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Manchester School District elections (2017)
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All 14 seats on the Manchester School District Board of School Committee in New Hampshire were up for general election on November 7, 2017. Twelve seats were elected by district and the remaining two were elected at large. All 14 incumbents filed to run for re-election. Primary elections for Wards 6 and 12 were held on September 19, 2017.[1]
Incumbents Richard Girard and Nancy Tessier were the only candidates to file to run for the district's two at-large seats and won re-election. In Ward 1, incumbent Sarah S. Ambrogi defeated former candidate Joseph Lachance. Incumbent Debra G. Langton lost to challenger David Scannell for the Ward 2 seat. Incumbent Mary Ngwanda Georges defeated Phillip Harris to retain her Ward 3 seat. Ward 4 incumbent Leslie Want defeated former candidate Mark Flanders. In Ward 5, former board member Kathy Staub was unsuccessful in her challenge against incumbent Lisa M. Freeman to reclaim a seat on the board.[1] Ward 6 incumbent Dan Bergeron defeated challenger Jon DiPietro. They defeated Ernesto Pinder in the primary election.[2][3]
Incumbent Ross Terrio won against challenger Ethan Moorhouse to retain his seat in Ward 7. In Ward 8, former candidate Jimmy Lehoux defeated incumbent Erika Connors. Incumbent Arthur J. Beaudry was the only one to file for the Ward 9 seat and won unnopposed in the election. Ward 10 incumbent John B. Avard defeated newcomer Thomas McGee. In Ward 11, incumbent Katie Desrochers won with 74 percent of the vote against Alexander Avery.[1] Incumbent Constance Van Houten was defeated by newcomer Kelley Anne Thomas. They advanced to the Ward 12 general election after defeating Carlos Gonzalez for the seat.[2][3]
The board also has a chairman of the board, but the position is automatically filled by the Mayor of Manchester.[4] Challenger Joyce Craig defeated incumbent Ted Gatsas in the mayoral election and was sworn-in as the chairman of the board of the state's largest school district.[3]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Manchester School District Board of School Committee consists of 15 members of whom 14 members are elected to two-year terms. Twelve members are elected by district and two are elected at large. The remaining position is the Chairman of the Board, which is automatically filled by the Mayor of Manchester.[5] All 14 seats were up for election on November 7, 2017. A primary election was held on September 19, 2017.
To qualify, candidates must be 18-years or older, citizens of the United States, registered and qualified to vote in Manchester, and live in Manchester for their full term of office. They also had to file a Declaration of Candidacy with the Office of the City Clerk by July 21, 2017, along with 50 nominating petitions from registered voters who live in the candidate's ward or a filing fee of $25. To cast a ballot in the election, citizens had to register by November 1, 2017.[6] For information regarding voter identification requirements in New Hampshire, please click here.
Candidates and results
At-large (2 seats)
Results
| Manchester School District, At-Large General Election, 2-year terms, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Nancy Tessier Incumbent |
53.18% | 12,815 |
| Richard Girard Incumbent |
45.71% | 11,015 |
| Write-in votes | 1.12% | 269 |
| Total Votes | 24,099 | |
| Source: Manchester, NH, "Non-Partisan Municipal General Election, November 7, 2017 - Official Results," accessed November 13, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Richard Girard 
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Nancy Tessier
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Ward 1
Results
| Manchester School District, Ward 1 General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Sarah S. Ambrogi Incumbent |
61.36% | 1,785 |
| Joseph Lachance | 38.33% | 1,115 |
| Write-in votes | 0.31% | 9 |
| Total Votes | 2,909 | |
| Source: Manchester, NH, "Non-Partisan Municipal General Election, November 7, 2017 - Official Results," accessed November 13, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Sarah S. Ambrogi
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Joseph Lachance | ||
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Ward 2
Results
| Manchester School District, Ward 2 General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| David Scannell |
50.35% | 1,070 |
| Debra G. Langton Incumbent | 49.41% | 1,050 |
| Write-in votes | 0.24% | 5 |
| Total Votes | 2,125 | |
| Source: Manchester, NH, "Non-Partisan Municipal General Election, November 7, 2017 - Official Results," accessed November 13, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Debra G. Langton | David Scannell
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Ward 3
Results
| Manchester School District, Ward 3 General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Mary Ngwanda Georges Incumbent |
62.00% | 563 |
| Phillip Harris | 37.33% | 339 |
| Write-in votes | 0.66% | 6 |
| Total Votes | 908 | |
| Source: Manchester, NH, "Non-Partisan Municipal General Election, November 7, 2017 - Official Results," accessed November 13, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Mary Ngwanda Georges
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Phillip Harris | ||
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Ward 4
Results
| Manchester School District, Ward 4 General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Leslie Want Incumbent |
53.45% | 682 |
| Mark Flanders | 46.39% | 592 |
| Write-in votes | 0.16% | 2 |
| Total Votes | 1,276 | |
| Source: Manchester, NH, "Non-Partisan Municipal General Election, November 7, 2017 - Official Results," accessed November 13, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Leslie Want
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Mark Flanders | ||
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Ward 5
Results
| Manchester School District, Ward 5 General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Lisa M. Freeman Incumbent |
53.54% | 454 |
| Kathy Staub | 46.34% | 393 |
| Write-in votes | 0.12% | 1 |
| Total Votes | 848 | |
| Source: Manchester, NH, "Non-Partisan Municipal General Election, November 7, 2017 - Official Results," accessed November 13, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Lisa M. Freeman
