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Stacey Lancaster spent his Friday afternoon at work doing a little online shopping.

But the Manchester West High School’s lead NJROTC teacher wasn’t browsing Amazon for deals. According to law enforcement officials, he was working out the details of buying a sexual encounter with a 12-year-old girl. 

Lancaster texted back and forth online with someone offering up two young girls for paid sex. Lancaster was first given the choice of the 12-year-old but seemed incredulous at the girl’s photo.

“Did you say she’s 12? Are you being serious? That’s really bad if it’s true,” Lancaster texted after seeing the child’s photo, according to court records.

At this, the pimp offered a 14-year-old girl to Lancaster instead, but Lancaster decided to go with the 12-year-old, and agreed to pay $100. He finished up his work at the high school that afternoon, and a short time later went to the Manchester hotel to meet the pimp and the girl, according to court records. 

In the hotel parking lot, Lancaster frisked the pimp to make sure there was no hidden police microphone, and then proceeded to close the deal. That’s when agents with Homeland Security Investigations and Manchester Police moved in, taking Lancaster into custody on attempted sex trafficking charges.

The now-unemployed Lancaster, 46, is one of five men busted in recent days as part of a proactive law enforcement investigation operated by HSI agents. According to court records and an interview with United States Attorney Jane Young, HSI agents set up a fake service online catering to men seeking sex with children in order to stop child sex trafficking.

“Law enforcement is going to pursue every avenue to make sure the communities in New Hampshire are safe from all forms of crime,” Young said. “This is exactly what law enforcement should be doing. They should be applauded for that work.”

Along with Lancaster, agents arrested Arthur Picanco, 42, of Bradford, Mass., Ozeias Luiz Guilherme, 38, of Haverhill, Mass., Sharath Chandra Boll, 23, of Chelmsford, Mass., and Koteshwara Raju Jonnagodda, 24, of Chelmsford, Mass..

All of the men found an advertisement HSI agents placed on a website known to attract men looking for sex with children, Young said, though she declined to specify the name of the site. An undercover agent acted as the online pimp to set up deals with the men, directing them to the Manchester hotel for the in-person encounter. 

Young said some details, like the name of the website and the hotel, are not being disclosed in order to protect the investigation, and potential future investigations as well.

Young declined to answer when asked about the immigration status of the suspects from Massachusetts. She did acknowledge that immigration status is taken into account by her office, and the appropriate laws are followed. 

The men were held in jail over the weekend and on Monday, Lancaster had a detention hearing in the United States District Court in Concord. Judge Andrea Johnstone ruled Lancaster could be released on several conditions including no access to children or the internet, and submitting to home confinement. Lancaster, who is married, will be placed under house arrest in his mother’s home.

Manchester school officials have said there’s no indication Lancaster preyed on any children in the district. The 24-year Navy veteran began teaching within the last year at the school’s NJROTC program. He also served as the district’s liaison with the United States Navy. Lancaster has no prior criminal history, according to statements made in court.

Manchester School District practices a controversial policy of refusing to answer questions from parents about their own children’s behavior related to sex and gender, encouraging teachers and students to keep secrets from moms and dads. While the New Hampshire Supreme Court upheld the right of the district to follow the policy, criticism has continued.

In the wake of Lancaster’s arrest, some GOP lawmakers plan to act.

“I have already filed the ‘Honesty and Transparency in Education Act’ this year,” said state Sen. Tim Lang (R-Sanbornton). “This bill passed the Senate with ease, and I suspect it will again.”

The legislation, which was killed by Democrats in the House last year, would require all school employees to respond honestly and completely to written requests by parents regarding information relating to their children.

“My arguments remain the same: Schools and teachers have no business keeping secrets from parents,” Lang said. “Schools have pushed parents aside for too long now, it’s time for the legislature to clearly put parents back in charge of their children’s lives.”

Manchester High School students dropped out at an alarming rate under former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig’s watch, but that isn’t stopping the state’s largest teacher’s union from backing her bid for governor.

According to data from the Manchester School District and the state Department of Education, while Craig was in office, the district’s drop out rate was more than four times higher than the state average. And about one in four students failed to graduate each year, much higher than the state average.

