Mayor Craig stands on ‘real results’ as she seeks re-election, with keen focus on schools

Sign Up For Our FREE Daily eNews!

image1
Mayor Joyce Craig speaks with well-wishers Wednesday night before kicking off her re-election campaign at the SNHU Sandbox Collaborative. Photo/Pat Grossmith

MANCHESTER, NH — Citing unprecedented economic growth, new construction in the Millyard and the redevelopment of the Rex Theatre, Mayor Joyce Craig kicked off her re-election campaign saying “we need to keep the momentum going.”

“I’ve been in office for a little over 16 months, and in that time, we’ve made meaningful progress,” the mayor told a crowd of about 175 that gathered Wednesday night at the SNHU Sandbox Collaborative, 1230 Elm St., to show their support.

“We’ve created a culture of collaboration that’s helping to improve our schools, drive economic development and empower our residents.  And I’m running for re-election because we’re delivering real results for our city…,” the mayor said.

She said a top priority for her is improving and supporting the city’s public schools.  That is why “this year in my proposed tax-cap budget, I allocated a $4.3 million dollar increase to the Manchester School District – the largest increase in funding to our schools in 14 years,” she said, drawing one of the loudest rounds of applause of the night.

The mayor said the city’s teachers “work hard to ensure our students receive a quality education, and strong public schools are critical to our success.”  

Craig said the community agrees and it is through the efforts of Manchester Proud that more than $500,000 was raised to develop the first-ever, community-based strategic plan for the school district.

 “We also secured the competitive GEAR UP grant, which will bring in $10.5 million dollars over the next seven years to help students succeed after high school,” she said.

She listed the progress the city has made since taking office in 2018, including creating a culture of collaboration with partners “that are helping to improve our schools, drive economic development, and empower our residents.  And I’m running for re-election because we’re delivering real results for our city — and we need to keep the momentum going.”

image 1
Mayor Joyce Craig says a sign of the city’s momentum is that developers are bullish on Manchester, and so is she. Photo/Pat Grossmith

Craig said the city has developed public-private partnerships like Velcro University at West High School and soon, Eversource Academy at Central. The programs help prepare students with workforce training, paid internships and jobs after school.  “This is a win-win for our local businesses and our students, ” she said.

“These programs are helping prepare students through workforce training, paid internships and jobs after school.  This is a win-win for our local businesses and our students,” she said.

She also pointed to “unprecedented economic growth” in the city.  Manchester worked with the state on a proposal that is bringing BAE Systems to Manchester along with 800 new, high-paying jobs, she said.

“And for the first time in decades, there’s new construction in our Millyard,” Craig said.

She said all three hospitals are expanding; The Factory on Willow Street is being turned into living and retail space for artists, innovators and entrepreneurs, and the Raxx/Lemay building on North Elm Street is being renovated for retail and affordable housing units.

 “It’s clear that developers are bullish on Manchester and so am I,” she said.

She noted the city has created the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness to address the issue and work on plans to get people the help they need while developing programs to prevent people from becoming homeless.

As for the opioid epidemic, Craig said that since she was elected, with the efforts of firefighters and Safe Station, the city has been able to decrease the amount of time it takes for someone to get into treatment.

“Previously, it took two to three weeks, now it takes two to three days,” she said.  “And in 2018, we saw a 19 percent decrease in overdoses and a 22 percent decrease in overdose deaths.  This is the first time we’ve ever seen a decrease since the crisis began.”

While the city faces its challenges, it also has boundless potential, she said.

“We know change doesn’t happen overnight.  We know change doesn’t happen by sitting around and complaining.  Change takes work. And right now, our city is working because we’re working together,” Craig said.

Arnold Mikolo, who came to Manchester in 2013 from the Congo, is one of Craig’s supporters.   He supports her because, he said, she has reached out to everybody in the community and has an open-door policy.  

“The most exciting thing about this is that this year I am becoming a U.S. citizen,” he said.  When he casts his first ballot, he will be checking the box next to Craig’s name.

Craig so far will face at least one opponent on the November ballot – Victoria Sullivan, a Republican, announced her mayoral campaign on April 8.

About this Author

Pat Grossmith

Pat Grossmith is a freelance reporter.