Not many voters turned out for last week’s elections in Dover, Rochester and Portsmouth, but the small number of voters who did bother going to the polls seemed to have a clear message: “Enough with the taxes!”

Though the faces on the city’s respective councils will remain largely the same, voters elected a slate of candidates who campaigned mainly on a message of fiscal responsibility. This means residents should prepare for a collective tightening of belts when it comes time for budget talks in 2006—and for fireworks when the ideals of fiscal responsibility clash with the increasing need for more city services in the ever-growing Seacoast region.

Voter turnout for each of the three elections was decidedly low. Of Rochester’s 16,998 registered voters, only 3,961, or 23 percent, cast ballots. But in a city of nearly 31,000 people, that means only about 12 percent of residents bothered to vote. This means that in the mayor’s race, for example, winner John Larochelle only has the support of 14 percent of the city’s registered voters, which translates into about 7 percent of Rochester’s total population.

Dover candidates faced a similar situation. Of the Garrison City’s 16,277 voters, 3,201 cast ballots, about 21 percent. Turnout was similarly low in Portsmouth, where 4,078, or 24 percent, of the city’s 16,123 registered voters cast ballots.

Portsmouth
Incumbent first-term councilor Steve Marchand won the top spot in Portsmouth’s at-large city council race with 2,734 votes. Incumbents Tom Ferrini and Joanne Grasso followed with 2,238 and 2,183 votes, respectively. Ned Raynolds, Laura Pantelakos, Harold Whitehouse and Bill St. Laurent are all returning to the council. The board’s only new members are Christine “Chris” Dwyer, who received 2,153 votes and Kenneth Smith, who got 1,659 votes.

Because only the top nine vote-getters make it onto the council, longtime councilor John Hynes missed a seat on the council by two votes, coming in at 1,598 behind St. Laurent’s 1,600 ballots. A machine recount is scheduled for this week, although Hynes has asked for a hand recount of the results.

Marchand’s election to the top spot marks a generational shift in the council, as the 31-year-old first-term councilor takes over for Evelyn Sirrell, who has been the city’s mayor since 1998. Marchand said the magnitude of his victory—an almost 500-vote lead over Tom Ferrini—surprised him.

Marchand said this new iteration of the board is more “fiscally responsible … more analytical” and will focus on the budget process and how it affects residents. Marchand was one of a group of four councilors who voted against the proposed 2006 budget earlier this year, citing overspending in the city’s police and school departments as one of his concerns. Four of the six candidates endorsed by the Association of Portsmouth Taxpayers, a city-spending watchdog group, made it on the board—Marchand, Ken Smith, Bill St. Laurent and Harold Whitehouse.

“We’ll continue to work on the budget process, making sure the public’s priorities are represented and the departments’ priorities (are represented) and we can identify how to reach those priorities in as efficient a way as possible.”

Residents can expect a closer eye to be cast on the budget, which Marchand has said should be a year-round, not a three-month, process. During his campaign, Smith said he would work to cut “fluff” out of the budget as well. In addition, future city-funded projects, such as a new middle school and the potential redevelopment of city-owned sites like the McIntyre federal building, will be done with an emphasis on fiscal restraint. Within the next few years, the current library site, the Children’s Museum and the McIntyre building will be vacant, and many, though not all, of the new crop of councilors favor selling some of the buildings and putting them back on the tax rolls.

Rochester
In Rochester, newcomer Kevin Schultz captured the Ward 1 Seat B slot with 272 votes in the city’s most crowded contest, edging out Jeff Winders, Fred Leonard and Dana Hussey. In Ward 2, Sandy Keans handily defeated long-time councilor James McManus in the race for Ward 2 Seat B with 436 votes against McManus’ 358. Former councilor Ray Lundborn took the Ward 4 Seat A spot from incumbent Bob Goldstein with 361 votes. Meanwhile, the Ward 4 Seat B slot is still up for grabs—candidates Larry Goelz and Dick Groat each received 296 votes. A hand recount will determine the winner of the race. If the recount yields the same results, the winner will be decided by a coin toss, according to council rules.
The biggest surprise in Rochester was John Larochelle’s decisive victory in the race for mayor. Larochelle, who currently holds the Ward 3 Seat B council slot, pulled in 2,389 votes, more than double incumbent David Walker’s 1,106 votes. Omer Ouellette, the third challenger in the race, grabbed 397 votes.
“I am very surprised,” Larochelle said. “I wasn’t sure I was going to win at all, and if I did, I thought it would be by a small margin.”

Before the election, Larochelle often spoken of the different management styles he and his opponents in the race bring to the city. Following his victory, Larochelle said he doesn’t want to implement an agenda so much as to bring residents and city officials together. This is in contrast to Walker’s two-year tenure as mayor, during which the city council and the police union had a tenuous relationship over contract disagreements. Walker was also criticized for publicly scolding Department of Public Works employees at council meetings.

“I hope to build bridges to other parts of the city,” he said. “I keep using the word ‘community’ and I mean that. I want us to become a community and a great city.”

Larochelle’s interest in management will also come in handy when the council begins its search for Rochester’s next city manager. Current city manager Bob Steele is stepping down at the end of this year.

Dover
Dover’s city council race also held a few surprises. Newcomers claimed three of the four seats up for grabs in Wards 1, 3, 5 and 6. Incumbent Bob Keays beat David Mincin in Ward 1, 209-164. In Ward 5, Catherine Cheney soundly defeated opponents Don Andolina and Daryn Gladstone with 314 votes against Gladstone’s 170 and Andonlina’s 75. In Ward 6, Harvey Turner grabbed 380 votes while Mark Moeller received 290 votes. In Ward 3, David Scott upset incumbent Matt Mayberry, 567-417. Both Scott and Mayberry have made headlines lately—Scott for his victory in a lawsuit against the city, forcing Dover officials to provide a list of salaries, complete with names, of city employees making more than $60,000 a year and Mayberry for the ordinance he shepherded through the council that places restrictions on where registered sex offenders can live in town. Incumbent mayor Scott Myers, Ward 2 councilor Douglas DeDe, Ward 4 councilor Dean Trefethen and At-Large councilor Jason Hindle all retained their seats in uncontested races, and new councilor Dennis Ciotti took the second At-Large seat in an unchallenged race.

Scott said his victory was the result of a “universal feeling that the city has embarked on … an unreasonable spending spree,” adding that he expects the new council to be more financially conservative. During the campaign, Scott, Turner and Cheney all came out strongly against the city’s rising tax rates and 7.4 percent budget increase.

“There was a coming out of voters that expressed that (they) want someone that has their hand on the spending that’s got to be restrained,” he said.

Fiscal responsibility was the main theme of Scott’s campaign—in particular, he wants to hold the city accountable for its spending practices, including what he believes are high salary rates among top-level city employees. He said his first priority on the council is “to understand where all our money has been going.”

However, the day after the election, there were questions about Scott’s own campaign spending habits. Scott violated the city’s campaign spending limits—50 cents per voter in each ward. Scott was allowed to spend $1,577.50 in his race; however, he filed $1,721 in expenditures with the city. According to city rules, Scott could be ruled ineligible to serve. City officials have said they won’t file a challenge against Scott, but any voter can file a complaint with the city.

“From this municipal government, you can expect almost anything because they don’t want any newcomer in to ask embarrassing questions,” he said.

Scott said he would stand behind his First Amendment rights should any challenge occur.