But the NEA-New Hampshire is still on board. Union president Meg Tuttle told her members Democrat Craig will spend more on public schools, get them pay raises, and end New Hampshire’s Education Freedom Account (EFA) school choice program.

“New Hampshire’s students and educators deserve a governor who will have their backs. That means adequately funding our public schools, fighting for pay raises for educators, and making sure every child in our state can thrive,” Tuttle said.

Granite State taxpayers are currently spending an average of more than $20,000 per public school student, higher than many private schools in the state.

Tuttle also praised Craig for pledging to “put an end to the state’s current voucher scheme that is gouging taxpayers,” a reference to the EFA program. With Republican Kelly Ayotte promising to keep the EFA program going, Tuttle and the teachers unions see Craig as the obvious choice.

But what about her record on student achievement? How did Manchester students perform while Craig was mayor?

Craig took office in January 2018 as both mayor and chair of the Manchester School Committee. In 2019, Manchester reported a total graduation rate 17 percent below the statewide average, 73.8 percent vs. 88.42 percent.

And while the state’s dropout rate was 2.74 percent, Manchester’s was more than four times higher at 12.44 percent.

Under Craig’s tenure, the numbers got worse.

Manchester reported graduation rates of 73.01 percent in 2020. The following year, 2021, was directly impacted by the COVID pandemic, and the graduation rate plummeted to 67.85. But even when the rate rebounded, it was still well below the state average of around 88 percent. It was 72.23 in 2022, and 72.97 percent in 2023, the most recent year of data available.

The dropout rates in 2020 were 10.45 percent, 13.26 percent in COVID-plagued 2021, 11.84 percent in 2022, and 12.99 percent in 2023. The state averages for dropout rates in those same years ranged from 2.4 to 3.4 percent.

On top of overseeing an expensive public school district that failed students and their families, Craig raised city taxes several times as mayor, and repeatedly tried to override the tax cap. Raising taxes to spend on public schools is part of Craig’s platform.

Craig, who has not taken the no income tax pledge, recently admitted she would push to bring back an income tax on interest and dividends if elected governor. She says that, despite record spending on public schools, New Hampshire needs the tax to spend even more.

Craig’s tax increase does have at least one fan in New Hampshire politics. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen told radio host Jack Heath on Tuesday raising taxes is a solid idea.

“Well, nobody in New Hampshire likes taxes,” Shaheen said. “But if we want to fund our schools, if we want to have roads and bridges that we can drive on, if we want to have safe commerce, if we want to provide health care, then we have to raise revenue.”

Shaheen first won the governor’s office in 1996 by signing the no-new-taxes pledge. But she raised taxes as governor, which haunted her in her first failed bid for the U.S. Senate.

Ironically, Shaheen had to answer for her record on education in 2002. New Hampshire’s abysmal dropout rates under her watch helped sink her run. 

A Republican prosecutor running a tough-on-crime campaign against a Democratic defense attorney should have checked his evidence before launching the political attack that’s now backfiring.

Hillsborough County Attorney John Coughlin’s reelection campaign recently launched a website attacking his opponent, Kim Kossick, for defending alleged Valley Cemetery rapist Amuri Diole. Diole was arrested in April 2021 for the violent rape of a woman for two hours in the cemetery.

But court records show Diole had been released from jail a week before the alleged rape because prosecutors in Coughlin’s office failed to file the necessary paperwork to keep the dangerous suspect locked up.

“I can’t change history. I can’t change the facts,” Coughlin told NHJournal.

At the same time, Coughlin’s opponent is trying to use the campaign website to get Diole off the hook for ever facing a trial over the horrific crime he allegedly committed.

Kossick is taking heat for running as a liberal reformer.

Because the campaign website mentions the Diole case, Kossick filed a motion in court to have the criminal charges dismissed. Diole was deemed incompetent to stand trial in the alleged rape in 2022 and is currently being held in the New Hampshire State Prison Secure Psychiatric Unit in Concord as the state seeks to have him ruled a sexually violent predator and then have him further held on an involuntary civil commitment.

But under state law, if Diole is ever returned to competency through medical treatment, he could then go on trial for the alleged rape. Kossik wants Diole to avoid prosecution in the future because, she says, Coughlin’s attack on her work defending Diole against the civil commitment taints the potential jury pool.

