josh: this sunday on "close up," two candidates for mayor of new offn a debate. what thbiesises facad? thanks for joining us. i am josh mcelveen. this is a special edition of "clup rao rt incumben, at he served in the state senate to his a graduate of central high

he adds a background in business to his resume, as does his challenger, joyce craig. craig is currently a manchester city alderman. if you thousd id it -- in 2 007 she served on the manchester school board. she is a wildcat from unh. thank you for be here let' s get started. ground rules, answers held to a minute or less with rebuttals offered when necessary. each candidate will be afford one minute at the end of the debate to make a final pitch. we are going to start with a major issue and the first goes to mayor gats very vocal about the heroin problem. what can you point to specifically that shows citizens of manchester that you' ve got a handle on this and you are e right rs? mr. gaas thanks for the question and thanks for having us here.

the senate and house last night when i met with the speaker told me they were going to fast-track legislation they have for drug courts in concord. that makes it easier for us to get things done. we should see something by february. we put a 60 day plan together on thursday night , parents from middle schools will have an oprtittoeehe presentation for the schools . when you talk about a drug epidemic, it is also a dise sure there counselty n lko. most importantly, we have to go opportunity to g a job. op tl y that is the toughest thing. crimes on the rise because they cannot find jobs and they break into cars and break into hou that feeds the epidemic. no question that heroin is the number one issue in manchester right now.

josh: thank you. alderman craig, what would you do differently? ms.rai whewe look at june, i proposed an option that would court. we knew we were working towards getting a drug court implend,ost was an issue. option. this mayor shot it down and we did not get drug court and we still have one. i applaud what is going on and i think it is imperative in order to fastrk it, we need to build relationships. people did not vote in favor of drug court in june. i think it was a mess when the mayor had a press conference a couple days ago, he did not invite the senators and state representatives to the press conference. we need to make them feel like they are part of the solution. happen. what i would do is brinop toghe make them part of the solution so they understand what needs to happen in manchester. in addition, we need to look at

treatment and recovery services and make sure those services are in manchester so when folks come at a drug court or are participating, there are treatment anreve oio ab. josh: mayor? mr. gatsas: i continue to hear about the $100,000. $100,000 of the budget at the county level, it was 450 thousand dollars. 100 thousand dollars would not have gotten us started in drug court. just the mechanism to do the testing is $50,000. josh: where did the money come from? ms. craig: it was surplus in the city and i disagree. we need this so bad in manchester, we want to help share the cost, that is how serious we are. we will help the county fund drug courts and we need a drug court now. it is similar to what is being proposed between the senate and the coun rhtow josh: this is an issue we could talk about the entirsh ha aotf in, clin a pookss.

alderm craig, what would you do to enhance manchester' s economic climate and c bs ms. craig: if you look at downtown, there are opportunities r what c do. we had vacant storefronts. a number of people livin downwn we need a man who is going to be proactive to get businesses and retail in our downtown. we should be looking at the mill yard and the river. there are opportunities to grow. we have a great tech industry growing in manchester. when i visit silver tech, autodesk, they often talk about how th want competition. they want more companies in manchester. there' s an opportunity for the mayor to use the successes we have in manchester to go out to bring businesses into the city. josh: how do you make the case we are better off economill than weersiy o? g: we' ve been rated the number one small town for high-tech jobs. we' ve been rated the number one community for business friendliness. we have been rated one of the

top 10 communities for senior living. we have been rated one of the east coast beauty. when you talk about things that we can change, there are a lot of things. i' m glad the folks at mr d tt y because they would have g. cnt ow a bakeryopfks a ohetrt. i look at the community and say what can we do to make it easier to start businesses. the one thing i' ve be talking about is to get a movie thear downwn that would put the charge that we need. josh: a movie theater and bakery sound good to your opponent is talking about a real project, why is at not a good idea. mr. gatsas: i favor rail. someone has to tell me how it is going to be paid for. we can talk about jobs it is going to create but how are we going to pay for it?

we saw today that seniors are getting a zero increase in cost of living. how do we pay for things being proposed? ms. craig: a couple things. there are public-private opportunities and i believe if there is an issue, if you do not look at it with an open mind you are never going to come up with a solution. i think that rail absolutely would provide economic development opportunities and increase property values and bring jobs to manchester lookthats big win and would look at every opportunity to makth happen. in terms of economic development, i thi iis pnto lk about. we need to pay attention to what is going on in our city today and the perception that we ve in ouci. our schools are failing. we have an increase in crime. we have a heroin epidemic. we need to tackle those t isss o city before anything significant is going to happen. families are moving.

businesses are not coming in. we need a man who is going to tackle those issues and bring resoluon wh wldod e eti? msci onkeg mayor, the school board and the board of mayor and aldermen are not working together. there needs to be a relationship so they understand what the city needs to do to move education forward. under the mayor' s lp have lost the school districts of hooksett, candia and i' ll burn it we' ve lost $9.8 million that came into our schoo stct we had a contract with the schools through 2023. under the mayor' s leadership, he allowed them to leave those contracts. they had complained that our classes were too high and we education. the same issues parents in manchester, i have three kids in

public schools, had issues with. i would foster those retispsndrtt ba. along with that we get great kids from those towns and the revenue to make enhance josh: you heard the point your opponent was making. funding is alwayanss. youoea acr ntctt ot what is e thr .: we heard anything about how we are going for things from my taxpayers havthr sendoee my opponent talks about the mayor ds is end that, she sat alongside me for six years. we have the principle of the year, teacher of the year and manchester. mayor did it. te asn. i lot in warth numb hchomty forob people are comingeran jobs are appearing.

