Manchester Votes Tomorrow for Mayor

At aldermen meetings, Mark Roy and Ted Gatsas sit next to each other.

Roy often sits in front of his open laptop during meetings.

He’s pushed to get more City Hall documents online.

Gatsas, typically sits with his glasses down low on his nose as he grills department heads and others who come before the council.

Gatsas thinks of himself as a facts and figures man.

Here he is reacting to a recent study that reported 25 percent of city children live in poverty and a high-rate of single-parent homes.

GATSAS: So I would want to see where those numbers came from and understand them and ask the tough questions on where they came from and who they asked, how was that conducted, because I walk around, and I can't believe we're at a 50-50 percentage with single-parent families.

In contrast to his Republican challenger, Roy, a Democrat, was not surprised by the results.

ROY: We face a lot of urban challenges. When you look at the free and reduced lunch program at our inner city schools, you don't need a report to come out to tell you that we've got a lot of people in this city that are in great need.

Roy says the city has been losing ground in recent years.

For example, federal law has found the city schools to be In Need of Improvement for several years running.

Roy says struggling schools can spell decline in property values, among other problems.

ROY: Our priorities have been too spread out. We need to focus on what we have as a foundation of the city -- improve the quality of life, keep people safe, and deliver a good education.

Ed Hartshorn was waiting to pick up his granddaughter at a West Side elementary school when Roy approached him for support on a recent afternoon.

HARTSHORN: The only thing I'm a little hesitant about is the size of the classrooms, at 22, I think.

ROY: Statistically, for the best reading levels to be achieved, a class size between 15 and 19 would be ideal, so when you get up to that 22 we need to make some improvements.

Roy supported a larger school budget for this year.

He criticizes what he calls wasteful spending, including a $1 million city park, that, he says should have been used for schools.

And he says he would seek more input from the public during the school budget process.

Roy also opposes a spending cap proposal which is also on the ballot.

Roy has said it would hurt the city.

Gatsas, who is also a state senator, calls the cap a blueprint.

He supports it.

But he is also confident he could corral the support to override the cap if the well-being of the city were at stake.

Gatsas: My belief is that 14 aldermen will probably vote unanimously to override. So, it's about leadership.

Gatsas, who co-authored the budget, defends it against charges of wasteful spending.
And he emphasizes that it had the support of 12 aldermen, only two of whom are Republican.

But Gatsas says the city must look beyond its 12-month budget cycle if it's going to solve long-term problems.

He said he wants to achieve harmony among city agencies that can seem pitted against each other during the budget process.

Gatsas: The core issue is making sure that we all sit at the table as one group and work on the issues throughout the city as one voice and getting things done.

Chuck Stergiou, a Manchester resident, says he’s concerned about keeping taxes low and about improving schools.

STERGIOU: Communication is the key. I think with better communication between the mayor and aldermen and school board, as well as parents. .. A lot of parents have some great ideas out there.

Gatsas, who has advocated more parental involvment in schools, liked that idea.

GATSAS: He sounds like a great candidate (laughter).

For NHPR News in Manchester, I'm Ellen Grimm.