“The website is targeted at Hillsborough County voters and jurors,” Kossick said. “The people on the voting rolls are the jurors.”

Coughlin supporters say it is an example of the progressive approach Kossick would take to prosecuting crime. The issue has even reached the New Hampshire governor’s race.

On WMUR, Adam Sexton asked Democrat Joyce Craig if she supported the effort to use a campaign attack ad to get Diole exempted from prosecution. She appeared to defend her fellow Democrat.

“Everyone has the right to a civil defense,” Craig said. “And Kim Kossick is doing her job, and I believe that the county attorney has to be someone who represents our county and is always doing what’s right.”

Kossick says the real issue is that Diole wouldn’t have been out and able to commit the crime of Coughlin’s office had done its job.

“Coughlin doesn’t know what’s going on in his own office,” Kossick said.

Kossick was appointed to represent Diole during the civil commitment proceedings in the 2021 rape case, and ended up appealing the commitment to the New Hampshire Supreme Court. The Supreme Court sided against Doile. Coughlin’s website attacks Kossick for representing Diole.

“Instead of ensuring justice for the victim, Kossick prioritized the legal defense of a man deemed too dangerous to release into society,” the website states.

Coughlin, echoing the website, told NHJournal that Kossick does not prioritize the rights of victims and their families as evidenced by her work to represent Diole. 

“The website is about her judgment and about victims rights, and her failure to protect the victims of crimes and their families,” Coughlin said.

But NHJournal reviewed the court records in Diole’s criminal history and found a failure by Coughlin’s office put Diole on the street a week before the alleged rape.

According to court records, Diole was jailed in early 2021 as the result of a 2018 assault case in Nashua. When the issue of Dole’s competency was raised in pre-trial in that case, he underwent an examination by Forensic Psychologist Mathilde Pelaprat. On Jan. 27, 2021, Judge Charles Temple deemed Diole a danger to himself and others and ordered Diole held for 90 days, giving time for prosecutors to have Diole committed.

But prosecutors failed to get the involuntary commitment order within the 90 days, forcing Temple to release Diole in his April 23, 2021, order. 

“In accordance with RSA 135:17-a, V, the defendant is released from custody at the Hillsborough County House of Corrections. The State has been unable to secure an involuntary commitment order and the 90 day hold period expires on April 27, 2021. As such, Mr. Diole’s release is mandatory under RSA 135:17-a, V,” Temple wrote.

According to media reports, Diole went from living in the Valley Street Jail in Manchester to the Valley Cemetery across the street for the next six days before he was arrested again for the brutal rape. 

Coughlin blamed Diole’s release on the fact one of his assistant county attorneys was unable to get a qualified specialist to examine Diole within the 90-day timeframe. Prosecutors must use specially qualified experts from a pre-approved list provided by the state to examine people for involuntary commitment proceedings, he said. 

“We made reasonable efforts to identify specialists,” Coughlin said.

Since Dole’s re-arrest for the alleged rape, Coughlin said his office worked with the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office on an expanded list of qualified specialists to make sure people who are a danger to the community can be committed. 

Kossick said blaming her, a defense attorney, for representing a criminal ignores the right every American has for a vigorous defense under both the United States Constitution and the New Hampshire Constitution.

“Defense attorneys are the only people standing between the government and their client,” Kossick said.

Kossick was surprised that Coughlin, a former judge, would attack her for the work she did as a defense attorney. Not only does such an attack undermine the criminal justice system, but it is totally out of character for Coughlin, she said.

“We all thought John Coughlin was a very good judge,” Kossick said. “We all thought he was great because he never revoked bail and never put anyone in jail. I can only assume he’s pandering to somebody.”

Manchester is trying to stop the tide of used drug syringes washing over the city with a new ordinance aimed at reigning in the groups handing them out.

Mayor Jay Ruais said Manchester is now the first municipality in the state to assert oversight of Syringe Service Programs (SSPs), thanks to an ordinance passed this week.

“On a fundamental, basic level, we can’t allow the unregulated flow of needles into our city,” Ruais told NHJournal. 

Used syringes littering city streets and parks has become an increasing problem since 2017, when the state legislature passed a bill allowing SSPs to operate with little to no oversight. In the last seven years as Manchester’s opioid epidemic and homeless crisis raged, the city didn’t even know how many groups were handing out syringes in the city.

