Mayoral Candidate Victoria Sullivan: “I have a good working relationship with Governor Sununu. In his endorsement of me, he stated that he is looking forward to having a friend in the city of Manchester that he can work with instead of an adversary.”
In an interview with WGIR’s Chris Ryan, the Republican candidate for the Mayor of Manchester, Victoria Sullivan, articulates her plans and goals for the Queen City.
The 2021 mayoral race is a rematch of the 2019 contest between former state representative Victoria Sullivan and incumbent mayor, Joyce Craig, who is seeking her third term as mayor.
Two of the most serious problems which have affected the city of Manchester are the drug crisis and homelessness. Victoria Sullivan was asked what she would do differently than Joyce Craig to deal with these problems.
Candidate Sullivan discussed legislation which she had introduced but was unable to pass in the New Hampshire House of Representatives which would have provided more funding for treatment.
“So we’ve been trying to arrest our way out of a situation that has created actually a larger crisis.”
Victoria Sullivan is calling for more “wraparound services” to provide a holistic approach to dealing with drug addiction. She would like to see more “sober homes” set up in the community. These facilities help people who are coming out of rehab programs to break the cycle of addiction.
“That has a lot to do with the homelessness because we have people who are coming out of rehab, and they have no place to go and they’re back on the street and using again.”
To reduce crime, Victoria Sullivan has been working with State Senator Jeb Bradley to toughen the bail reform bill.
“That has created a catch and release program on our streets which has impacted Manchester more than any other city or town in the state.”
When she was asked how her administration would be different than the Craig administration, Victoria Sullivan stated that she would work well with the state government due to her contacts in the state legislature and having Governor Sununu’s endorsement.
In the final segment of the interview, Victoria Sullivan addressed some of the real estate problems in Manchester. She suggested that rents could be lower, and more housing provided if the city gave tax incentives and worked with banks to give loans to developers to renovate Manchester’s many abandoned properties. Sullivan also favors improving public transportation to help workers get to their jobs.