Christopher Potter

Christopher Potter is a member of the Manchester Board of School Committee in New Hampshire, representing Ward 7. He assumed office on January 4, 2022. His current term ends in 2026.

Potter ran for re-election to the Manchester Board of School Committee to represent Ward 7 in New Hampshire. He won in the general election on November 4, 2025.

Biography

Christopher Potter was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 2012. His career experience includes working as a faith community organizer for the Granite State Organizing Project, as an impact manager for City Year New Hampshire, a youth community organizer for Metropolitan Congregations United, an assistant athletic director for Manchester Boys and Girls Club, a corps member for City Year New Hampshire, and a tennis instructor.^[1]^[2]

Potter has been affiliated with the following organizations:^[1]

Leadership Greater Manchester
The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Council of Churches
Manchester Young Democrats
The Race & Equity Government Workgroup
The New Leaders Council

Elections

2025

General election

General election for Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7

Incumbent Christopher Potter won election in the general election for Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christopher Potter (Nonpartisan)	100.0	880

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source	Total votes: 880
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Christopher Potter advanced from the primary for Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Potter in this election.

2023

General election

General election for Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7

Incumbent Christopher Potter defeated Brian Cole in the general election for Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7 on November 7, 2023.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Christopher Potter (Nonpartisan)	56.9	723
	Brian Cole (Nonpartisan)	42.5	540
	Other/Write-in votes	0.6	8

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,271
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Christopher Potter and Brian Cole advanced from the primary for Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Potter in this election.

2021

General election

General election for Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7

Christopher Potter defeated Brian Cole in the general election for Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7 on November 2, 2021.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Christopher Potter (Nonpartisan)	60.5	783
	Brian Cole (Nonpartisan)	39.5	511

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,294
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Brian Cole and Christopher Potter advanced from the primary for Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7.

2019

General election

General election for Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7

William Shea defeated Christopher Potter in the general election for Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7 on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	William Shea (Nonpartisan)	51.2	670
		Christopher Potter (Nonpartisan)	48.7	637
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,308
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

Christopher Potter did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

2023

Christopher Potter did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2021

Christopher Potter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Potter's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Chris Potter is deeply committed to Manchester and its next generation. Chris's five years of service in Manchester schools with City Year inspired his candidacy and he's eager to support systemic change that give his former students the greatest opportunity in life.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Improved socio-emotional instruction and more social workers will help every Manchester student succeed.
Our schools can be hubs for community services, giving families needed supports.
Individualized instruction using data, teaching 21st Century skills, and strengthening vocational education will prepare students for today's economy.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Chris is passionate about ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed. Issues like having too few social workers, inadequate socio-emotional education, and unequal outcomes by race hurt individual students and the future of our entire city. Manchester's future is being determined by the quality of our schools today.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2019

Christopher Potter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Potter's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Chris came to Manchester in 2012 to serve with City Year New Hampshire. In City Year, he was a tutor and role model to students at Beech St. Elementary School, then joined the staff and managed the team at Parker-Varney Elementary School from 2015-2019.||Working directly with teachers and families the past four years, Chris met students facing serious challenges at home. He wants to ensure all students get the right supports at school so that they can develop into happy, productive Manchester citizens, regardless of their background. While at Parker-Varney, Chris helped implement innovative programs like Project Based Learning and FIRST Robotics. These programs help students learn skills like problem solving and teamwork that are critical in our modern workforce. The policies Chris will support on the school board are connected to his experience working directly in Manchester schools the past four years.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Chris will ensure students facing challenges at home receive the right supports at school to become successful citizens
Chris knows what is working and what can improve in Manchester schools because he worked in them the past four years
Chris will help prepare students for the 21st Century workforce by expanding innovative programs

