Council to approve temporary Ward 6 moderator hours before primary

LACONIA — A temporary Ward 6 moderator was set to be appointed by the City Council at its meeting Monday night — less than 12 hours before the polls open for primary elections Tuesday morning. 

The temporary moderator, Catherine Tokarz, will be overseen by two people from the state. The New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office appointed Bonnie Winnona Mackinnon, who was a moderator in Nottingham for 11 years, as an election monitor. Mackinnon, as well as Deputy Secretary of State Erin Hennessey, will be in Ward 6 all day Tuesday, according to City Clerk Katie Gargano.

The city has been in search of a moderator since mid-August, when city councilor and former moderator for Ward 6 Anthony Felch resigned at the request of the attorney general. An investigation by the attorney general’s office found that Felch had, unknowingly yet negligently, miscounted and mishandled votes in the 2020 election.

The city did not receive a single application for a new moderator.  

“It’s been a mad dash in the last few days because no one stepped forward,” Gargano said. 

Down to the wire to fill the vacancy, Gargano said city officials have been making calls in search of someone in Ward 6 who would be willing to take on the role.

Tokarz, as well as Sherwood Frazier, agreed to serve as Ward 6 moderator for Tuesday’s primary. Sherwood, though not appointed as moderator, will assist Tokarz. Gargano said the two will study Laconia’s election procedure manual, and said she has already met with them to help prepare — to the extent possible given time constraints — for the primary. 

After the AG’s investigation, the clerk’s office took steps to support all city moderators and election officials ahead of upcoming elections. At the same time, the findings about Felch’s negligence may have shaken public trust in the integrity of local elections at a time when the topic is prominent in national politics.

Gargano emphasized that city election officials spent two full days testing every single voting machine in a public setting to ensure their accuracy. She encouraged people with questions or concerns about city elections to reach out to the clerk’s office.