“Before this ordinance, there wasn’t any insight into how many of these programs were operating. There was no transparency or accountability,” Ruais said.

That lack of accountability and transparency contributed to making the city’s drug problem worse, Ruias said. It also put police, firefighters, and EMTs who encountered used needles during their jobs in danger. The situation is also a danger for every resident who might encounter the used syringes just about anywhere.

The tale of Manchester slipping into a crises of crime, addiction and homelessness on former Mayor Joyce Craig’s six-year watch has become part of the campaign for governor. While she’s denied the claim that she left Manchester in a mess, the fact is little was done to get control of the SSPs during her tenure.

Though the city passed an ordinance three years ago banning needle handouts from city parks, nothing else was done to manage the problem. In the meantime, syringes kept getting passed out by the SSPs, and the used syringes kept ending up in parks, city streets, outside schools, and all over.

“We hear concerns from families when they see them in parks or in the streets,” Ruais said. “It’s been a problem that’s been brought up to us on a far too frequent basis.”

The new ordinance requires all SSPs to register with the city, to provide data on their programs —  such as how many needles are passed out — and to take back at least some used syringes in an effort to keep them off the streets. The programs must also hand out information on disease prevention and drug treatment to the people seeking the syringes. The ordinances also codify location restrictions such as city parks, school zones, and state-licensed daycares. 

The original ordinance would have required the SSPs to engage in a one-for-one exchange, meaning they had to collect one used syringe for every new one handed out. But after talking to some of the groups handing out the syringes, Ruais backed a change that does not tie the programs to the one-for-one rate.

“We mandate that an exchange takes place, but not a one-for-one,” Ruais said.

The aim of these programs is to help stop the spread of infectious diseases. Ruais insisted the city is not trying to get in the way of that important effort. A strict one for one exchange may have hindered people from getting help. Ruais also wanted to give Manchester the flexibility to make changes as the city gets more data from the programs about the handouts.

“It’s a good first step,” he said. “Now we’re going to get the data back and see what it tells us.”

While Democrat Andrew Kennedy is a new name in New Hampshire politics, the candidate running for state House in Lee, N.H. has a familiar face. 

Andrew Kennedy — formerly “Andrew Gregoire” and until recently “Andrew Bouldin” — was elected a state representative under the latter name in 2018 to represent the Manchester.

Bouldin was set to run for a third term in 2022 when he suddenly resigned his House seat without explanation and moved out of the district. As he tries to get back into public life in a new town with a new name, the reasons for his disappearing act are now being revealed.

According to a Manchester Police Department report obtained by NHJournal, Bouldin (now Kennedy) was investigated for sexually grooming a teen girl by giving her alcohol and showing her pornographic material.

The investigation happened in 2023 when the girl came forward, and after Bouldin had seemingly removed himself from public life. The alleged grooming incidents happened prior to his surprise 2022 resignation, a source told NHJournal.

NHJournal is not identifying the girl or the adult who contacted police about the alleged grooming. The alleged incidents happened both in Manchester and out of state, according to the police report. 

The girl told investigators Bouldin gave her alcohol, showed her pornography, asked her about her sexual preferences, and asked her if she masturbated. During one conversation, Bouldin reportedly told the girl he wanted to get a sex change to experience “being a female,” according to the report.

Bouldin was not charged when police concluded much of his inappropriate behavior fell outside the statute of limitations or occurred outside New Hampshire. Bouldin never asked the girl to engage in any sexual activity with him, and there are no witnesses to him serving her alcohol or talking to her about sex, according to the report. 

Bouldin refused to speak to police when they reached out as part of their investigation. Contacted by phone Thursday night, Bouldin – now Andrew Kennedy – hung up.

Kennedy is one of four Democrats running in the Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Strafford 11 on Sept. 10.

Walter King, chair of the Strafford County Democrats Committee, did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday. NHJournal has learned the committee’s leadership was aware of the accusations but felt powerless to stop Kennedy’s candidacy without any concrete proof to substantiate the claims.

Andrew Kennedy currently has a page on the Stafford County Democrats Committee website touting his candidacy, as do all the other Democratic candidates.

