Republican Kelly Ayotte ran for governor campaigning against crime and disorder in the streets of Manchester on Democrat Mayor Joyce Craig’s watch.
Now Gov.-elect Ayotte is signaling public safety will be a priority for her administration by announcing a task force focused on the issue.
And she’s asking Craig’s city hall replacement, Mayor Jay Ruais, to serve.
“Keeping New Hampshire moving in the right direction starts with ensuring we remain the safest state in the nation, which is why I’m proud to announce today my Public Safety Task Force,” Ayotte said in a statement.
In addition to Ruais, the task force includes:
— Chief Probation and Parole Officer Seifu Ragassa, New Hampshire Department of Corrections
— State Rep. Stephen Pearson, lieutenant, Manchester Fire Department
— Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg
— Mary Tenn, attorney, Tenn and Tenn, PA
New Hampshire has consistently been ranked as one of the safest states in the country, with low rates of violent crime and few homicides. Nonetheless, members of the task force believe there is more work to be done.
“Thank you, Gov.-elect Ayotte, for appointing me to your Public Safety Task Force,” Ruais said in a statement. “The safety of our city is non-negotiable. I look forward to working with you and the legislature to address key areas like bail reform to further improve our city’s safety and wellbeing.”
Ayotte has also said in the past that she’s keeping an eye on the crime issue across the state line in Massachusetts, where there is a steady stream of headlines regarding crimes committed by illegal immigrants — many of them sex crimes against children.
Just last week, three such arrests were announced in a single day by Customs and Border Patrol in Massachusetts. And a hotel used by the state of Massachusetts to house illegal immigrants is less than a mile from the New Hampshire state line.
During the governor’s race, Craig used FBI data to argue that crime was actually lower during her time in office, though the available numbers were mixed. Additionally, questions have been raised about the reliability of FBI data.
For example, the Bureau released what it called final crime data for 2022 reporting the national violent crime rate fell by 2.1 percent. But this fall, it quietly revised those numbers. The violent crime rate actually rose 4.5 percent during that same period.
Whatever the public safety challenges, Ayotte believes the task force can help her address them.
“This qualified and dedicated group of individuals will help identify key issues and priorities to further our justice and public safety goals, from recruiting and retaining the best first responders in the nation, to ending the revolving door bail system and getting dangerous criminals off our streets,” Ayotte said.
