Manchester mayor wins easily; Free Staters seek office

Manchester mayor wins easily; Free Staters seek office

by Associated Press • 11/05/03

Incumbent Robert Baines in Manchester was re-elected mayor of the state's largest city Tuesday night while three members of the new Free State project flunked the movement's first election test.

Baines easily won again with 11,480 votes in unofficial returns from the city?s 12 wards. State Rep. Carlos Gonzalez had 5,023 votes.

Meanwhile, three members of the Free State Project, which wants to bring 20,000 libertarians to New Hampshire to roll back taxes and create smaller government, showed up on the ballot in Keene, a month after the movement was announced. They did poorly.

For at-large spots on the city council, Michelle Otterson finished last with 403 votes and James Maynard was second to last with 412 votes. One other name on the ballot got fewer votes, but he had pulled out of the race. Ten candidates were on the ballot for the five positions.

Libertarian Patricia Lapree came in second to last among 10 candidates in the school board race. She had 269 votes.

Other races:

- In Dover, Scott Myers beat Mayor Pro Tem Thomas Dunnington Jr., 1,891 to 1,488.

- In Berlin, Mayor Robert Danderson had 1,698 votes and former City Manager Robert Theberge had 1,025.

- In Laconia, Mayor Mark Fraser, with 1,767 votes, overwhelmed Thomas Emanuel, 136 votes.

- In Rochester, Deputy Mayor David Walker won over former Mayor Bert George, City Councilor Ray Lundborn and former City Councilor Omer Ouellette Jr. No vote totals were available.

- In Somersworth, Mayor James McLin won re-election over Michael Watman and Dana Hilliard. No totals were available.

- In Portsmouth, the top vote-getter for City Council becomes mayor, and that was Mayor Evelyn Sirrell. No totals were available.

In Concord, Mayor Mike Donovan ran unopposed. The same was true in Claremont, where Scott Pope, assistant mayor, ran unopposed for mayor.

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