Voters will select between Bordes, Cheney for mayor in November

LACONIA — State Rep. Mike Bordes and Ward 1 City Councilor Bruce Cheney will be on the ballot for mayor in November, following the city's municipal primary on Tuesday.

Jon Hildreth and Mike MacFadzen will move on to the Municipal Election to represent Ward 1 on city council. In Ward 2, Councilor Bob Soucy advanced through the primary and on to the Municipal Election, while Nicole Arsenault is challenging her 4-vote loss to Gregg Hough in a recount. Hough earned 88 votes, and Arsenault 84.

Recount in Ward 2

Arsenault submitted her written request for a recount late on Wednesday afternoon. 

The Ward 2 recount is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 12, in room 200B upstairs at City Hall. Arsenault will not be present for the recount, and politically-engaged resident Lois Kessin will act as her representative. 

According to the city charter, City Clerk Katie Gargano is to unseal a container holding all of the ballots, and will operate with two-person teams for the recount. For each two-person team, the candidates will have one observer. Each candidate will be informed how many teams will conduct the recount.

One member of the team will read the ballot declaring those legal votes apparent from the voters marks. The second team member will place the ballot in a stack according to how the ballot was cast.

Any protest of a ballot must be made immediately.

The candidate who requested the recount — in this case, Arsenault — can cancel the recount at any time throughout. Gargano will maintain a tally showing the old and new figures and, at the completion of the recount, will announce the official winner based on the recount figures. 

"I figured, considering it was crazy close, I'd do whatever I could," Arsenault said Wednesday afternoon. 

That she and Hough essentially split the vote is encouraging, Arsenault said, because to her it's a sign voters are ready for change in City Hall. 

"We'll see how it goes on Friday," Arsenault said. "It doesn't hurt for me to try."

Hough said Wednesday he was aware of the upcoming recount. 

"It's worth finding out, because it could make a big difference," Kessin said Wednesday.

"I was thrilled, she's a wonderful woman, she is young and she's bright," Kessin said of Arsenault's candidacy.

But Kessin was dismayed by low voter turnout.

"Voting is a privilege and an honor and it saves democracy."

Overall in the city, just 14% of registered voters participated, or 1,548 out of 11,130 eligible. 

Soucy earned 116 votes, and there were two write-ins in that race. 

“I think the people did a good job,” Soucy said. “I hope to see a lot more people out in November.

“I’m pleased, I’m happy,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Soucy said he doesn’t spend campaign money on T-shirts, jackets and hats, and doesn’t receive large donations, noting his money “comes out of my pocket.”

Between now and November, Soucy said he’ll work to spread his message by meeting with people, using social media and answering questions from constituents. 

“I just want people to look at what we do,” he said. “I’m honest, I’m transparent. I’m very transparent and bipartisan.”

Mayor's race

Bordes and Cheney advanced in a tight race, beating Joseph Hart. Cheney earned 755 votes, and Bordes earned 719. Hart earned 62 votes, and there were another nine write-in votes.

“I’m very optimistic,” Bordes said. 

“In my view, the primary went exactly how I had hoped,” Bordes said. “It’s just a primary, it’s kind of a ‘tester’ or a ‘feeler.’”

For Bordes, there’s a lot of work left to do between now and November.

“I’ll be honest, I haven’t even really kicked off my campaign yet,” Bordes said, noting he’ll be ramping up into the Tuesday, Nov. 4 election. 

“My message has been clear with the voters and it definitely has been resonating with them,” he said. 

National politics often take centerstage, but it’s the local races and issues directly affecting constituents that can be even more impactful, he said.

“I want to see people more engaged and get involved in local politics,” Bordes said.

Cheney was not immediately available for comment on Wednesday, but he’s had a long history of service to the community, as a law enforcement officer, as the head of the state’s 911 system at its inception, and on the Laconia City Council. 

In a letter to The Laconia Daily Sun, Hart wrote Wednesday that he’s going to organize a write-in campaign in November.

Ward 1 contest

Hildreth earned 233 votes and MacFadzen earned 130 votes. Ronald Judd came in third, earning 98 votes. There weren’t any write-in votes for that seat. 

“Being from Laconia, caring for Laconia and wanting the best for Laconia,” Hildreth said of his goals, adding he hopes voters were able to get that impression of his candidacy.

The city’s got challenges to confront, Hildreth said, and he and other candidates will be expected to address them. Leading up to the municipal primary, Hildreth said he spent several weeks meeting with city department heads and attending council meetings.

“I’ve got a lot to learn in a short amount of time,” Hildreth said, noting people in the community have offered to assist him moving into the Municipal Election, and he’ll take them up on it. “I’ve still got work to do.”

For MacFadzen, being a straight-shooter is the core of his campaign.

“I think being honest about who I am, not being influenced by outside endorsements, being self-financed,” MacFadzen said when asked what about his candidacy resonated with voters.

MacFadzen said he’s committed to being honest about his views on issues like crime, drugs, homelessness and taxes — the latter two, he said, appeared to be the top two concerns expressed by constituents during the primary.

Moving into the November election, turnout will be paramount, MacFadzen said, and he encourages the people of Laconia to get out the vote.

If he wins in November, he said, he’ll bring a new approach to the council and prioritize honesty, transparency, respect and a willingness to listen to the perspectives of all constituents. Hearing voters’ voices on their concerns is important in planning for the city long-term. 

“By voting for me they’re going to get a fiscally conservative approach to the issues facing Laconia.”