MANCHESTER, NH — At a time when shrillness and discord seem to dominate politics, Manchester came together to welcome its first female mayor Joyce Craig to a second term in office yesterday.
A Manchester native with deep family roots in service to the community, Mayor Craig told a standing-room audience at the newly renovated Rex Theater that we were all in this together as she was joined on stage by five former Manchester mayors and Congressman Chris Pappas.
An incredibly diverse representation of “Hello and welcome” came in seven additional languages, representing just a fraction of the diversity of this city. The Mayor used the phrase “from textiles to technology” to lead off the summary of accomplishments and goals for a bright future in this place that was the first to manufacture Levi’s jeans and is now embarked on a journey to manufacturing human tissue.
Master of Ceremonies John Clayton gave shout outs to many of the women in leadership in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Keith Spiro is a photojournalist who lives in Manchester and is principal of Keith Spiro Media.