18 set sights on the City Council: Age, experience and reasons for running run the gamut

by Adam Leech

September 16, 2007 | Portsmouth Herald | Portsmouth, New Hampshire

They range from 22 years old to 72 years old, from no government experience to three decades in the state Legislature, their backgrounds include grassroots efforts, city land-use boards, retired CEO, attorneys, bartender and a "domestic engineer."

They, or at least some of them, will be the next Portsmouth City Council.

This year, four of the nine incumbents opted not to run — Mayor Steve Marchand, Councilors Harold Whitehouse, Joanne Grasso and John Hynes — and took with them more than four decades of experience on the council. The next council will lack the experience of the current council and will have a number of big issues to and policy decisions to decide.

Prior to the Portsmouth Listens study circles, some had feared the issues involving the location of the Portsmouth Middle School would decide the membership of the council. Though the issue is far from resolved, the location has more or less been decided thanks to the circles, making it less of a hot-button issue.

City Manager John Bohenko said one of the biggest issues the next council will decide involves the wastewater treatment plant and continuing efforts to provide secondary treatment. Relocating the plant off of Peirce Island and reclaiming that land for recreational purposes "is a major policy decision" and one that could affect Peirce Island and the entire South End.

"It's really a 100-year solution," Bohenko said. "This is one of the biggest decisions any council will make in recent years."

While much of the development of the Northern Tier is planned out, the execution of projects such as the Parade Office Mall project "Port View," the redevelopment of the former Portsmouth Herald building, and the Westin Hotel, parking garage and conference center will be a major change in the community. Many candidates have said they want "smart growth."

The word "sustainability" is at the tips of all candidates' tongues as many have pledged to continue environmentally conscious and forward-thinking planning the current council has made a priority. All have said taxes need to be controlled.

Incumbent Councilor Laura Pantelakos is the lone candidate with more than two terms under her belt. Assistant Mayor Tom Ferrini and Councilor Ned Raynolds are seeking a third term, and Councilors Chris Dwyer and Ken Smith their second. If one or more of the incumbents are not elected, a majority of the council will be new members — by most accounts, that would be a first.

The threat of a dearth of institutional knowledge prompted some candidates who have served on other city boards and commissions to attempt the transition to the city's governing body, while other younger community members see it as an opportunity to make a contribution.

Land-use boards are well represented among new candidates with Planning Board member Jerry Hejtmanek, longtime former ZBA member and chair Jack Blalock, and 19-year Historic District Commission veteran David Adams. The next council will deal with a number of redevelopment issues, not least of which is an entirely new Northern Tier and the rewrite of the city zoning laws.

Other candidates who are currently sitting on boards or commissions are School Board Vice Chairwoman and active community volunteer Nancy Novelline Clayburgh and Economic Development Commission member William Gladhill, who is also active in the Chamber of Commerce.

Although he has only been a resident of Portsmouth since 2002, Norman Patenaude has decades of experience working in state and local government, including seven years on the City Council in Concord. He said he moved to Portsmouth because of the quality of life and signed on as a candidate to replace some of the lost experience.

Some candidates have been very active in the community, just not in city government. Eric Spear, whose campaign signs can already been seen throughout the city, serves on several committees, but is more widely known for his efforts organizing the Portsmouth Progressive School Buildings Association — a grassroots effort to keep the Portsmouth Middle School on Parrott Avenue.

Esther Kennedy has experience on several state boards and committees, many focusing on education, but has participated in Portsmouth Listens in 2004 and 2007, and has been a vocal activist for dog lovers in the city.

Among the challengers, only two have run for council in recent years. The candidate who has run most often is 22-year-old Charlton Dobson, who ran as a Portsmouth High School senior at the age of 18 and again as a 20-year-old, both unsuccessfully. Stephen Durgin ran in 2005, but was not elected.

While candidates Adam Hegi and Leo Gagnon Jr., both 12-year residents, and Merton Mobbs do not have a wealth of experience in city government, they said the issues facing the city are important and they want to get involved in their community.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070916/NEWS/709160352/-1/NEWS

Learn more: Growth and Sprawl