Nathan Fennessy, Concord City Council At Large Candidate

Position sought (including district number if applicable)

At-Large Councilor

Family

Wife – Caitlin Fennessy, Children – Conor (12), Patrick (10), Sean (9)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

Not currently. My wife worked for the federal government on data privacy issues for many years.

Education

Georgetown University, B.A., Catholic University – Columbus School of Law, J.D.

Occupation

I have been a licensed attorney for 16 years. For the past decade, I have been a commercial litigator at Preti Flaherty LLP in Concord.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

I am currently an At-Large Councilor. I previously served on the Concord School Board from 2015-2018

Campaign website

None, but I am available at nathan.fennessy@gmail.com or nfennessy@concordnh.gov.

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running for re-election because I want to continue to make Concord a desirable place to live, work, and raise a family. The improvements that have been made to the City in the last decade have been incredible –redesign and upgrade to Main Street, construction of the city-wide community center – to name just a few. I want to continue that legacy of improving the City while not losing sight of our important fiscal responsibilities so we do not price people out of the City.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

With the rise of residential property values, our residents are shouldering a larger share of the property tax burden than in the past. We need to increase the commercial property tax base through a renewed focus on economic development. There are few greenfield sites remaining in the City for significant industrial or manufacturing business so we need to get creative about utilizing the existing commercial property inventory we have by targeting small and medium size companies to move into those spaces. We need to continue pursuing public-private partnerships like the investments the City made at Exit 17 to facilitate the development of that area. And we need to be looking down the road for capital investments that the City needs to make to provide the necessary infrastructure to support redevelopment of places like the Steeplegate Mall.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am the only incumbent in this race for two At-Large Councilor seats so I have lived and breathed many of these issues over the past four years and have an existing relationship with the other councilors around the table. As observers of council meetings know, I am not afraid to ask hard questions. But I think it is very important to be respectful of fellow councilors around the table and the members of the public that take time out of their day to testify before the council. We can and should always conduct ourselves in a professional manner and look for opportunities to work together rather than questioning the motives or integrity of those that disagree with our positions.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

N/A

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

(1) Continue developing the supply of safe and affordable housing. (2) Maintain and improve city services including our investments in public safety and aging infrastructure. (3)Work with the State on the I-93 expansion to ensure it complements our improvements to Main Street and facilitates the future development of Storrs and Commercial Streets. (4) Enhance and improve our parks and recreational spaces.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

In the last four years, in my role as a City Councilor, I have worked on a variety of different committees that have brought some important improvements to the City (both big and small). One example is the Ad Hoc Fee Committee that looked at, among other things, the rental rates we were charging at the citywide community center for classrooms and other spaces. The committee was put together after I shared with the mayor concerns I was receiving from residents about the community center being under utilized and overpriced. After several public hearings where we received input from various stakeholders, the committee recommended substantial reductions to the rental fees, which the council approved. As a result of those changes, the volume of rentals has increased signficantly, which has more than made up for the reduction in fees and resulted in increased rental revenue.

Prior to joining the Council, I served one term on the School Board and ran on a platform of bringing full-day kindergarten to the district. By the end of my term, the district was offering full-day kindergarten to all students throughout the district.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

In my spare time, I coach youth baseball through Concord Little League and youth basketball through the Recreation Department. In December 2020, I was appointed by the New Hampshire Supreme Court to serve a three-year term on the Access to Justice Commission. I have served on a variety of committees with the NH Bar Association including most recently the Committee on Cooperation with the Courts. As a result of my professional work and my civic involvement, in 2021, I was named to the New Hampshire Union Leader 40 Under Forty list recognizing “outstanding Granite Staters making a difference in their communities and professions.”