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Chris is most passionate about ensuring every student has the opportunity to be successful, regardless of their background. Based on his recent experience in Manchester schools, Chris supports these policies: Expand Community Schools; Integrate academics with health and social services and parent engagement by partnering with city departments and non-profits; More Social Workers; Ensure students who are homeless or chronically absent are able to stay in school and develop into successful Manchester citizens; Fill Paraprofessional and Substitute Teacher Vacancies; Reduce student-to-teacher ratio and maximize learning by filling the positions the district already funds; Provide Tailored Instruction; Use data to understand each student's learning needs and provide tailored instruction to accelerate their learning

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Chris looks up to leaders who create strong communities that lead toward justice. The list includes the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Barack Obama, and Jesus. Each built a movement founded on love and idealism that improved the character of their members. People in those movements were able to positively impact the trajectory of humankind.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The two most important characteristics in an elected official are commitment to the common good and integrity.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy of a strong community in which every person cares for every other person and no one is left behind.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Chris' very first job was teaching tennis for seven summers in high school and college. As a tennis instructor, Chris learned how to relate to students and make learning fun. Each summer, Chris gained responsibility, developing a strong and effective curriculum and becoming responsible for training and managing a staff of four. It was the beginning of Chris' interest in youth development.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Chris' favorite book is "Leadership and Self-Deception." Every City Year member reads the book. It taught him how to act generously towards others and form strong relationships. He's re-read it innumerable times as he strives to be an ever-better friend and community leader.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The primary job of a school board member is to work as a team to set the vision and goals of the school district. Together, the school board must offer a clear direction on how the district will help students grow into successful citizens, then provide policies, craft a budget, and hire staff--especially the superintendent--to achieve that vision.

Who are your constituents?

Chris' constituency is the community of Manchester. Every action must strengthen Manchester's future by developing strong citizens in our schools.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

Chris is committed to working hard to serve the Manchester community. That includes both responding to constituents and serving on school board committees to find effective solutions that will help Manchester students.

What will you do to build a better relationship with parents in the district? What plans do you have to be inclusive of parental involvement?

Parent engagement is critical to students' success. In the community school model, which Chris supports, adult education and parent engagement are provided in neighborhood schools, which are resource hubs for the entire community.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

Good teaching results in students mastering the competencies defined in the Manchester Academic Standards and being prepared for success in the modern workforce. It helps them develop as content experts, as lifelong learners, and as leaders. Teachers accomplish this by being both effective teachers and stellar role models.

What type of skills should students be learning for success in the 21st century?

Today's jobs require an ability to solve problems, learn continually, and work in teams. Innovative programs like Project Based Learning and FIRST Robotics that are done in groups help students develop these critical skills. Chris has experience implementing these at Parker-Varney over the past four years and supports expanding them district-wide. This is very different from the schools of the 20th Century, in which his opponent worked. Schools of that era prepared students for a factory economy by having them memorize facts, sit in rows, and respond to bells. Schools offered one lecture for everyone, not tailored instruction, and there was no attention paid to socio-emotional development.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

Working at Parker-Varney the past four years, Chris met many students facing challenges at home, including poverty, homelessness, neglect, and abuse. While he worked there, seven parents of students died from drug overdoses. Supporting the mental health of students is critical to fostering a generation of successful Manchester citizens.
Chris supports policies that would support student mental health such as hiring additional social workers, teaching socio-emotional skills such as self-regulation and emotional awareness, and providing teachers with professional development in trauma-informed instruction.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7

Personal

Footnotes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey on September 25, 2019
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 2, 2021.

[bio2-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey on September 25, 2019

[bio-2] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 2, 2021.

[1]

[2]

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Christopher Potter

Biography

Elections

2025

General election

General election for Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7

Nonpartisan primary election

Endorsements

2023

General election

General election for Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7

Nonpartisan primary election

Endorsements

2021

General election

General election for Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7

Nonpartisan primary election

2019

General election

General election for Manchester Board of School Committee Ward 7

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

2023

2021

2019

See also

External links

Footnotes

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