Bouldin was a reliably progressive vote during his previous service in the House. He voted against cutting the business profits tax, the parental bill of rights and displaying the national motto “In God We Trust” in schools. He also opposed a ban on late-term abortions.

It is not clear if Andrew Gregoire/Bouldin/Kennedy ever took legal steps to officially change his name. The Andrew Kennedy name was adopted after he attended a rally for independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr., according to a source familiar with the decision.

NHJournal initially sought copies of the police report from Manchester Police via a Right to Know request. That request was denied on Tuesday when Manchester Police Lieutenant Jared Yaris determined there is no public interest involved in Andrew Bouldin’s case.

“Utilizing the balancing test, it appears, based on your request, that an individual’s privacy interest outweighs the public interest. There does not appear to be any public interest at stake in your request, and it was not articulated that there is a health or safety concern in this matter,” Yaris wrote.

Yaris told NHJournal he was unaware that Bouldin had been a state representative and did not know about his new candidacy under the new Andrew Kennedy name.

His campaign website includes the fact that he previously served in the House. It does not mention, however, that his service was under a different name.

Mayor Jay Ruais is moving to address Manchester’s homeless crisis, announcing a new initiative Tuesday to connect homeless residents with the help they need to get into stable housing and improve their lives.

“We got to make sure we’re getting people what they need,” Ruais said. “The ultimate goal is getting them out of this and breaking the cycle.”

While Ruais’ clashes with Adrienne Beloin, former director of the city’s Housing Stability program, dominated headlines in recent weeks, the mayor has been focused on rolling out his pragmatic plans to alleviate homelessness.

Ruais’ proposal for new Resource Fairs at the Beech Street Engagement Center will feature dozens of partner agencies sending representatives to meet with homeless people, connecting them to healthcare and recovery services, as well as education and employment opportunities. 

Ruais has 10 organizations like Hope for NH Recovery, Anthem, Amoskage Health and Workpath joining the new effort, along with long-time partners like Catholic Medical Center, Easter Seals, and the Farm Center. Those providers will be at the weekly Resource Fairs, meeting with people who need help. 

The fairs will be held Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m. Ruais hopes to expand the times and days. There will also be a new database of contact information that people can access outside of the fairs to get connected with participating agencies.

The city is focused on addressing homelessness as a solvable problem where people can have hope to get into a better life. Ruais said that requires addressing the reason why people ended up on the streets, and working with them to find realistic solutions.

“Homelessness should be rare, brief, and one time,” Ruais said. “A stay at a shelter should be temporary.”

Beloin took a $57,000 payout to leave her job last month after she publicly fought with Ruais and members of the Board of Aldermen. Beloin accused them of interfering with her job when they raised questions about her effectiveness, while she advocated a slow approach to getting people off the streets. 

Beloin was a holdover from Mayor Joyce Craig’s administration which saw the city’s homeless crisis worsen. After a number of homeless people died in December 2022, Craig called on Gov. Chris Sununu (R) to send in National Guardsmen to fix the city’s problem. 

Sununu declined.

Ruais won the mayor’s race by defeating Craig’s handpicked successor, Kevin Cavanaugh. Ruais made addressing the homeless crisis a top priority. He said Tuesday the drive has been to quickly enact policies that will help people and lift the quality of life for the whole city.

The resource fair announced Tuesday is just part of Ruais’ response. A major barrier for some homeless people seeking services or employment is the lack of a driver’s license or state ID. The city is addressing that by partnering with Catholic Charities and Members First Credit Union. Ruais said 19 people have already been able to get copies of their birth certificates and then state IDs.

The macro-economic challenge facing the homeless is the lack of affordable housing — a problem that impacts the entire state.

To promote the creation of more affordable housing in the city, the Board of Aldermen is set to declare 15 parcels zoned in residential and mixed-use areas as surplus, meaning that property can be auctioned off. Ruais plans to use the auction proceeds to fund affordable housing initiatives in the city. 

He’s also pushing for changes in Manchester’s zoning ordinances to make it easier for people to add so-called in-law apartment units and build multi-family homes. More housing stock would help drive down rental costs and make it easier for people to get their lives on track, he said.

On her way out the door, former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and her fellow Democrats approved a $290 million bond to fund new school construction across the district.

The question now is, who’s going to show up to attend them?

