Jayne Morris Crowther: Keep momentum going by reelecting Hosmer

To The Daily Sun,

Like many Laconians, I watched the mayoral debate last week and was struck by the stark differences between Mayor Andrew Hosmer and his challenger. Hosmer was upbeat and extremely optimistic about Laconia’s future. It reminded me of an earlier political ad called “Morning in America.” In that ad, folks woke up to a new spirit and hope that things were getting better and would continue to do so. Residents of Laconia are similarly seeing a revitalization of our downtown, Lakeport and Weirs areas. Our city is becoming a “go to” area for investors and vacationers. We are proud of that. But, his opponent saw only drug addition and homelessness and painted a bleak future for us in our city. 

Mayor Hosmer acknowledged the serious problems like drug addiction and homelessness but added that he was taking concrete steps to alleviate both those issues. He was a founding member of Navigating Recovery which works directly with the addicted population and brought many to sober and productive lives. Homelessness is a tricky problem because it raises the question of how much government intervention do we want in the decisions of private investors with their own capital. Hosmer has worked to change the zoning rules of Laconia to offer developers a greater choice of building possibilities. More choices means more varied housing. His opponent simply stated that we need to come together as a community to solve our mutual problems. Hosmer has done just that and worked with all political groups. When asked about the success of the downtown area, he was quick to thank his predecessor, Mayor Ed Engler, for starting this effort.

Laconia residents have an important choice next Nov. 2. Mayor Hosmer has faced huge challenges during the pandemic but strictly observed the tax cap budget. He has continued successful policies and initiated others. His opponent simply complains a lot without offering optimistic plans for Laconia’s future. The choice is clear. Vote to continue this progress and re-elect Mayor Andrew Hosmer next Tuesday.

Jayne Morris Crowther

Laconia