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Kathy Staub | ||
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Ward 6
General results
| Manchester School District, Ward 6 General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Dan Bergeron Incumbent |
51.05% | 1,143 |
| Jon DiPietro | 48.82% | 1,093 |
| Write-in votes | 0.13% | 3 |
| Total Votes | 2,239 | |
| Source: Manchester, NH, "Non-Partisan Municipal General Election, November 7, 2017 - Official Results," accessed November 13, 2017 | ||
General candidates
| Dan Bergeron
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Jon DiPietro | ||
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Primary results
| Manchester School District, Ward 6 Primary Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Dan Bergeron Incumbent |
51.13% | 565 |
| Jon DiPietro |
41.72% | 461 |
| Ernesto Pinder | 6.79% | 75 |
| Write-in votes | 0.36% | 4 |
| Total Votes | 1,105 | |
| Source: Manchester, New Hampshire, "Citywide Official Results," accessed September 23, 2017 | ||
Primary candidates
| Dan Bergeron
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Ernesto Pinder | Jon DiPietro
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Ward 7
Results
| Manchester School District, Ward 7 General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Ross Terrio Incumbent |
63.05% | 889 |
| Ethan Moorhouse | 36.60% | 516 |
| Write-in votes | 0.35% | 5 |
| Total Votes | 1,410 | |
| Source: Manchester, NH, "Non-Partisan Municipal General Election, November 7, 2017 - Official Results," accessed November 13, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Ross Terrio
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Ethan Moorhouse | ||
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Ward 8
Results
| Manchester School District, Ward 8 General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jimmy Lehoux |
52.58% | 1,214 |
| Erika Connors Incumbent | 47.42% | 1,095 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 2,309 | |
| Source: Manchester, NH, "Non-Partisan Municipal General Election, November 7, 2017 - Official Results," accessed November 13, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Erika Connors | Jimmy Lehoux
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Ward 9
Results
| Manchester School District, Ward 9 General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Arthur J. Beaudry Incumbent (unopposed) |
98.33% | 1,533 |
| Write-in votes | 1.67% | 26 |
| Total Votes | 1,559 | |
| Source: Manchester, NH, "Non-Partisan Municipal General Election, November 7, 2017 - Official Results," accessed November 13, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Arthur J. Beaudry
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Ward 10
Results
| Manchester School District, Ward 10 General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| John B. Avard Incumbent |
58.41% | 920 |
| Thomas McGee | 41.21% | 649 |
| Write-in votes | 0.38% | 6 |
| Total Votes | 1,575 | |
| Source: Manchester, NH, "Non-Partisan Municipal General Election, November 7, 2017 - Official Results," accessed November 13, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| John B. Avard
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Thomas McGee | ||
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Ward 11
Results
| Manchester School District, Ward 11 General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Katie Desrochers Incumbent |
73.59% | 744 |
| Alexander Avery | 25.91% | 262 |
| Write-in votes | 0.49% | 5 |
| Total Votes | 1,011 | |
| Source: Manchester, NH, "Non-Partisan Municipal General Election, November 7, 2017 - Official Results," accessed November 13, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Katie Desrochers
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Alexander Avery | ||
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Ward 12
General results
| Manchester School District, Ward 12 General Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Kelley Anne Thomas |
53.27% | 822 |
| Constance Van Houten Incumbent | 46.34% | 715 |
| Write-in votes | 0.39% | 6 |
| Total Votes | 1,543 | |
| Source: Manchester, NH, "Non-Partisan Municipal General Election, November 7, 2017 - Official Results," accessed November 13, 2017 | ||
General candidates
| Constance Van Houten | Kelley Anne Thomas
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Primay results
| Manchester School District, Ward 12 Primary Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Constance Van Houten Incumbent |
42.91% | 357 |
| Kelley Anne Thomas |
38.94% | 324 |
| Carlos Gonzalez | 18.03% | 150 |
| Write-in votes | 0.12% | 1 |
| Total Votes | 832 | |
| Source: Manchester, New Hampshire, "Citywide Official Results," accessed September 23, 2017 | ||
Primary candidates
| Constance Van Houten
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Kelley Anne Thomas
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Carlos Gonzalez | |||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: New Hampshire elections, 2017
The Manchester School District Board of School Committee election shared the ballot with the city of Manchester's municipal elections, including elections for the city mayor and the at-large alderman and each ward's alderman, moderator, clerk, and selectman.[1]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for this New Hampshire school board election in 2017:[6]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 21, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| August 4, 2017 | Primary political committee registration deadline |
| September 13, 2017 | Voter registration deadline for primary election |
| September 18, 2017 | Primary election campaign expenditures due |
| September 19, 2017 | Primary election |
| September 29, 2017 | Primary election campaign expenditures due |
| November 1, 2017 | Voter registration deadline for general election |
| November 6, 2017 | General election campaign expenditures due |
| November 7, 2017 | General election |
| November 17, 2017 | General election campaign expenditures due |
Endorsements
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Past elections
To see results from past elections in the Manchester School District, click here.
