Intown Concord Bans Certain Political Groups From Market Days

CONCORD, NH — As the Market Days Festival begins to ramp up for August, after a pause in 2020 due to coronavirus, a controversy has arisen after some political organizations have seen their requests for booths rejected this year.

Back in January, the Intown Concord board of directors, not knowing how many booths they would be able to rent for the three-day event, slated for Aug. 19, Aug. 20, and Aug. 21, voted to disallow political organizations. The thinking at the time, according to Julie Bushaw, the org's board president, who also works at Merrimack County Savings Bank, was the festival should be about downtown, its businesses, its restaurants, and shops, as well as local artists and crafters.

"It's about people's livelihoods," she said. "We weren't making a political stance … it was more, for this year, about (the vendors and businesses), considering the pandemic."

The change though was a big one for the event's nearly 50-year history.

Vendor applications started to be accepted in late March, but as local organizations began signing up, some were told they would not be invited to participate. City Republicans and city and regional Democrats confirmed they were told that would not be able to have booths this year.

Update: Intown Concord Rescinds Ban On Political Parties At Festival

"I cannot recall a time when local political groups were not welcome at a city engagement like Market Days," said Andrew Georgevits, the chairman of the Concord Republican City Committee.

Georgevits, in 2019, was the logistics director for operations at the event, as a volunteer. He donated lights, a message board, light towers, and street-sweepers, to the touch-a-truck area for the entire three days. Georgevits said he took it personally that they wouldn't include a group he was a part of when he and others had done so much to help the organization.

"We are the local committee," he said. "We are the local party … to be selective like this, it kind of makes you go, 'Huh?'"

Katherine Rogers, the new chairwoman of the Concord City Democrats, who was also its leader in the 1970s, when the event was called Old Fashioned Bargain Days, called the decision a problem.

"When they decide not to have a political entity, they have to ask themselves, 'Is this constitutional?'," she said. "'Does this infringe on the right of free speech?'"

Rogers then raised the point of what other political organizations or issues would or would not be allowed to participate: What if the anti-vaccine people want to host a booth? What about the pro-mask people? She also wondered if Intown Concord was keeping Democrats from having a booth because they might invite Black Lives Matter activists to be with them. Literally, any issue could raise concerns.

"Are they are going to make themselves the arbiter of every issue of the day?," she asked. "That's pretty broad … (a political organization) could sue to stop Market Days. Do they want to put themselves in that position?"

Ryan Buchanan, the treasurer of the Concord City Democrats and last year's leader, was, too, surprised by the decision because, in the past, they have always been welcomed.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he said, Intown Concord was communicating with the organization about plans for 2020 — including kids games and other things. But, he also said, "I can see there might be some concerns … it is a volatile political world right now." At the same time, what kind of message does it send to ban political parties, he said.

"It seems like they are kinda picking and choosing," Buchanan added.

Kris Muller, the chair of the Merrimack County Democrats, had no comment about the decision but said the org was working with others to put together something else.

Two months ago, during a Concord City Council meeting, nearly 45 minutes was spent debating whether or not the city would be donating its normal $30,000 or a reduced $20,000 to Intown Concord to support the organization and help offset the cost of the event.

At the time, none of the councilors knew the org had decided to not allow political organizations.

On Thursday, news about the ban began to circulate among members — with some questioning the decision.

"New Hampshire is the first-in-the-nation primary state," said Jim Bouley, the city's mayor since 2007 and a councilor 10 years before that. "We value that status greatly. There is a lot of political activity in the state capital; political activity in the city. Politics is a very important piece of Concord; we are the center of state government."

Bouley pointed to candidates who always meet and greet voters during the event as well as the historical bricks marking 100 years of primary history a block away at the state library.

"Political parties are a very integral part of that engagement," he said. "We need to be embracing the political process … this is something we should not be shying away from. As long as one is not hurting another person, I think the cornerstone of our democracy is the ability for everyone to participate and express their views."

Byron Champlin, an at-large city councilor and longtime cheerleader for the downtown, had not heard about the ban. He would like to understand more about their motivation. At the same time, the state is very political, echoing what Bouley said about the city and state being the center of presidential politics, and being involved as a source of pride, too.

"I know that politics has become very divisive, certainly more than in my memory," he added, "so I can see how they might feel that divisiveness might harm a downtown celebration. If that's the case, if that is their rationale, it's understandable … but a bit misguided."

Amanda Grady Sexton, another at-large councilor who also works for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, too, was surprised by the news.

"If there are individuals or groups who will no longer be welcome to participate in this city-sponsored event, I think it's important that these changes be communicated to the council," she said. "The criteria for participation should also be discussed with the larger community to ensure that the event is both inclusive and welcoming."

At-Large Councilors Fred Keach and Nathan Hennessey did not return phone calls about the issue and neither did Keith Nyhan of Ward 7, who spearheaded a lot of the questioning about Intown's request for $30,000 this year.

The League of Conservation Voters will have a booth this year, according to the state director Rob Werner, who is also the Ward 5 city councilor. He was surprised to hear that local political organizations were being banned. During the interview, Werner double-checked to see if his org had been told it could not participate — and confirmed he had an email that the org had a booth.

"I'm disappointed to hear this," he said. "Traditionally, (Market Days) had expressly political organizations there and I have not seen controversy for it. It seems like an abridgment of speech."

Werner said his organization, which is both statewide and national, with local offices, is put together in several different ways, as nonprofits and a political action committee. He said Intown may be perceiving the environmental organization as more of a nonprofit.

"But we do advocate for particular policies, which would make us political," he said, adding he thought the orgs should be allowed to participate like they always have been.

After hearing that the League of Conservation Voters, a statewide and national org, was being allowed, Georgevits was even more concerned.

"Certain groups are allowed to play politics and others aren't?," he said. "Maybe the city shouldn't be giving them any money."

Bouley said the city was beginning budget discussions this week and money donated to organizations like Intown Concord would most surely be discussed. He said he had not spoken to anyone from the org about the decision to ban the parties but added that it was concerning.

When asked about why a political organization that was not local, like the League of Conservation Voters was allowed a booth but not city Democrats or Republicans, Bushaw could not say and could not speak about any specific decision to allow one group over another.

Jessica Martin, the executive director of Intown Concord, who was installed late last year after the exit of Dawn Tricnoi, not long after a post was published on Facebook in support of Concord police in the wake of the George Floyd killing and rioting nationally, did not return a phone call and email seeking comment.

In the past, there has been some criticism about how political groups were treated during Market Days as well as commentary by the public about some of the political messaging seen.

A few years ago, a number of attendees complained women were wearing "I Survived An Abortion" T-shirts at an event that some deem should not be overtly political.

In 2019, local Democrats had a "Veto Sununu" high striker set up with a picture of Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, on the bell. The governor, when he saw it, laughed and thought it was amusing even if it was an insult, according to witnesses. Then-Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat who was testing the presidential waters at the time, was offered the opportunity to take a hit to the striker but declined.

At the same time, a pro-life group, which had a booth not far from the Democrats, was asked to take its "Abortion Kills Babies" signs down, according to Carol Soucy, an active city Republican, after an attendee complained. In a letter, she criticized the decision to ask the group to take its signs down while allowing people to take a whack at the high striker with the governor's face on it. Soucy was mystified that Intown staffers would request the baby signs be taken down but in the same breath say Democrats had "a right" to have the high striker set up.

"This was inciting violence and should have never been put up," she said. "This is a family event. I am glad that my grandkids did not see this."

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