NASHUA – Homelessness and hunger on the rise; an $80 million middle school construction project that could lead to Elm Street Middle School becoming an apartment complex; a multimillion-dollar downtown Performing Arts Center; aging roads, bridges and pipes; people continuing to suffer and die from fentanyl and other opioids; the potential to make passenger rail service a reality.

To say those seeking election to Nashua’s Board of Aldermen during the Nov. 5 Municipal General Election are going to have a full plate may be an understatement.

Four people are seeking to fill three Alderman at-Large seats. Currently, Ben Clemons, Lori Wilshire and Michael O’Brien serve in this capacity, while Melbourne Moran is challenging them to take one of the seats.

Those in the at-large positions represent the entire city, rather than a specific ward. The winners will be elected to four-year terms.

Clemons

Clemons took this role as a result of a special election after the passing of longtime Alderman Brian McCarthy last year. Clemons said he is running to see the performing arts center and the middle school project come to fruition. He also wants to make sure that the city is well prepared for the possibility of an economic downturn.

“I think we have some challenges up ahead, and I think one of them is going to be making sure that Nashua has a strong economy,” Clemons said. “So, making sure that we have a diverse, young economy, I think, is important and one of the things that we can do to ensure that is to try to make Nashua a place that is friendly to do business.”

Clemons believes there are things officials can put in place to do that, such as some tax incentives as well as working with New Hampshire legislators to get passenger rail up and running. As far as what he views as the city’s greatest asset, Clemons said it is the people. He said Nashua embraces diversity and welcomes it to be part of the community.

“We have tons of very smart people that live here – passionate people that live here,” Clemons said. “We’re a community that cares about what happens within our city, and it is unique, I think, from different places and cities of similar sizes.”

Wilshire

As with Clemons, Wilshire also wants to see through the middle school project, stating this is something in which McCarthy was interested. She also cited the portable classrooms still being used at Pennichuck Middle School and how being isolated in those gives students a different experience than they are receiving in elementary or high school.

“Middle school is kind of the age where kids can get lost and fall through the cracks, so I think it’s important Nashua steps up and makes it a true middle school environment where kids can learn,” Wilshire said.

Wilshire said one of the biggest problems is addressing affordable housing in Nashua. She is the board’s liaison to the Nashua Housing Authority, and said one waiting list has more than 3,000 people or families.

“That equates to years of people sitting on waiting lists not getting affordable housing,” Wilshire said.

Wilshire said the city is built out, meaning it does not have much land to expand. She would like to encourage workforce housing, or a mix of housing, where the working poor have a place to live, highlighting how some people in the community are working full-time jobs, yet living in shelters.

Furthermore, Wilshire believes the city’s greatest asset is the arts. She has been in Nashua her whole life and is pleased to see how many opportunities there are in the city, from the annual ArtWalk to the many murals spread about, all in one place.

O’Brien

O’Brien has also spent quite a lot of time in the city, having arrived in 1981 to help protect the people of Nashua as a member of the fire department. He said he had a long and wonderful career serving the city in that capacity, but did not believe he was completely done. Although he retired as a firefighter, he did not believe he was done with city service, so he ran for the board to make a difference.

“Being an alderman, I consider myself as a custodian to the city to make sure that we provide good quality service to make Nashua thrive – to make it an attractive city to live,” O’Brien said.

He said this can be achieved by offering the city’s youngest members a good education and affordable housing. He said having quality affordable housing may increase the city’s density a bit, but the city can get beyond that to make Nashua a good place for those seeking to work and raise a family.

Moreover, as far as issues facing the city, he said a lot of long-term projects have been somewhat ignored, citing some of the city’s infrastructure problems. However, he said officials have started to roll out a fairly aggressive road repaving program, which he said he has received positive feedback. He said that was because residents have not seen a great infrastructure project in more than 25 years.

“I see the whole downtown as, I use the example as a postcard, and anybody that has family or friends that come up to visit in Nashua, they always end up on Main Street, and to have a performing arts center, I think, will increase the betterment for downtown,” O’Brien said.

Additionally, as far as the city’s greatest asset goes, for O’Brien it is the geographical location of Nashua, being close to the beaches, mountains and within a close proximity to Boston.

Moran

Moran would be a fresh face on the board, as he has decided to run to bring a focus to some social issues, while also addressing the affordable housing needs.

“I’m a trusted health care provider in the city, and I’m looking to be a trusted member of the Board of Aldermen for the city,” Moran said.

However, Moran said there are some problems facing the city at the moment, including a workforce shortage. He said many workers are gearing up for retirement, while there are not many workers behind them to fill those critical jobs, citing health care and education as examples.

“What I’m hoping to do is to work with other Board of Aldermen members and the Mayor’s office to try to implement some incentives to invite critical workforce numbers into our community,” Moran said.

For Moran, the greatest asset in the city is the people. He said from what he has gathered by living in Nashua is that no matter what ward someone lives in, there are people who want to know what is going on and how money is spent. He said many are very engaged in the city from what he can see.

Adam Urquhart may be contacted at 594-1206, or at aurquhart@nashuatelegraph.com.

Newsletter