4 running for 2 seats on Belmont Selectboard, 1 incumbent not seeking reelection

BELMONT — Four residents are vying for two seats on the selectboard. Voters will decide on Tuesday, March 10, at Town Meeting. Voting is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Belmont High School.

According to declarations of candidacy filed at Town Hall, joining incumbent Travis O’Hara, who’s served on the board for three years, on the ballot are Russell Greene, Mark Lewandowski and Tom Murphy.

Long-time board member Claude “Sonny” Patten is not seeking reelection.

Candidates, seeking of two seats to serve a three-year term, are focused on the current town budget, the need for an expanded tax base and how special the Town of Belmont really is in their campaigns.

Mark Lewandowski

With a long-time history serving on the Belmont Police Department, retiring in 2024 as chief, Lewandowski, 65, is throwing his hat in the ring in hopes of bringing a fresh perspective to the table.

“I can do a really good job. Again, I’m not in it for politics. I have no agenda. I look at things realistically and I act on them conservatively,” Lewandowski said.

He has lived in Belmont since 1977, making his home where he’s been an active member of the Rotary Club for over 20 years. Lewandowski is an avid outdoor enthusiast who teaches hunter education, along with lending a helping hand with Old Home Day, and was a former coach of the high school baseball team.

He currently serves as the part-time interim police chief in Northfield.

On the topic of the budget, Lewandowski admitted didn’t have all the answers about strengthening budget conversations between the board and town residents, but knew something needed to change.

“This could potentially be the third year of a default. A lot of emphasis is in the wrong place,” he said. “I’ve heard the communication between the board and town needs to get better. I’m not sure how to do that.”

Most of his career was spent communicating among fellow town officials and board members, so he knows first-hand the importance of disseminating information. He sees this as a strength.

“I’ve always built a conservative budget and give money back,” he said, referencing the new police station he helped bond and bring to fruition years ago, which came in under budget. “My other strong suit is that I know the town so well. I’ve seen the growth, I’ve seen the changes.”

He also strongly believes the town needs to fully commit to relocating Town Hall to the Belmont Mill. After all, according to Selectboard Chair Ruth Mooney at a meeting, roughly $700,000 has been invested already into the structure.

“Moving the Town Hall to the Mill, it has to happen. We have sunk so much money into that Mill since the voters decided to keep it after the fire, that it makes absolutely no sense in not moving them over there, and getting full use out of the building that you're paying for using anyway,” he said.

A resident of the Lakes Region for nearly 50 years, Lewandowski loves the town, its residents and all it has to offer.

“I’ve been so embedded in the community, I know it very well. I have good working relationships with everyone there; boards, different chiefs and the hierarchy of the community. I had the opportunity to see things we’ve done well and things we haven't. There's certain things that need to get done and there needs to be movement in that direction.”

Lewandowski enjoys hiking, fishing and hunting in his spare time.

Thomas 'Tom' Murphy

Murphy served on the Belmont Fire Department for 23 years, both full-time and on-call, and because of this, believes he’s a strong candidate for the selectboard, because he seriously enjoyed serving the people.

“I really enjoyed that work, and I enjoyed serving the residents and people of Belmont. It was a pleasure to do that and take care of people,” Murphy said.

Moving to Belmont in 1987, Murphy previously worked at Canton Chevrolet. He and his wife have two grown children, and a handful of grandchildren. He’s volunteered at Old Home Day and serves as emcee for many of the road races and parades in town.

“We fell in love with Belmont. The people are so kind. We decided to stay,” he said. “This is where we decided we were gonna live for the rest of our time.”

Murphy ran for selectboard in 2023, and lost to current board member Jon Pike.

Adding businesses on routes 106 and 3, and expanding the tax base, should be one of the main priorities of the selectboard, he said. The high tax rate is just one indicator of the need for change, but he referenced the success of the Belknap Marketplace as motivation to do more.

