Click the image to open a PDF file with candidate contact info.

The primary election on September 9 is rapidly approaching (if you're not registered, the deadline is August 9) and Portsmouth will see contests on the Democratic side for both the Council and School Committee, so I thought it would be helpful to the voters to hear from the candidates. To be fair to those not in the primary, I've sent exactly the same query to all 22 candidates, irrespective of affiliation, and I will run all responses here.

I've sent the questionnaire below to everyone listed on the Board of Elections site, using either the e-mail address listed in their campaign filings or otherwise publicly available, or, for five of the candidates for whom no e-mail was available, a snail mail version with enclosed SASE. I've given them two weeks to reply, which will allow me to post the responses in plenty of time for the primary.

Hi...
Some of you know me; my local news blog, hard deadlines, covers Portsmouth politics. Serving about 900 unique visitors* each month, this site provides the citizens of Portsmouth with timely, in-depth coverage of local meetings and events. As part of my coverage of the upcoming election, I would like to feature a question and answer with all the candidates, and I've attached the questions below.

I will run the responses at any length you provide, unedited (except for spelling and punctuation) but I do reserve the right to ask follow-up questions for clarification. If you could please respond (e-mail preferred) by Sunday, August 17, that will give me time to run these the following week, giving voters at least two weeks before the primary.

If you have any questions or need any further information, please feel free to reach out by e-mail or give me a call. Thanks very much for your time, and for your commitment to Portsmouth.

1. Why should the voters of Portsmouth elect you to the Town Council/School Committee?

2. Describe 3 things you have done in the past to support the Town/Schools.

3a. You are running as a Republican/Democrat -- Why? What is the importance or impact of this affiliation?
or
3b You are running as an Independent -- Why? Have you been affiliated with a party in the past, and what made you decide to run as an Independent?

4. If you were to be elected, what would success look like after your term?

5. What is the biggest problem facing the Town/Schools and what would you do to solve it?

6. What is one new idea you bring to the table?

7. Anything else you would like to add in support of your candidacy?

Kind Regards.

John McDaid
harddeadlines.com

*Source: Google analytics data; 918 absolute unique visitors per month, averaged over the past year.