Somersworth 2023 mayor candidate Matt Gerding
Name: Matt Gerding
Education: Bachelor’s degree in microbiology and master’s in public policy from the University of New Hampshire.
Occupation: Middle school science teacher.
Political or civic experience highlights: Four years on the Somersworth City Council, chair of the Mayor's Commission on Culture-Ethnicity and the Arts, member of the Economic Development Committee, member of the Finance Committee, member of the Government Operations Committee, member of the Community Power Committee, council representative to the Historic District Commission, member of the Somersworth Plaza Commission.
What would be your top three priorities if you are elected?: Housing: Currently New Hampshire is seeing a dramatic rise in the cost of living - much of which is due to high rents and home prices because of a lack of supply. A statewide needs assessment recently reported that New Hampshire needs nearly 60,000 housing units. Because of the lack of housing it is becoming increasingly more difficult for young, working families to live here. We need to incentivize housing development in Somersworth so that residents can still afford to live and work in our community.
Economic development: Many downtown business owners have reached out about how to improve the vitality of our downtown. By beautifying our downtown, we can make Somersworth a desirable place to own a business. The city should work to increase the walkability of our sidewalks, mitigate traffic concerns on High Street, plant more street trees and gardens, and incentivize murals, sculptures, and other art in our downtown. Also, by increasing the amount of housing in our downtown through smart development, more people will be living near and spending money at our downtown businesses.
Education: We value public education in Somersworth, and invest a large portion of our tax dollars towards our schools. However, the state of New Hampshire continually downshifts costs and responsibilities onto local communities like ours, and is not adequately funding our public schools. As mayor, I will advocate for increased education funding from the state.
What is the biggest problem Somersworth is facing and how you would solve it?: Somersworth seems to be approaching a crossroads of sorts. As many communities around us begin to see rapid development, and as interest starts to increase for development within our own community, we need to think deeply about what that will mean for us, what development will look like, and what we truly want. Throughout this process, we need to make sure that we are making decisions that preserve our strong sense of community, not fast-tracking dramatic changes and growth. Rising costs are hurting all of us already, so let’s ensure that folks who live and work here in Somersworth can continue to do so without being priced out. We also need to ensure that the changes we discuss, the dreams we share with our neighbors about Somersworth, and the potential we all see for the city is realized in the best way possible. It is a tight line to walk, and best achieved by ensuring there is inclusive and robust community involvement. So far we’re off to a great start! Just last month there was a very well-attended and thought-provoking community meeting about developing a housing plan for Somersworth. More well-attended events and meetings like this, more thoughtful discussion, and helpful partnerships with local experts will ensure that we grow in a way that is best for us all.
Should the city work to create below market rate housing, and where is the best site?: Because of the on-going housing crisis here in New Hampshire, all forms of housing are desperately needed. If elected, I plan to form a commission to study the specific housing needs here within Somersworth. This commission will be tasked with assessing our current housing make-up, the availability of different types of housing, the current demand for different types of housing, and the potential changes that can be made to incentivize smart development. We should prioritize development within our downtown, however, there may be other forms of housing best suited for other areas of the community.
Should the council address the pace and type of development in the city? If yes, how?: Somersworth can take steps now to ensure development within the city is going in a direction that works best for us. As mentioned above, if elected mayor, I would form a commission to study housing and development needs within the city. The recommendations from this commission would help to guide the city council in their decision-making.
However, beyond the outcomes from this commission, there are some already-identified deficiencies in our zoning ordinances that should be addressed now. For example, the city’s zoning ordinance currently limits the development of duplexes and townhouses to only a few specific areas of the community, and is far more limiting than neighboring communities. Townhouses and duplexes are not only more affordable than traditional single-family homes, but they are also desirable and known to promote healthy neighborhoods. By increasing the allowability of duplexes and townhouses within our zoning ordinances, we can start taking much-needed steps towards addressing housing and development needs.