For years, Manchester enrollment has declined, even as spending has soared. But the impact of the COVID pandemic has contributed to a new problem: chronic absenteeism. Kids are enrolled, but they’re not showing up.

According to New Hampshire Department of Education data released this week, Manchester’s high school reported an 85.7 percent attendance rate for the 2022-2023 school year, among the lowest in the state.

Chronic absenteeism is when an individual student has at least 10 or more unexcused absences from school per year. The state average for high school attendance in the 2022-2023 school year was 90.8 percent, and the average for all grades was 92.3 percent.

Manchester’s total attendance for all grades was 89.2 percent.

(New Hampshire’s data does not differentiate excused absences from unexcused, leaving the public with just the rate of attendance.)

Manchester is hardly alone.

A new report from the American Enterprise Institute using data from 40 states and the District of Columbia estimates that 26 percent of public school students were chronically absent last school year, up from the pre-pandemic rate of 15 percent. This study defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10 percent of a school year, which is nearly a month of classroom instruction.

New Hampshire, with one of the best-educated states and top-performing education systems, isn’t seeing numbers as low as the national average. But attendance among Granite State students has declined, and Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais tells NHJournal city leaders know they need to do more to get kids in class.

“School attendance is critically important, particularly coming out of the pandemic and mitigating the learning loss experienced during these unprecedented times. The Manchester School District initiated an attendance campaign last summer, which has played an important role in increasing attendance in the schools,” Ruais said.

“We are not where we want or need to be, but by embedding attendance goals into the core objectives of every school, we are reaffirming our commitment to providing a supportive and conducive environment where every student has the opportunity to succeed academically.”

Student attendance took a major dip during the pandemic years, and while the rates in New Hampshire are improving, Manchester Superintendent Jennifer Chmiel Gillis said more is being done to get kids back into the classroom.

“In the last year, we hired a district-wide attendance coordinator and launched our Show Up Manchester attendance campaign,” Chmiel Gillis said. “Additionally, schools have built attendance improvement into their yearly goals. We are now starting to see the early fruits of these efforts between the district and schools, with attendance increasing at all grade levels. We have more work to do, but we are encouraged by the progress and will continue moving forward.”

Experts say the social isolation that was created by social media and boosted by extended school closings is fraying the social connections between children and making it easier for less-motivated students to stay home.

A similar dynamic may be at play in schools, where experts say strong relationships are critical for attendance.

“There is a sense of, ‘If I don’t show up, would people even miss the fact that I’m not there?'” Charlene M. Russell-Tucker, the commissioner of education in Connecticut, told The New York Times.

Jason Bedrick, a Research Fellow in the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, told NHJournal that while the causes of the current crisis are complicated, the disastrous impact of COVID-related closure cannot be ignored.

“A significant factor is almost certainly the prolonged and unnecessary school closures that the teachers unions pushed. School closures sent the implicit message that attending school in person was not necessary. Putting the genie back in the bottle won’t be easy,” Bedrick said.

Data on private school attendance rates in New Hampshire is not available.

A representative for New Hampshire’s Department of Education told NHJournal that public school attendance is once again heading in the right direction. A decade before COVID, the state’s schools averaged 95 percent attendance. In the 2021-22 school year, it fell to of 90.8 percent. Now attendance is up to 92.3 percent — a marked improvement.

“Following an academic period when respiratory illnesses often resulted in above-average absences, attendance in New Hampshire’s public classrooms are not only steady but strongly improving,” the representative said.

But in Manchester that year, attendance fell to 87 percent, and among high school students, it was a dismal 82.4 percent.

And, critics say, the Manchester School Board didn’t help matters last November when it changed school policy and ended the practice of giving a “no grade” to high school students who have five or more unexcused absences in a class they are passing.

Hours before her termination hearing in front of Manchester’s Board of Aldermen, Housing Stability Director Adrienne Beloin took a deal to resign her post and end her public spat with elected officials.

Beloin walks away with a $57,000 payment, according to sources, after she spent weeks trashing board members in public when they began questioning her management of the city’s Beech Street shelter. Aldermen complained about Beloin’s condescending answers to their questions and her refusal to follow the board’s guidance.

