NASHUA – Drew Sullivan has come forward to challenge incumbent June Caron for the Nashua Board of Aldermen Ward 7 seat.

With different ideas on the candidates’ minds, it will ultimately be up to the voters to decide who they want to see fill the position during the Nov. 5 Municipal General Election.

Caron

Caron has served on the board for eight years now and wishes to continue working for the residents of her ward. She said she wants to continue her work with helping residents deal with city issues, and to connect them with the appropriate person and department.

Moreover, as far as problems facing the city goes, she said infrastructure, school buildings and maintaining a reasonable tax rate are just a few of the challenges ahead. However, she highlighted how city officials started to work on their infrastructure when the board set up a five-year paving program. She said this is more than 50% complete.

“We must continue to do this in the coming years to make sure that in the future, we are maintaining our roads on an annual basis,” Caron said.

City officials are also getting ready to build new and/or repair middle schools. Caron said officials need to make sure these schools are not only set up for the now, but also must be useful for the next 30 years.

Additionally, she said using the average government inflation rate for services is one way to manage budgets, but spending more or less for specific needs must be considered with the priorities of the city. Identifying Nashua’s greatest asset, she said the city continues to be a strong family community.

“The fact that Nashua is a Welcoming City is a great asset to the community,” Caron said.

Sullivan

Sullivan decided to run because when he came back to Nashua in 2014 after a tour of military duty, he got a taste of the political theater of the 2016 debate. He said it seemed as though there was plenty of division, so he decided to run to see if he can help pull the city back together. As a Nashua native, he wants to provide safe, clean and liveable living space for everyone in the city.

For him, there are two key issues facing the city: The opioid crisis and budgetary problems.

“It is crippling homes and families on a daily basis, and there’s something that has to be done about this issue, so we as a community can heal and start to move forward with our lives,” Sullivan said of opioids.

In terms of the budget, Sullivan believes officials should reduce spending where possible.

As far as the city’s greatest asset goes, he said the people of Nashua are fantastic and wonderful.

“I think that if we can coordinate and come together as a community to start moving forward as a city, then that’ll be the best way that we can all pull ourselves up by the boot straps, if you will, and get this city to a place where everybody can enjoy the benefit to being here,” Sullivan said.

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

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