Splaine: Some profound storylines in Portsmouth's 2023 city election
On Election Day in Portsmouth this past Tuesday, I arrived to vote at Ward 1 at 6:30 p.m. Several candidates were outside holding signs, enjoying the warmish air as the final trickle of late voters walked by. The dark created an eerie ambience (I'm trying to write something dramatic here, hang with me).
I voted, then chatted with friends. At 6:59 p.m., the ward moderator went to the door looking for any final voters. At that moment, a man comes in, looking like he's in his early 20s, seemingly relieved to arrive in time.
The dozen or so ward officials who had been there since before 7 a.m. were about to cheer the closing of the polls. Several candidates and campaign volunteers were nervously waiting for the "count" to be announced from the machine that had been tallying the ballots all day long. But now, everything was on hold. A voter had to be served.
One last voter.
It's 7:01 p.m., and come to find out, the late arrival is a brand new voter. He needs to first register, which takes a little longer than just voting. Everyone takes it in stride as he does the paperwork. Patience is the password.
It's 7:05 p.m. Then 7:08 p.m. The paperwork is done, he's approved as a voter, and given his ballot. He goes behind the privacy of a curtain and makes his choices. Everyone is silent, anxious to finish up, but professionally doing their job. Every vote counts. Every voter matters.
A couple of minutes later, this very final voter of the day completed his mission. He leaves, joining the nearly 6,000 Portsmouth residents who on that day had participated in their American right of choosing their leaders.
The turnout of last Tuesday's election was impressive, reaching 36.6 percent, closely matching the 37.4 percent of two years ago. For local elections, that's excellent. It shows Portsmouth has an engaged citizenry.
For the first time I can remember going back to the 1960s, all nine members of a City Council filed for reelection. Usually at least one or two don't. All were reelected. Portsmouth voters liked them. The results also showed a cheer of support for our still fairly- new City Manager Karen Conard and her staff.
Imagine, just imagine being hired for a new job in a new city only months before the most serious pandemic of the past hundred years, facing at the time a newly elected City Council with a majority of members who didn't hire you. All the while trying to get a handle on staff and budget needs for a growing, evolving city. That's not easy, but Karen Conard did it. Voters saw her talent and were impressed.
The results of last Tuesday were impressive in another way. Mayor Deaglan McEachern's finish is phenomenal. In 2021 he received 67.3% of the vote to top the ballot, which was amazing. This time he received 70.4%. Those are percentages approaching what legendary Mayor Eileen Foley received in the 1970s through 1990s.
What's next? Well, let's hope that as citizens we spend more of our time getting away from our usual "echo chambers" and listen to other points of view. Let's be positive and optimistic in our observations. Let's thank all who ran, including newbies and former councilors. They are good people concerned about their community.
Portsmouth is evolving and changing, and that's a good thing. We are only here temporarily. That young voter with a mission last Tuesday night to get to the polls on time will remake his community into one that will serve the needs of his family.
We replaced others who built the Portsmouth of today for us. Those who come after us will change this community into the Portsmouth of tomorrow for themselves. That's the way of the world.
Today's thought: Let's work to make that new young voter who was successful in his mission to vote proud of his effort. His rush to make it inside the door at the last minute showed a commitment by a citizen to participate in his community.
He was the big winner that day.
Next time: The 2123 time capsule: What's your message to the future?
Jim Splaine has served variously since 1969 as Portsmouth assistant mayor for 12 years, Police Commission member and School Board member, as well as six years as state senator and 24 years as state representative. He can be reached at jimsplaineportsmouth@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Splaine: Some profound storylines in Portsmouth's 2023 city election