ms. craig: could i say in terms of pain, i'vt ov a or. we' ve lost grant opportunities education because they' difficu te rkthhe y that is something we could bring back. as i mentioned, we lost revenue from those school districts. if we can build those relationships, that money comes back to the city. i' ve spoken to a number of colleges and universities in manchester who are willing t help o 100sten in st that is an opportunity to put does t fe t tpar jo mayor? mr. gatsas: let' s talk about 2009 when my opponent was a school board member. i will show you a sheet she proposed. maybe she did not support all the ideas, there was a sales tax on that sheet, charging students $100 to enroll in kindergarten. there was charging at the

incoming and outgoing flights for every person on the plane. when i look atho, tt what she' s going to propose when she becomes mayor? that is only goi to decrease the amount of jobs available and the city and companies tht to movtoaneste ms. ai please. thank you. i' m glad the mayor brought that up. it is a great example of how i would run the city diffy th hdo. what i did as a new school board member as i opened up a dialogue with the community and i asked them for ideas on ways that we should change the way we are doing business in the city. i did not on provide those suggestions that i agree with, i provided every suggestion thai heard from the community. that is what i would das may josh: you point out a lot of different things, they do cost money. you have a tax cap, how do you navigate all the things you prioritized without lift th? ms. crg: i mentioned those earlier. as mayor, i would presen dg tt llunr e x cap.

we have to work with everybody in the city and look to ways that we are going to increase revenue. if we can increase development, that increases revenue. if we think about new ways of doing things, for example, automating trash collection or an app for parking, those increase revenue. i wouldotpren a budget over the tax cap. mr. gatsas: the tax cap is something the borders -- the voters put in. she has to present a tax cap budget by law. juse ha hla s ye. i est bue under the tax cap pittman first budget, we had public hearings andod came to speak against it. there were 14 votes on the school board, we passed it. the only budget that created a decrease in texas without using one-timeevue

break. we will keep the discussion

is the only cost of climate change, think again. from the rising price of food to higher insurance rates for homes and businesses, the economic damage will only get worse. but with american-made clean energy, we can save money on electricity and spur innovation to create new businesses and jobs. it all starts with 50% clean energy by 2030. so, what are we waiting for? josh: welcome back to our

gatsaanhis challenger, joyce craig. we have a lot more to talk abo and not a te. o cth wk a- aldermen craig, this week, you basically called mr. goetz is a liar. ms. craig: he has mentioned things that are not accurate. he' s distracting with the issues at hand. at the debate yesterdaye taed about uber and how it stuck in my committee when it wentthfu brd and mayor gatsas insisted that we not move forward with a temporary operating agreement that i suggesteto ke uber in town and operating legally. right now ty erin llu oin he supported so they would be operating similar to a ta service. that is an example of one of e misleang lies he has said. mr. gatsas: it is an easy question. is uber in the administration committee?

mr. gatsas: it is not tabled? ms. craig: it is not. mr. gatsas: the board killed it? ms. craig: the hornets is in place for -- the ordinance is in place for uber. it should be operating like a taxi service, which e amerint bao sa. th a oranl a aotpr mr. gaas: your proposal that you brought forward, you had the majority of board members out of your party. you said that you do collaboration. collaboration means getting something done. you are board members did not support the idea that out rwd. when you talk about collaboration and getting thing done, th isothg u oton how areouoimoge suun ms.rai in p of deferring from the subject and i think inappropriate behavior from a mayor of the lgey new hampshire. this election is not about politics, this election is

nonpartin election. people are looking for a representative in this ci move theity forward. not to bicker or mislead us any longer. josh: it is worth asking, regardless of whether yoca foris demeanor, you b u uber. what is the status? ms. craig: the status is that uber is operating illegally and they are being required toer as a taxicab. there are requirements for the size ot car, they are supposed to have plexiglass i front, between the passenger of the front seat. i proposed a temporary operating ordinance with seri ms in place. but it did not pass because the mayor fought against i snyinyowa tad mr.s:thpoce chief says its safety, when the city clerk talks about safety of the residence of the people

said that uber operating the way they were operating was unsaf let' sroct citizens. ms. craig: sorry, one more. what we are doing right now is not protecting the citizens. what i proposed, we would have been able to measure whether there were complaints or secitises right n uber' s operating illegally and we are not enrcg e ordinance. if there was a true feeling that security was an issue, i do not think what we have in place right n would be effectiv josh: i have to ask and i apologize for not knowing, have there been any safetyue rete ur? ms. cig nn manchester. mr. gatsas: but in other communities, there are two people suing uber in boston. two young ladies were raped. josh: let' s move forward. talking about tone a little bit, you said alderman craig may have good ideas, you have not heard any. is that true, is there really no common ground?

