Bordes enters Laconia mayor's race

GILFORD — The race for mayor of Laconia just added a contender. 

State Rep. Mike Bordes (R-Laconia) announced his bid for mayor at the annual Bean Family Barbecue at Saltmarsh Pond on Saturday night. 

Bordes, a third-term representative, told a large crowd July 19 that he’ll bring a new vision and fresh perspective to the city. He’ll face Bruce Cheney, city councilor in Ward 1, who is also a former city police chief.

Cheney wasn’t present at the annual Belknap County GOP event, which draws large numbers of candidates for local, county, state and federal offices. 

“If you want a new vision and new leadership for Laconia and a different direction, I say vote for [me],” Bordes said Saturday night in an interview.

At the beginning of July, Mayor Andrew Hosmer announced his intent to resign his position to take the city manager job in Lebanon. Days later, Cheney announced his bid for the mayor’s seat, and councilors in Lebanon approved a contract with Hosmer last week. Hosmer is set to take the reins there during the first week of September.

Hosmer’s announcement and Cheney’s subsequent declaration set the stage for a competitive mayoral race in November. The city won't hold a primary unless three or more candidates file for the election. If needed, a primary would be held Tuesday, Sept. 9. 

The filing period for city offices is Aug. 6-15.

Bordes on Saturday stressed the importance of transparency in municipal government, and listed making impacts on addiction and homelessness, ensuring smart spending at City Hall, supporting first responders and helping local businesses grow as some of his top priorities. 

Nearly 200 people attended the event and heard Bordes’ musings on a new way forward for the city.

“We have a lot of issues in Laconia right now,” Bordes said. 

“I’ve spoken to a lot of business owners in Laconia this summer — business is drastically down this year compared to where it normally is. There’s a lot of businesses suffering,” he said. “We can’t just rely on tourism as our only source of revenue in the area. With all that being said, I would like to announce I am running for mayor of Laconia.”

Bordes started considering a run eight or nine months ago after several people approached him.

“Mayor Hosmer is stepping down, so now I’m stepping up,” he said in an interview.

Dealing with the causes of homelessness in the city is among his top priorities, Bordes said. 

“We don’t go after the root cause of homelessness, we just put Band-aids on it time and time again, and that’s not a permanent solution,” he said. 

A serious challenge facing the city, both in the short- and long-term, is the development of the State School property on the north end, which is expected to bring more than 2,000 units of housing to the city. While it’s a state-owned property, city departments will have to work with Pillsbury Realty Development to ensure impacts to infrastructure and the resulting growth can be managed responsibly.

“Outside of just the state school property, we’re $21 million in the hole for road repairs. Why are we $21 million in the hole on this, and why haven’t we addressed it sooner instead of waiting for stuff to fall apart?” he asked.

“In regards to the State School, we do have to work with them on setting the infrastructure. They’re saying 2,000 homes, a Market Basket and a big shopping center, possibly City Hall going there. That’s a lot of strain on our first responders, on our water, our [Department of Public Works], everything is going to be affected by this,” he said. “We have to really find a solution that works for everybody and doesn’t burden the taxpayers.”

On budget responsibility, for example, Bordes said he doesn’t support bonding out funds to support the Opechee Loop extension of the WOW Trail. Cheney said he doesn’t support it either. Noting the city has a long list of roads which need work, Bordes said bonding out the recreational project near Lake Opechee doesn’t make much sense. 

And while Bordes said there’s plenty of opportunities in the city for real estate development, creating good-paying jobs to support the economy and allow for residents to save to purchase a home should be one of the city’s priorities. 

“We need to embrace companies more, maybe we need to give them a little tax incentive. We really need more than just tourism in Laconia, we need more companies like New Hampshire Ball Bearings,” he said. “Places like that, where we can have a middle class, working economy in Laconia. I think we need to expand on allowing and welcoming more companies in here, and inviting them into our neighborhoods.”