What was at stake?
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
All 14 incumbents on the Manchester School District Board of School Committee ran for re-election in 2017, more than in the previous two election cycles.
Fewer candidates filed per seat in 2017 than in 2015, but the number of unopposed seats remained the same from 2015 to 2017. Two races drew three candidates in 2017, leading to primary elections in Districts 6 and 12. In 2015, six seats required primary elections, and in 2013, three seats held primary elections.
| School board election trends | ||||||
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| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Manchester School District | ||||||
| 2017 | 1.93 | 21.43% | 100.00% | 78.57% | 21.43% | |
| 2015 | 2.21 | 21.43% | 85.71% | 83.33% | 28.57% | |
| 2013 | 1.93 | 14.29% | 71.43% | 90.00% | 35.71% | |
| New Hampshire | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.89 | 42.11% | 86.67% | 86.67% | 31.58% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
Issues in the district
2015 sexual assault brought to community attention
On June 22, 2017, Hillsborough County Attorney Dennis Hogan published a press release detailing a rape that occurred on September 30, 2015, at West High School in the Manchester School District during school hours. The release stated that a then-17-year-old student, Bryan Wilson, was found guilty of aggravated felonious sexual assault of a 14-year-old student. The incident occurred in a deserted hallway that students were known to use for skipping class and smoking, according to The Union Leader.[7] The district was not obligated to and did not release a statement in 2015 notifying the community about the assault.[8][9] The superintendent and board of school committee were informed about the crime on the same day it was committed.[10]
The community outcry following the June 22 press release led the district to announce it was committed to ensuring transparency in any future incidents. “Moving forward, the administration will make every effort to keep the public informed to the extent possible allowed under the law,” said Superintendent Bolgen Vargas.[11][12] New Hampshire law does not require districts to notify the community when violent assaults happen, although they are required to report them to police within two days and to include them in an annual report (the 2015-2016 report can be found here).[9]
Former assistant school superintendent David Ryan, who knew of the assault shortly after it occurred, cautioned against telling the public about alleged assaults before a defendant is found guilty. “We have to provide due process prior to putting information out there,” Ryan said. “At the time, we hadn’t proven anything. All we had was an allegation.”[11]
During a school board meeting on June 26, 2017, at-large board of school committee member Richard Girard called for an investigation into the administration and the monitoring of the deserted hallway. “Someone needs to be held accountable for what happened at that school. From the accounts I’ve read and things I have heard, the hallway was a known problem area,” he said.
Report a story for this election
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Candidate survey
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About the district
The Manchester School District is located in south-central New Hampshire in Hillsborough County. The county seats are Manchester and Nashua. This county was home to 400,721 residents in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau.[13] The district was the largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 14,565 students.[14]
Demographics
Hillsborough County overperformed compared to the rest of New Hampshire in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 35.0 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 33.7 percent for New Hampshire as a whole. The median household income for Hillsborough County was $69,829 compared to $64,916 for the state of New Hampshire. The percentage of people below poverty level was 8.6 percent while it was 8.7 percent for the state of New Hampshire.[13]
| Racial Demographics, 2013[13] | |||
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| Race | Hillsborough County (%) | New Hampshire (%) | |
| White | 91.6 | 94.2 | |
| African American | 2.6 | 1.5 | |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3 | 0.3 | |
| Asian | 3.6 | 2.4 | |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.0 | |
| Two or More Races | 1.8 | 1.6 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 5.8 | 3.2 | |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Manchester School District New Hampshire election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Manchester School District | New Hampshire | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Office of the City Clerk - Manchester, NH, "Filings for Non-partisan Municipal Election," accessed July 21, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Manchester Ink Link, "Manchester Primary Election results," accessed September 19, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 WMUR 9, "2017 city election results for Manchester, New Hampshire," November 7, 2017
- ↑ Manchester School District, "Rules of Manchester School Board of School Committee," accessed July 18, 2017
- ↑ Manchester School District, "Rules of Manchester School Board of School Committee," accessed July 18, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 City of Manchester, "2017 Municipal Political Calendar," accessed July 18, 2017
- ↑ New Hampshire Union Leader, "Manchester man sentenced to 10 to 20 years in West High sex assault," accessed July 19, 2017
- ↑ Boston Globe, "Manchester, N.H., officials and mayor didn’t disclose 2015 sexual assault at city high school," accessed July 19, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 New Hampshire Public Radio, "When Crimes Happen at School, N.H. Law Doesn't Require Parental Notification," accessed July 19, 2017
- ↑ WMUR 9, "Gatsas acknowledges receiving email, phone call on 2015 sexual assault from school official," accessed July 19, 2017
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 New Hampshire Union Leader, "After rape at high school, new policy in works," accessed July 19, 2017
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedNPHR - ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 United States Census Bureau, "Hillsborough County, New Hampshire," accessed September 15, 2015
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
