There Have Been 36 Serving Mayors In Somersworth Since The Community Voted To Become A City In 1893. The First Of Those Mayors Was Franklin N. Chase, Who Served For A Year. The City’s Youngest Mayor Would Be George Bald, Who Served From 1978 Until 1984. Mayor Bald Would Be The Last Mayor Who Would Govern Under What Is Referred To As The “Strong Mayor” Form Of Government. When Mayor Burkham Took Office After Bald He Would Be Serving Under The Mayor/City Manager Form Of Government.&Nbsp;Now, you might be wondering what the differences between a strong mayor and that of the mayor/city manager form of government. The good news is that it has nothing to do with how much weight they can lift or how much they weigh. (At least it’s good news for them.) A strong mayor is basically the chief executive of the council and has the power to veto any measures that might be passed by the city council and is a full-time position. Currently, only two of the 13 cities in New Hampshire are still governed using the strong mayor system: Nashua and Manchester.
In the mayor/city manager form of government on the other hand, the mayor serves as the chairperson for the city council and by in large performs only parliamentary and ceremonial duties. Those duties include, helping formulate the vision a community has for itself and moving that vision forward as well as setting the tone for the priorities of the community. The only time a mayor can vote under the mayor/city manager form of government is when there is a need for a tiebreaker vote. Somersworth’s City Council today has nine elected members, five that each represent a ward and four who represent the city at large. Unless a councilor is absent for a vote, the mayor’s vote is rarely required.
Somersworth is governed under its city charter which defines the organization, powers, functions and essential procedures of the city government. The charter is the most important document within the city and changing the charter is something that rarely happens. If changes are required they will be looked at by the charter commission and then put on the ballot for the electors to decide if the changes are required.
An interesting change happened in 1981 when Somersworth voters were asked to consider amending the city charter in seven important areas. The one I will focus on here is the one that changed the very heart of municipal elections in the city when it called to do away with primaries when it came to municipal elections. Until that time only the two major parties, the Republicans and the Democrats, could put forward candidates for mayor and city council in the primaries. It was felt that this system discriminated against the 1,300 residents, who were declared independent at the time, as they were unable to run for the position. The amendment proposed to take the politics out of municipal elections in the city and make them non-partisan. The amendment passed which is why on today’s ballots there is no R or D beside any name on the ballots at the local level and this makes for a stronger, more robust council where party affiliations should make no difference.
Of the 36 mayors who have held the office the longest to hold office was James McLin and perhaps the most famous was Fred Brown, who would go on to become the governor of New Hampshire, the only mayor of Somersworth to hold that honor to date. At present, the office is held by Mayor Dana S. Hilliard, who as well as being in his eighth year of representing Somersworth, is also the first openly LGBTQ mayor to be elected in the state of New Hampshire.
These are just a few of the interesting facts pertaining to the mayors past and present who have represented the city of Somersworth over the past 128 years.
Thank you, dispatchers
This week as a nation we celebrate the dispatchers who are the first line when we dial 911. Having witnessed first hand a busy night in dispatch, I can tell you, these are the glue that hold the entire 911 system together. So this week as the nation celebrates National Public Safety Telecommuncations week, I wanted to take a moment and say thank you to our dedicated team here in Somersworth.
That’s all I have for this week so I’ll close by reminding you to stay safe, wear your mask and as always be kind because you have no idea what others are dealing with.
This article first appeared in Fosters Daily Democrat on April 13th, 2021.