Two Candidates File For Concord Ward 4 Council Special Election

CONCORD, NH — Two candidates have filed to run for the open Ward 4 Concord City Council seat to be decided in a special election on July 13.

Karen McNamara of Prince Street and Connor Spern of Union Street both filed to run on Friday. There were no new filings reported on Monday.

The seat was vacated by Meredith Hatfield, formerly of Perkins Street, who resigned from the board last month, after selling her home and moving out of the city. Hatfield, an environmental attorney, won a three-way special election for the seat in 2019, with 149 votes besting John Cook, who came in second with 99 votes, and Edith Chiasson, who received 51 votes. The special election was held after Byron Champlin resigned from the seat when he won an at-large city council special election that year. Hatfield ran unopposed in November 2019.

Spern, a development director for the Friends Program as well as an artist and freelance graphic designer, is in her mid-20s and moved to the city about four years ago. Before nonprofit work, she was in business-to-business sales. Spern said public service has been "a passion," so after working with nonprofits and other organizations, serving on the council seemed like an interesting opportunity to pursue.

As far as she knew, there were no young people who were renters on the council so she would not be like all of the other councilors.

"Housing is such a huge issue," Spern said. "Homeowners and business owners all feel the effects of high property taxes and the lack of housing."

Spern said the combination of incredibly low inventory and high rent prices were keeping people out of the city and also causing difficulty for homeless people to transition to housing, too. As a part-time coordinator at The Friendly Kitchen, she had seen this first hand, she said. As a newer resident, she appreciates what Concord has to offer. For a year, she moved to Manchester but quickly moved back to Union Street.

"Personally, I love Concord," Spern said. "That sounds like such a simple reason but I love Concord so deeply. I think the city council is such an accessible way to see what the city is doing."

When asked if she understood that while Ward city councilors were elected by Ward they served the entire city, Spern said, she did and pointed to a number of organizations and work she had done saying, "I'm pretty well-connected across the city." Along with serving on the steering committee for the Concord Young Professionals Network, being involved with Concord Coalition to End Homelessness, and at NHTI, Concord's community college, volunteering, and also taking the Leadership Greater Concord, Spern believed she was in a good position to serve and help keep communication flowing between the council, the city, and residents and neighbors.

"I think It is something that I have already done," she said. "It is the thing about the city council — you get to have these conversations (about policy). I can be the person who can take the time and get the information out to my neighbors … and then talk to them. I'm a personable person; I can be the person who has those conversations with our neighbors. It is a matter of are you are willing to engage with people in your ward."

Spern said while life does change, if she elected, she would serve out the term — even if it means staying in her apartment on Union Street, saying, "I have every intention of staying in Ward 4." With the price of housing of late, she was not expecting to move any time soon.

"I may be stuck in my apartment because there is not any place for me to move," she said.

One might think that her lack of time in the community or even as an adult would be a liability but she said it was an asset — because of her willingness and skill to motivate others to become involved.

"I'm not easily intimidated by anyone with more experience than me … I'm just coming from a different perspective," Spern said. "If we are doing our jobs right, the influence we have on others will motivate."

McNamara did not return a Twitter instant message requesting comment about the race. She is a reading essentials teacher with the Manchester School District and formerly worked with the Crisis Center of Central New Hampshire and the Spaulding Youth Center, according to her LinkedIn profile.

The filing period runs through May 10. Ballot access is a $5 fee or 50 signatures from voters in the Ward. The special election will be held on July 13.

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