Manchester voters who tuned in to the WMUR debate between Mayor Jay Ruais and his challenger, school board member Jess Spillers, on Sunday morning heard praise for the city’s “prosperity” amid the current “economic boom.”
Hardly surprising rhetoric when an incumbent is running for reelection. What is surprising is that this praise for Ruais’ booming economy came from his Democratic opponent.
Spillers acknowledged during the debate that the city and its residents are doing well financially, adding in her closing remarks, “I am a mom of three, and I want to ensure that Manchester is prosperous, not just for them, but for everyone — that this economic boom we’re seeing and that we have benefited from as a city, this rising tide lifts all boats.”
Ruais is widely viewed as the frontrunner in his race for a second term, and neither candidate chose to go negative during their final debate before the Nov. 4 election. (Moderator Adam Sexton called it “probably the friendliest Manchester mayoral debate we’ve seen in quite some time.”)
Ruais used his closing remarks to remind Queen City residents of his recent successes.
“We were ranked the third best-run city in the United States. We have the number one hottest housing market in America. Crime is down by 15 percent. Overdoses have plummeted. We have nearly 1,000 new [housing] units coming online,” Ruais said.
“But we know that elections are inherently about the future, and I could not be more convinced that Manchester has the capability to be the best mid-sized city in the United States of America.”
Spillers, who didn’t enter the race until the final hours of filing, has struggled with her messaging during the campaign, and those struggles continued on WMUR.
She reiterated her controversial positions on maxing out spending in every city budget to the tax cap, and on opposing the enforcement of the camping ban to keep Manchester streets clean and safe. She added some new twists, too.
For example, when asked how she would respond as mayor if Immigration and Customs Enforcement asked Manchester police for help, Spillers answered, “I would say Manchester police have enough on their hands with the city itself, and their priority should be first and foremost the safety of city residents.”
Ruais, on the other hand, noted that Manchester is not a sanctuary city.
“We have a relationship with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We have worked with them in the past and would continue to do so in the future.”
Another area where Spillers staked out an unusual position was calling for more bike lanes in downtown Manchester, in part to slow down traffic on city streets.
The question was about spending on mass transit, and Ruais said his most recent budget increased spending for the MTA.
“I think public transportation, particularly in a growing city, is an important aspect that we have addressed through the budget process,” Ruais said.
Spillers answered by talking about the times she rode the bus to school board meetings when she and her husband only had one car. In addition to supporting funding for city buses, Spillers said, “we should also look at things like bike lanes, for folks who may prefer to cycle or for whom the bus schedule may not work.”
She added that “bike lanes can also slow down the traffic in the city, which is another major concern of our residents.”
A recent national poll shows that while a majority of Americans support having bike lanes, just 33 percent say they want cities to add more. In some cities, like Boston, there has been a backlash against bike lanes that take away already scarce downtown parking spaces.
And there’s no available data showing Americans wish they moved more slowly when driving through their cities.