Another immediate possibility is reexamining the parts of the city that are zoned for agriculture. Very few property owners are practicing traditional forms of agriculture here in Somersworth, so it’s possible that this zone could be reclassified to better fit the needs of the city, while grandfathering in the folks who still need to be zoned for agriculture.
Does the city need to make changes to its approach to parking as development increases?: As development increases parking concerns will certainly arise and need to be addressed, however we do not seem to be in that position at this moment. We are in the very early stages of the redevelopment of our downtown, and as of right now, parking in our downtown is free, available, and working well. As potential developments become realities, each new development will come with its own unique challenges and hurdles, however, most parking concerns can usually be mitigated at the planning stages or through the local zoning and planning boards. However, as Somersworth continues to grow, I welcome the day that we have to begin making tough choices about parking in our downtown, because that would be a signal that our downtown is a thriving, desirable destination for residents and visitors.
What is the city doing well and where is there room for improvement?: Somersworth has done a great job over the past few years focusing on infrastructure improvements to our city’s roads and sidewalks. We’ve dedicated more funds to these improvements, we’re doing a better job assessing and identifying the quality of our roads and sidewalks, and we’re beginning to see the quality of our roads and sidewalks improve. This, however, is just the beginning. We need to continue to increase investments in our roads and sidewalks so that improvements don’t get lost within the normal maintenance cycle; we don’t want to stagnate! When thinking about these improvements we also need to think beyond just roads and sidewalks, and include the health of our street trees, storm drains, catch basins, and the walkability and accessibility of our community.
What is the city’s responsibility to its homeless population, both this winter and long term?: The state and Strafford County provide little-to-no assistance, services, or housing to our homeless population and downshift costs and responsibility to cities. Because of this the Tri-Cities agreed to provide temporary relief for these individuals during cold weather events at the warming shelter on Willand Drive. Dover and Rochester agreed to provide the vast majority of funding for the warming shelter, while Somersworth provides in-kind services and ensures our first responders are available to assist at the center when needed. This agreement, though helpful at preventing potential harm due to the weather and the elements, is inadequate and unsustainable. By only opening the warming shelter during specific weather events, a number of people are left without safe housing or assistance for much of the year. It also means that our city’s police officers, firefighters, and EMTs must respond to calls in unsafe locations when the warming shelter is not open. If the shelter were open all day, as opposed to certain limited times, there would be one central location for services and assistance to be provided.
Ideally, New Hampshire and Strafford County should be responsible for providing these services. Currently, Strafford County is working on a plan to convert the old county nursing home into a shelter. However, this plan is in its infancy and is many years out from being a reality, thus there is still time to improve the current system of services and advocate to the state.
Does the city need to do more to enforce codes regarding apartments in disrepair? If yes, what?: I support the city’s code enforcement officers to use all the tools at their disposal to keep tenants safe and adequately housed. No property owners should be leaving buildings in disrepair, especially when the safety and health of others who rent or use the property is at ris
What should be done with the former National Guard property?: It is my personal belief that the city should sell the National Guard property for redevelopment, however the city should maintain the baseball field for recreational use. After hearing a potential proposal from a developer for this property, city residents made it clear that they would prefer single family homes, duplexes, or townhouses for this location - in order to keep in line with how the neighborhood is currently zoned - so I would like to see a project that meets these needs for this space.
I also believe the money from the sale of this project should go into a fund with other similar funds (such as the nearly $200,000 the city received for the sale of the old police station building on Main Street) which would be dedicated towards economic development purposes and projects in our downtown. Perhaps these funds could be used to purchase the unused BP Gas Station in order to redevelop this site, or the money could go towards the proposed Food Truck project at the former Breton's Cleaners site. Perhaps these funds could also offset the costs of rehiring an economic development director to work at City Hall. Many possibilities exist, and I think it would be wise to dedicate these funds to improve the vitality of our downtown.
This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Somersworth 2023 mayor candidate Matt Gerding