“I care about Belmont, and I understand the high taxes, because I’m a resident and homeowner, and I pay property tax.

"But we still need to have good services, too,” Murphy said. “With the budget not passing for two years, it can get tight on departments. I’m also very supportive of the town going for grants to get some funding.”

Recently, town staff used a state Department of Environmental Services’ Granite State Clean Fleet Grant to buy two vehicles for the public works department, and more recently, a fire truck.

More of this type of thinking is what the town needs, he said.

“Raising tax rates is one of the people's biggest concerns. As far as trying to get more business into town, Belmont is a bedroom community, most of our burden is put onto the homeowners,” Murphy said. “I’d like to see if we can take and build up some businesses along the main thoroughfares.”

He’s a huge advocate for taxpayers, he said, and believes he’s a “go-getter” who can find much-needed funds for the community.

“I go after things I think are helpful for the town. I don’t back down,” Murphy said. “A lot of people know me, I’m a straight shooter. I’ll tell you the truth.”

Murphy said he enjoys hanging out with his grandchildren because they keep him “young.”

Travis O’Hara

Seeking a second term on the selectboard, O’Hara wants to continue the momentum from the board’s work over the past three years, to better serve hard-working constituents.

“Our town is a blue-collar town. People are like me, we work to pay our bills,” he said. “I’m really inclined with how Belmont is.”

The 32-year-old has lived in Belmont since he was 16 years old, and raised his family in the community with his wife, Brianna. He has two kids, 16 and 6, and works in property management, with a former career in accounting.

Many residents may recognize the name. O’Hara was a former Republican state representative for both Belmont and Laconia, from 2020 to 2024.

He wants to “reconnect” taxpayers with the selectboard, and help further communication between the two. For example, he pushed hard for varying selectboard meeting times to try to bolster attendance.

“There’s a disconnect between selectboard and public, and I’m trying to figure out and reconnect them,” he said.

Recognizing the town has operated with a default budget for the past two years, O’Hara realizes the tax base needs to expand. But he also wants to maintain Belmont’s rural integrity, compared with its Lakes Region counterparts.

“I think the future for Belmont is still sort of in the air, in how the town goes forward, if we want to commercialize [Route] 106. I want to keep it rural, and keep Belmont what it is,” he said. “We want our back roads to stay our back roads.”

This year, O’Hara said the budget was picked through and “torn apart” to deliver the most satisfactory figure to residents possible. He always encourages residents to get involved with the budget committee, because the process is so eye-opening.

O’Hara is young compared to others on the current selectboard, but believes he still contributes a valuable point of view. While a renter, he still directly contributes through property taxes, and believes the board can do some things a little more conservatively.

“I don’t think [the board] sees the difference between a need and a want on the smaller issues,” he said. “I’m trying to cut back on taxes as best we can, and not cut services.”

The current selectboard member wants residents to get out and vote, no matter who they opt for on the ballot.

“I don’t care who people vote for, just get out and vote,” he said. “We gotta keep Belmont, Belmont.”

O’Hara became a proud parent at age 16.

Russell 'Russ' Greene

Repeated attempts to contact Greene by phone and email were unsuccessful.

Information for voters

A Candidates’ Night will be held, featuring people running for both selectboard and Shaker Regional School Board, at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4. The session will be held in the Belmont High cafeteria, and is hosted by the school’s National Honor Society.

There is no moderator for the event, and questions have been provided to the candidates ahead of the event. Organizers will be unable to take audience questions.

The two topics are:

1. What is your vision for the future of the Town of Belmont? What would you like to see for changes, and what do you want to remain the same?
2. The people of Belmont have voted down the budget for the past two years. How can the town do a better job of communicating the importance of the budget to voters?

For more information or for a Belmont Town Voter Guide, visit belmontnh.org.

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Katlyn Proctor can be reached at katlyn@laconiadailysun.com or by calling 603-524-0150.