When asked for comment, Mayor Jay Ruais’ office released a statement: “The personnel matter has been resolved, and the mayor has received Ms. Beloin’s resignation effective tomorrow, April 12, 2024. The mayor will not be commenting on personnel matters.”

Beloin refused to accept the board’s policy and said it lacked the necessary experience to set the agenda for her department.

“I know it’s very hard for you to understand what the work is that we’re doing, because this is not your field of work,” she told Aldermen at a public meeting last week.

Beloin doubled and tripled down, going to the media and blasting the board for pushing her out and claiming it lacked the expertise to instruct her regarding homeless policy.

At one point, she claimed the board giving her an office in the Beech Street shelter was retaliation.

Beloin’s lack of a permanent office in city hall was something she wanted corrected, but apparently balked when given an office in the shelter she oversaw.

While Beloin tried to turn the controversy into a personal issue between herself and individual board members, a source close to the negotiations told NHJournal the real problem came down to policy.

It was Beloin’s refusal to be accountable to elected leaders and to follow their policy directive that ultimately ended her tenure.

“This isn’t personal; it’s policy. She refused to do what the board wanted. What else were they supposed to do?” the source said.

Another city insider told NHJournal Beloin was protected by former Mayor Joyce Craig, who kept her away from aldermen who questioned how she did her job.

According to a report by the Union Leader, Beloin’s settlement included $27,064.36 in wages, $25,000 for compensatory damages, and $5,000 for attorney fees.

Manchester’s homelessness crisis, and Craig’s mishandling of that crisis, is seen as a primary reason for Ruais’ win in the mayoral race last year. The Republican ran on a promise of fixing the problem.

Beloin is now the city’s second Housing Stability Director to leave since the position was created a few years ago. The first director, Schonna Green, suddenly quit in 2022 after about a year and a half on the job, citing personal reasons.

Manchester’s homelessness crisis peaked in the winter of 2023 when a homeless woman gave birth to a child at an outdoor camp, and two people died in their tents. Homeless camps dominate parts of Manchester’s downtown, and those camps account for at least half of the city’s opioid overdose calls.

The turmoil over Manchester’s Director of Housing Stability Adrienne Beloin’s firing boils down to a department head who refuses to be accountable to elected officials, said Aldermanic Board Chair Joseph Kelly Levasseur.

“We’ve been blindsided by the lack of information, and when we ask questions, she treats us like we are not experienced enough to even ask,” Levasseur told NHJournal.

Beloin faces a termination hearing on Thursday after she started throwing rhetorical bombs at the board on Drew Cline’s WFEA radio show. On Tuesday, Beloin again took to the airwaves to paint herself as the victim of a heartless board that wants to punish the homeless. When asked by Cline if she would simply apologize for her remarks and keep her job, Beloin said there’s no point.

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Beloin said. “It’s very clear to me it doesn’t matter how polite I am. Even if I were not to say these things, it wouldn’t matter … They have to have something to defend themselves and their actions.”

Beloin describes herself as a “Social Change Agent” on her LinkedIn page. Trouble started last week when, during a Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, she pushed back against questions about policies at the Beech Street shelter.

“We’ve made an enormous amount of progress in this past year that we should be really proud of, and we shouldn’t lose any momentum of where we’re going,” Beloin said at the meeting. “I know it’s very hard for you to understand what the work is that we’re doing, because this is not your field of work.”

Beloin was soon claiming the board retaliated against her remarks by moving her office to the Beech Street shelter. But Levasseur told NHJournal that’s not true. Beloin previously did not have a set workspace, using a table in the city Welfare Department.

“We just wanted her to have her desk in the same building as the people she has oversight for,” Levasseur said.

Levasseur said the problem is Beloin’s refusal to provide basic information to a bipartisan group of aldermen about how the shelters operate, creating a lack of transparency for the board and the public. No other department head in the city would be able to refuse to answer questions, he said.

“I’ve been on the board for 15 years, maybe more. When we ask questions of department heads, they get us the answers,” Levasseur said. “I’ve never seen people fight about being put into a building.”

Beloin says new board members and new Mayor Jay Ruias are pursuing an agenda to get rid of her after she was protected from the board by Mayor Joyce Craig. Since the November election, Beloin said she’s been marginalized and kept out of the policy discussion.