mr. gatsas: she sat beside me for six years with ideas i brought forward. i brought a toy for nine doar savings th renegotiation of the verizon wireless -- i brought a 24 million dollars savings with renegotiationsf the vezowile contract. i brought a renegotiation that changed the police station and municipal complex, sheed it. there are many things that she voted for. i looktns sayiotblto workitlethe aisle and i say i have brought proposals forward that for six years she voted for. is common ground between the two of us. the difference comes to where we are today and the neef couny. our education system is failing. we have a serious crime issue in our city and a heroinp when i think back about my service in the city as a school board member and as a current aldermen, i never thought i would be running for mayor.

i could not sit back any longer and watch our city crumble and that is by i am doing this. i believe we need a mayor who will bring people together in the comni ba together to address the issues in our city and movusorrd josh how has the current mayor divided the city? ms. craig: i think we' ve seen the behavior here today as an example of what we see when we are in r etgs and what we see when he is meeting with others. we had a forum last week, he belittled someone who ca befe e fum and suggested that they did not know whether refugee. he threw someone out of s ofc respond. going after yr arte mrgaas: with ted gatsas, you know what you get. me you always know where i am at and i tell you where d. leadership.

josh: i wish we had more time but i want to give each you a statement. ms. craig: this has been a great time. what i have looked at,ou heartwo views today. i ask your viewers to think about whether they are better off today than they were s yearsgo do they feel that we are providing a better educn all 15,000 students? do they believe manchester is a clear city today? do they feel safer in their homes or on the streets dot or in tiigorod i do not believe people do. the folks i have talked to do not and i do not. i believe with a new leader we can reach the full potential of manchester together so i ask f your vote on november 3. jos ottoman craig, thank you. mayor gatsas? mr. gaas thank you for the opportunity to be here. theris question that the

next two years are important to the citizens of manchester. it is about hti y tst corospdi. who doou trt to make sure that the $305 million budget goes in the right direction. whose leadership to you trus whose passion for this community do you trust? i asfo vote on november 3 because i believe i' m the person that will make sure that you' re spending stays down and the senis e ott so the taxes do not go out of sight. being here. i appreciate your presence. get more information on the mayoral elections in new hampshire bloing onto wmur.com. you can find some top issues in a numr different areas. election day is november 3 and manchester. we will be right back. aths. by applying conservative principles we should lower rates and simplify the code to allow people to freely decide how they want to spend their money. what we need is leadership to fix a few big things...

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josh: welcome back to "close up ." do you want to understand the new hampshire primary i' m joined by both employees of the university. an online course. >> a free and open online course that our technology team at unh has beenorngn r e st year. it is a six week course and you can watch the lectures online. you can take whizzes or you can participate in discussion boards. it takes place starting next monday.

>> it started off thinking how the university can take advantage of the primary. dante and i have had experience working with the primary. it is an opportunity for o that, some of the stuff that you' ve picked up over e years to get out to the public. it is an opportunity to edat the public about a lot of things about the primary. josh: who is it for? they say it is free. dante: it is geared towards your audience, people who watch political talk shows. people who d not necessarily have a career in politics but go home at the end of the workday and turn on the cable news stations to watch political new at night there is a political junkie, as we effectually call th. jh: i n't owf my audience can handle a six week course -- i' m kidding. how important is it to let the

we hear rumblings about a new hampshire primary and t resinagnst it -- the resentment against it. andy: one of the misunderstandings is that somehow we set out to have the first primary. this developed kind o cintly we really did not set out to have the first primary. now that we' ve had ito pretty goob josh: does college credit come with this? andy: no college credit but social studies teachers might be able to get continng education credits. dante: we also high school -- we also hope high school students take the course to understand what is going on wi t politics. josh: sounds like it might be fun, trivia and videos. dante:

josh: how do we find it? dante: go to unh.e du/nhprimary and it will take you to the registration page. josh: the course is called? andy: first: the new hampshire primary. josh: what better time to do it than the anniversary. andy: it is 100 years of the primary and it is a good opportunity while the campaigns are going on to take advantage of interest in t pma a help educate and learn more about the history and the ins and outs of the primary. jos how many hits are you getting? about 1500 students and we hope tha ussestt nd. real name in case i do no very we. best of luck to you moving sounds pretty cool. you guys partnering together,

dae: most of the time. [laughter] josh: good stuff. once again -- dante: unh.edu/nhprimary. josh: dante and andy, i stopped listening when you said free. good stuff should be a lot of fun. that will wrap utio of "closupewamre." we will be back here next week. until then, go patriots. have a sunday. it is time to deal with skyrocketing out-of-pocket costs. commentator: the 32-year-old head of a pharmaceutical company raised the price of a life-saving drug overnight by 5,000%. i'm announcing a detailed plan to crack down on these abuses. commentator: he may be lowering it after hillary clinton blasted him out of the water. her plan would limit the out-of-pocket costs that consumers have to pay. clinton: nobody in america should have to choose between buying the medicine