling to get by - which is why now more than ever it is vital that we have effective, inspiring, local leaders in office to show that our government can deliver and our democracy can work for all. 

They will do this while fighting back against extremists and conspiracy theorists who continue to chip away at the bedrock of our democracy - with their conservative allies in the State House working overtime seeking to undermine free and fair elections, dismantle public education, roll back fundamental freedoms, and tighten their grip on their minoritarian power.

While these challenges are steep and daunting - there is a path forward with the historic slate of over 140 young, diverse Granite Staters appearing on municipal ballots today, and over 100 of them winning. These candidates ran to build stronger communities, protect our fundamental freedoms, and make our government work for all hard-working Granite Staters by giving us the tools we need to live a good life.”

“We can and should make government work for the people,” added 603 Forward Leadership Development Director Tim Peltier, “and these next-generation leaders will help make that a reality. There is no office too small for someone to make a difference. Win or lose, we must take every opportunity to fight for a more representative democracy and move the ball forward on the issues that are impacting our communities most. From Ward Selectman to Mayor, we have champions for our democracy and strong, inclusive communities. We look forward to working with all of our elected leaders to make a New Hampshire where everyone can thrive.”

603 Forward is committed to building a New Hampshire where everyone can thrive. That starts by electing young leaders to every level of the ballot, in every election. We know that these leaders are going to bring the necessary urgency to tackle these crises because they are living through them daily.


To build the next generation of leadership, 603 Forward made a comprehensive six-figure investment in candidate recruitment, training, and independent expenditures, including: 

  • 603 Forward recruited/trained 72 candidates of which 53 won, a win rate of 74%.

    • 603 Forward invested 1,940 staff hours into candidate recruitment and training, a total spend of $73,307.

    • 603 Forward hosted 9 training workshops with 140 total attendees

  • 603 Forward invested independent expenditures to support 35 candidates of which 26 won, a win rate of 74%. 603 Forward sent two to three passes of mail in targeted districts with layered digital ads.

    • Total Independent Expenditure Spend: $42,000

      • Total Mail Spend: $25,000

      • Total Number of Mail Pieces: 25,500

      • Total Digital Spend: $12,000

      • Total Digital Impressions: 900,000

      • Total Staff Hours: 121 hours

These investments helped secure the victories of young leaders, including:

  • Ali Sekou, a community leader and activist who made history tonight as Concord’s first New American and first Muslim City Councilor.

  • Matt Gerding, an educator, LBGTQ+ leader, and At-Large City Councilor was elected tonight as New Hampshire’s youngest mayor. 

  • Deaglan McEachern and Joanna Kelley, young leaders who were re-elected as Mayor and Assistant Mayor in Portsmouth to continue their work to build stronger, more inclusive communities. 

  • Tim Sennott, a longtime election administrator (6yrs) and democracy advocate who won his election for Nashua Ward 7 Alderman.

  • Latoya Beck, a BIPOC mother of 3 in Laconia who organized MLK day events, who ran for and won a seat to replace Dawn Johnson, a far-right extremist former State Representative, on the School Board.

Pro-public education advocates also secured major wins in Manchester tonight, winning 12 out of 14 School Board seats, including:

  • Jason Bonilla, a passionate advocate for inclusion on the School Board was elected after first being appointed in 2021.

  • Liz O’Neil, an educator, union member, and first-time candidate who stepped up to put students and teachers first. 

  • Peter Argeropoulos, an educator who was re-elected as the youngest member of the Manchester School Board. 

Democracy champions also stepped up to run for critical local election positions (LEOs) across the state. The majority of LEOs in city-center Manchester 3 are now under 50.

List of young leaders elected to office tonight:

Berlin:

  • Seth Quarrier - Moderator

Claremont:

  • Nicholas Koloski (I) - City Council At-Large

  • Chad Myhre - Ward 1 Moderator

  • Allison St. Aubin - Ward 2 Moderator

  • Jonathan Hayden - Ward 3 City Council

  • Elyse Crossman - Ward 3 Ward Clerk

  • Lynn Simino - Ward 3 Supervisor of the Checklist

Concord:

  • Nathan Fennessy (I) - City Council At-Large

  • Judith Kurtz - City Council At-Large

  • Jessica Campbell - School Board Zone A

  • Liz Boucher (North) - School Board Zone B

  • Michele Horn - Ward 2 City Council

  • Paul Dustin (I) - Ward 2 Ward Clerk

  • Sarah Koutroubas - Ward 3 Supervisor of the Checklist

  • Karen McNamara (I) - Ward 4 City Council

  • Stacey Brown (I) - Ward 5 City Council

  • Lydea Irwin - Ward 6 Moderator

  • Emma Sisti - Ward 6 Supervisor of the Checklist

  • Eric Feldbaum (I) - Ward 7 Ward Clerk

  • Ali Sekou - Ward 8 City Council

  • Stephanie Lewis - Ward 8 Ward Clerk

  • Kris Schultz - Ward 9 City Council

Dover:

