Mayor James Donchess (far right) celebrates his re-election victory with Aldermen Melbourne Moran (center) and Richard Dowd. Courtesy photo

NASHUA – Mayor James Donchess will return to City Hall in January for his third term in the corner office having thwarted a ferocious challenge from Hillsborough County Commissioner Michael Soucy in the Nov. 7 general election.

For months, the two political adversaries traded barbs over the downtown economy, housing, homelessness and spending. When the dust settled, Donchess emerged victorious with 8,097 votes while Soucy garnered 7,446 votes — a difference of 651 votes.

“No matter who you voted for, it’s extremely important to exercise your right to vote,” said Donchess. “Also, thank you to those who have voted to allow me to continue serving our great city and its citizens. I appreciate your faith in me and your support. I look forward to working with everyone for the betterment of Nashua and all who live here. I am proud to be your mayor.”

Both Donchess and Soucy had their best showings in Ward 1, with 1,298 votes for Donchess and 1,202 votes for Soucy.

Board of Alderman President Lori Wilshire topped the ticket in the alderman-at-large race with 8,627 votes — the highest tally of all the contested races. She was followed by Vice President Michael O’Brien, who received 7,931 votes and Alderman-at-Large Benjamin Clemons, who garnered 7,404 votes.

In the ward races, incumbent Aldermen Tyler Gouveia, Richard Dowd, Derek Thibeault and John Sullivan all won re-election.

“I want to thank the people of Ward 8. I am very grateful that they re-elected me to the Board of Aldermen,” said Thibeault. “They believe I am the right person for the position and I will continue to support them and be there for all of Nashua. I believe re-electing Mayor Donchess will continue to move this city in the right direction. We have a lot of work to do and I can’t wait to be part of it.”

Dowd, Gouveia and Sullivan each received more than 1,000 votes in their respective wards.

“Ward 1 has overwhelmingly spoken, it is an honor and privilege to be re-elected to serve another term as their alderman,” said Gouveia. “Having had the largest margin of victory of any contested race in the city, it is unequivocally clear our common sense values that we have brought to the Aldermanic Chamber work. Together, Ward 1 will keep lighting the way for the rest of Nashua.”

Sullivan said he was humbled to be chosen to serve another two years on the board.

“I will remain focused on getting the concerns of Ward 9 residents to City Hall,” he said. “I will also continue my work bringing Nashua matters to the people through ward meetings, email newsletters and social media.”

In Ward 6, Christopher Thibodeau defeated challenger Vengerflutta Smith by a vote of 753 to 487. Timothy Sennott was elected to represent Ward 7, defeating challenger Sandra Ziehm by a vote of 788 to 515.

“I am incredibly humbled that the voters of Ward 7 have elected me to serve as their next alderman,” said Sennott. “I’m very eager to get to work on behalf of Ward 7 residents and I’m looking forward to working alongside Mayor Donchess, the Board of Aldermen and our dedicated city employees to tackle the concerns voters have shared with me throughout this campaign.”

On the school side, Board of Education President Jennifer Bishop topped the ticket with 7,854 votes.

“I am very happy to have won and extremely surprised to top the ticket, again. I think this win highlights Nashua voters’ desire to ensure equitable, quality education to all of our students and to promote and celebrate our amazing district staffing,” said Bishop. “I think the voters of Nashua have shown their desire for innovative and future-focused leadership. I’m incredibly excited to get back to the horseshoe with the board and do the work for the district.”

Incumbent members Paula Johnson and Sharon Giglio also won re-election. They will be joined by newly-elected members Kirsten Prinn and Robert Johnson.

On the state level, Democrat Paige Beauchemin defeated Republican challenger David Narkunas by a vote of 409 to 265 to clinch the State House Hillsborough 3 seat, which encompasses Ward 4 in Nashua.

Raymond Buckley, chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, commended Beauchemin for her winning effort.

“This marks nine of the last 10 special elections in the state that Democrats have won,” he said. “These contests are where the real story about how voters are feeling is being told and voters are making their voice heard loud and clear: they aren’t buying the false promises and open bigotry of the New Hampshire GOP. Let me repeat: they do not want extremism on abortion on education or racist rhetoric.”

Beauchemin will fill the seat previously occupied by former State Rep. David Cote, who resigned in July. She will join Democratic incumbents Fred Davis and Marc Plamondon.

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