“I genuinely love every single second of this job.”
And with that, Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais began his second “State of the City” speech, delivered to the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. And even his political opponents acknowledge that the 39-year-old first-term mayor has an infectious enthusiasm for his job.
But much of Ruais’ speech focused on his top priority: Public safety. When the Republican mayor spoke about recent incidents on his city’s streets, his usually sunny demeanor gave way to flashes of frustration.
For example, he talked about two incidents in the past week that show why New Hampshire needs to pass bail reform and get dangerous offenders off the street.
“One involved a man stabbed over a dozen times, the other was a bank robber. Both of the individuals arrested for these crimes received PR (personal recognizance) bail. This is especially maddening when we learned more: the man arrested for stabbing had a conviction for Domestic Violence on his record, and the guy who held up the bank had three previous bank robbery convictions in New York,” Ruais said.
Mayor Jay Ruais discusses the state of Manchester with moderator Scott Spradling at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
(CREDIT: Jeffrey Hastings)
“Where is the justice for the victims? Where is the justice for our residents and businesses? On what planet is this acceptable, and what is it going to take for this madness to end?” Ruais asked.
Political observers believe the twin issues of crime and homelessness lifted Ruais to his win in a Democrat-leading city. He pledged to address both in his first State of the City speech a year ago, and he offered a mini-progress report on Wednesday.
On the enforcement side, Ruais touted his aggressive action to clear the public streets.
“We banned camping in public spaces – the first city in the country to do so following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding that right in the Grant’s Pass case,” Ruais said.
“As I previously mentioned, we are implementing our belief that if you want and need help in Manchester it exists, but if you are here to ignore our laws and ordinances that will not be tolerated. With the additional police presence we have, our streets and parks are cleaner and more enjoyable than they have been in years.”
On the treatment side, Ruais described some of the policies the city has put into place, and their results.
“We know addiction can be an ever-changing issue, but we are proud to report that overdoses in Manchester are falling significantly.
“Our Recovery Overdose Addiction Response Team known as ROAR – is on the street, preventing overdoses and connecting people with life-saving services. They are running into the burning buildings of people’s lives and extinguishing the flames. Thanks to their work – drug and fatal overdoses are down by 21 and 24 percent respectively,” Ruais said.
“What do those numbers mean when we break them down into human terms? It means in 2024, we had fewer broken hearts, fewer parentless children, fewer lost futures. More hope, more tomorrows, and more lives recovered.”
“That is something to celebrate.”
Ruais also celebrated some other wins over the past year, including improving attendance at the city’s schools, Manchester’s rating as the “Hottest Housing Market in the Country,” and — perhaps the most high-profile accomplishment — Jet Blue’s arrival at the Manchester Airport.
There was so much focus on getting the airline to come to the city that, Ruais joked, “Now that we’ve got it, I feel like I can retire.”
Democrats see Ruais as a rising star, and they frequently take potshots at the mayor. One of the most common — it came up in the House Ways and Means Committee Wednesday when a Democrat was testifying on behalf of increasing state taxes — is the 3.8 percent tax hike in Ruais’s first budget.
Ruais didn’t address the criticism directly, but he did make a pitch for his record on the budget.
“Last year, despite inheriting a $10.7 million deficit on the city side alone, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen was still able to deliver a budget that came further under the tax cap than any budget since the inception of the cap,” Ruais said.
“As mayor, my focus is on making Manchester the best mid-sized city in the country, and I’m proud to report the state of our city is strong,” Ruais concluded.
