Mayor-elect Jay Ruais on Tuesday announced the roster for his 30-member transition team as he prepares to be sworn in Jan. 2.
The team — including names that should be familiar to those who follow Queen City politics and business news — is expected to offer input on issues including, but not limited to, homelessness, public safety, economic development, housing and education, Ruais said.
“I am honored to work with these subject matter experts as we prepare to take office in January,” Ruais said. “They will form a core nucleus of our efforts as we seek to address our challenges and help our city reach its full potential. We will continue to add to this group of advisors, and I look forward to collaborating with them over the next two years to meet the needs of our community.”
The transition team includes:
Hon. Frank Guinta, former mayor of Manchester, and congressman
Tim Baines, former alderman and small business owner
Norri Oberlander, president of North End Properties
Sandra Almonte, owner Don Quijote Restaurant
Jeremy Hitchcock, co-founder and managing director of New North Ventures
Ben Gamache, founder and president of Gamache Properties
Toni Pappas, Hillsborough County Commissioner
Michelle Chretien, CEO, Empire Mortgage Corp.
Cristy Velez, assistant dean of student success, Southern New Hampshire University
Philip Taub, partner head of Private Equity Nixon Peabody
John Hughes, partner McLane Middleton
Lucy Lange, president and general manager of the Manchester Radio Group
Patrick Tufts, president and CEO of Granite United Way
Susan Howland, Director of Trusts and Foundations Granite United Way
Tom DeBlois, president, Tokena Corporation
Gus Fromuth, president and founder of Energy Freedom Logistics
Tom Blonski, president and CEO, Catholic Charities New Hampshire
Sarah Ambrogi, Managing Partner, Ambrogi Law Office
Nick Gray, founder and managing principal, Gray Property Group
Nathan Stanton, president, Trinity High School and St. Joseph Regional Junior High School
Travis York, founder and CEO, York Creative Collective
Zachery Palmer, Ward 5 Resident and community economic development professional
Nick Vailas, healthcare advisor
Diego Catano, owner, Antojitos Colombianos Restaurant
Abderazak Ali, owner of Mapway Transit LLC and Immigrant Community Liaison
Ovide Lamontagne, senior counsel of Bernstein Shur
Will Infantine, president of Aspen Insurance and state representative
Jason Lacroix, general manager, Autofair Honda
Laura Gandia, counsel, Devine Millimet
Mark Sanclemente, Manchester Police Department
Last week, Ruais announced the hiring of former Ward 6 alderman and Manchester City Charter Commission member Nick Pappas as his chief of staff.
Pappas was elected alderman in Ward 6 in November 2015, defeating Karen Ladd.
In March 2017, Pappas announced he would be resigning from the Board of Mayor and Aldermen after selling his Hermit Road home “much quicker than expected.”
Ruais, 38, defeated former state senator and current Ward 1 Alderman Kevin Cavanaugh in November to become the first Republican mayor in Manchester since 2017.
Official vote totals showed Ruais topping Cavanaugh 9,428 votes to 8,934, at 51% to 49%.
Ruais will take office with an evenly-split Board of Mayor and Aldermen. The conservative faction includes Chris Morgan, Krissy Cantor, Ross Terrio, Ed Sapienza, Norm Vincent, Kelly Thomas and Joe Kelly Levasseur. The Democrats are Dan Goonan, Pat Long, Christine Fajardo, Tony Sapienza, Jim Burkush, Bill Barry and Dan O’Neil.
Ruais represents a conservative tie-breaking vote, if necessary. Assuming block voting, that will give Republicans a majority on the board for the first time since 1998.