Ruais’s office declined to comment. Levasseur said that under Craig’s protection, Beloin operated with little oversight and was able to get more money in the city budget without providing information to the board, he said.

“We couldn’t get answers,” he said.

Beloin won’t appear at committee meetings to answer questions, the exact type of forum where other department heads help craft policy, Levasseur said.

“She refused to come in front of the committee,” Levasseur said.

He said the board is now trying to see how well Beech Street operates and whether it is really helping people after years of Craig’s mismanagement.

“Ruais won the election, in part, because Craig was awful at handling the homeless issue,” Levasseur said.

Jake King, the shelter manager at Beech Street, joined Beloin on WFEA and blamed Levasseur for the conflict.

“Joseph Kelly Levasseur does not want people who are not him getting things. That makes him mad and angry,” King said.

Levasseur told NHJournal Beloin’s upcoming hearing is likely going to be “her bashing people as she walks out the door.” Beloin is currently on administrative leave. She told Cline she’s considering a negotiated severance package.

“I’m considering what’s best for myself and my family right now,” she told Cline Tuesday morning.

“We’re being inundated with repeat offenders,” Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais said Wednesday, and it’s past time for the state legislature to do something about it.

That was the mayor’s message during a gathering of city leaders in the Aldermanic Chambers to call on lawmakers in Concord to fix the bail system that’s made Manchester ground zero for a revolving door system for criminals.

Of the 817 people Manchester Police arrested this year alone, 306 — or 37 percent — were already out on bail for a previous criminal charge. In the last 12 months, repeat offenders made up 26 percent of the total arrests, with 1,178 people already on bail of the total 4,529.

Ruais gathered city leaders Wednesday in the Aldermanic Chambers to call on lawmakers in Concord to fix the bail system that’s made Manchester ground zero for a revolving door system for criminals.

“People need to feel safe on our streets. The safety of our citizens is non-negotiable. We cannot allow our community to experience this repeat criminal activity,” Ruais said.

As state lawmakers debate different proposals to fix the bail system, Ruais and city leaders advocated for two changes they say would have a meaningful impact: Eliminate personal recognizance bail for all felony charges, and require anyone who is arrested while on bail to go before a judge for a new bail hearing.

Assistant Police Chief Peter Marr said the problem of repeat offenders getting easy personal recognizance bail and then going on to commit more crimes is directly tied to the 2018 bail reform law. The broken system is pushing police officers to the brink, Marr said.

“It’s very tough, it is a morale decreaser,” Marr said. “It does have an effect.”

The most common charges for people on bail are drug possession, being a felon in possession of a dangerous weapon, simple assault, and criminal threatening, Ruais said.

“The questions that I would ask is this: Which of these crimes are acceptable to [allow to] occur repeatedly in our community? And what is it going to take to fix this?” Ruais said.

In the summer of 2022, Raymond Moore, now 42, allegedly stabbed and killed 75-year-old Manchester resident Daniel Whitmore. Whitmore had been walking and feeding ducks when he was allegedly killed by Moore, a man who at the time was on bail for two different cases, one involving an assault charge and one involving resisting arrest. Moore is currently being held after he was found incompetent to stand trial.

Ruais got elected with a promise to tackle crime, addiction, and homelessness that’s impacting Manchester’s quality of life. During a meeting this week with the board members of the 1269 Cafe, a Christian outreach ministry for the city’s homeless located on Union Street, Ruais said the board members expressed concern with safety in the surrounding neighborhood.

Even with statistics showing a drop in criminal activity in Manchester, that is not what is happening around the 1269 Cafe, Ruais said.

“The problem is they don’t see it’s getting better,” Ruais said.

Staff at 1269 were unable to comment to NHJournal Wednesday. Inside 1269’s facility, people were being served meals downstairs while staff upstairs assisted others with rehabilitation intake services. Outside the building a group of homeless people gathered, and there were many small sidewalk encampments throughout the neighborhood.

Manchester’s problem with repeat offender crime is a problem that affects the whole state, Ruais said. Repeat offenders drive the perception the city is not safe for businesses, residents, and visitors in New Hampshire’s largest city. Manchester can be an economic force for good in the Granite State, he said, but it is being held back by the 25 to 30 percent of repeat offender criminals.

“A thriving Manchester is good for the entire state of New Hampshire,” Ruais said.