  • Lindsey Williams (I) - City Council At-Large

  • Linnea Nemeth (I) - City Council At-Large

  • Robin Trefethen - School Board At-Large

  • April Richer - Ward 1 City Council

  • Amy Hunt - Ward 1 Selectman

  • Daniel Richer - Ward 1 Selectman

  • Robert Warach (I) - Ward 2 City Council

  • Jeffrey Warach - Ward 2 Supervisor of the Checklist

  • Tony Retrosi - Ward 3 City Council

  • Micaela Demeter (I) - Ward 4 School Board

  • Kate Hill (I) - Ward 4 Moderator

  • Trapper White (I) - Ward 4 Selectman

  • Stephanie Wares - Ward 4 Ward Clerk

  • Seth Miller (I) - Ward 5 Moderator

  • Linnea Hartsuyker (I) - Ward 5 Supervisor of the Checklist

  • Michelle Clancy (I) - Ward 6 School Board

  • Betsey Andrews Parker (I) - Ward 6 Moderator

  • Kirt Schuman (I) - Ward 6 Supervisor of the Checklist

Keene:

  • Kate Bosley (I) - City Council At-Large

  • Matthew McKeon (I) - Ward 2 Moderator

  • Jamie L. J. White (I) - Ward 2 Ward Clerk

  • Katie Folts - Ward 2 Selectman

  • Laura Tobin - Ward 4 City Council

Laconia:

  • Eric Hoffman - Ward 3 City Council

  • Latoya Beck - Ward 4 School Board

  • Nick Grenon (I) - Ward 5 School Board

Manchester:

  • Peter Argeropoulos (I) - School Board At-Large

  • Julie Turner (I) - Ward 1 School Board

  • Aaron Losier - Ward 1 Moderator

  • Calley Milne - Ward 1 Ward Clerk

  • Sean Parr (I) - Ward 2 School Board

  • Ryan Richman (I) - Ward 2 Ward Clerk

  • Shannon Welsh (I) - Ward 2 Selectman

  • Karen Hegner - Ward 2 Selectman

  • Shannon MacLeod (I) - Ward 3 Moderator

  • Molly McGhee - Ward 3 Selectman

  • Stephen Meno - Ward 3 Selectman

  • Christine Fajardo (I) - Ward 4 Alderman

  • Marcella Termini - Ward 4 Ward Clerk

  • Vanessa Blais - Ward 4 Selectman

  • Brian Blanton - Ward 4 Selectman

  • Jason Bonilla (I) - Ward 5 School Board

  • Chris Potter (I) - Ward 7 School Board

  • Olivia Lenox - Ward 7 Selectman

  • Jessica Spillers - Ward 8 School Board

  • Katrina Gayle - Ward 8 Selectman

  • Nancy Deol - Ward 9 Selectman

  • Dan Charlebois (I) - Ward 10 Selectman

  • Liz O’Neil - Ward 11 School Board

  • Michael Wolf (I) - Ward 11 Ward Clerk

  • Jason Constant - Ward 12 Selectman

Nashua:

  • Ben Clemons (I) - Alderman At-Large

  • Jennifer Bishop (I) - Board of Education

  • Rob Johnson - Board of Education

  • Kirsten Prinn - Board of Education

  • Shewanda Daniels Williams - Board of Education

  • Manny Espitia - Board of Public Works

  • Matty Gregg - Board of Public Works

  • Thomas Lopez (I) - Ward 4 Alderman

  • Tim Sennott - Ward 7 Alderman

  • Paige Beauchemin - State Representative

Portsmouth:

  • Deaglan McEachern (I) - Mayor

  • Jo Kelley (I) - Assistant Mayor

  • Josh Denton (I) - City Council

  • Andrew Bagley (I) - City Council

  • Rich Blalock (I) - City Council

  • Kate Cook (I) - City Council

  • Pip Clews (I) - School Board

  • Byron Matto - School Board

  • Lisa Bellanti (I) - Ward 1 Selectman

  • Elaine Apatang-Butts - Ward 3 Selectman

  • Tom Holbrook - Ward 3 Selectman

  • Sarah LaChance - Ward 4 Ward Clerk

  • Amy Abbott - Ward 4 Selectman

Rochester:

  • Patricia Turner - Ward 1 City Council Seat A

  • Nick Bellows - Ward 1 School Board Seat B

  • Amy Malone (I) - Ward 2 City Council Seat B

  • Jenn Mutolo (I) - Ward 2 Supervisor of the Checklist

  • Bryan Karolian - Ward 3 City Council Seat A

  • Shauni McGowan - Ward 3 School Board Seat A

  • Matt Pappas (I) - Ward 3 School Board Seat B

  • Paul McNally - Ward 4 Supervisor of the Checklist

  • Alex de Geofroy (I) - Ward 5 City Council Seat B

  • Joelle Boumel - Ward 4 Supervisor of the Checklist

  • Devon Christen - Ward 6 Selectman

Somersworth:

  • Matt Gerding - Mayor

  • Paul Goodwin - City Council At-Large

  • Sarah O’Brien-Hart - School Board At-Large

  • Krystle De St. Croix - School Board At-Large

  • Bonnie McNair (I) - Ward 1 Moderator

  • Barbara Wentworth (I) - Ward 2 School Board

  • Crystal Paradis-Catanzaro - Ward 4 City Council

  • Stacie Paradis (I) - Ward 5 Ward Clerk