Schlosser Reelection Statement August 2025

Reelection Statement August 2025

I intend to run for reelection as the Ward 7 City Councilor (fall 2025).  I wanted the Ward 7 residents to hear this from me first.

Serving as the Ward 7 City Councilor this past year and a half has been both humbling and rewarding.  It has been a steep curve learning on how the city works and the powers, and limits, of a city councilor.  It has been a privilege.

I’ve learned that overall, our city is well managed.  There is much we can be proud of--the competence of our city department directors and their staff, the care for our parks and neighborhoods and the downtown area, the many volunteers serving on committees and boards (one critical element of citizen engagement), and the openness to citizen input at council and committee meetings.  I am challenged by the task of balancing the burden of property taxes with the costs of maintaining our city infrastructure and the city staff who support us.  We are not perfect and there is also much that can be improved.

My contributions have been modest and focused.  Some of my work includes:

• Responsiveness to residents by

  • Responding to each and every resident request;

  • Holding open Ward Resident Meetings every quarter at the West Street Ward House; and

  • Circulating a blog post quarterly with information often not available in other city publications.

    
    

• Serving as the City Council representative on the Committee for Concord’s Plan to End Homelessness--

  • Organizing a leadership planning session last year supported by the NH Charitable Foundation and NH Listens to identify 5 priority aims for the Committee;

  • Convening bi-weekly Concord Homeless Veteran Case Conferencing meetings reviewing every single homeless Veteran in our city (down to 7 homeless Veterans as of last week);

  • Supporting a Memorandum of Understanding between the city and Granite United Way (GUW) so GUW can serve as the Committee’s fiscal sponsor;

  • Helping to raise $180,000 in outside money to fund a project manager for our 2-year plan (just interviewing candidates now!) and collaborative learning conferences;

    • Including a successful Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) Tax Credit Capacity Building Grant

  • Linking the Homelessness Committee with my service on the Public Safety Board, especially regarding homelessness impacts on public safety and homelessness data;

  • Conceptualizing the elements of a Community Listening and Engagement Plan to identify the key needs and interest of all segments of our community for ending or significantly reducing homelessness;

  • Specifying and tracking a customized report from the State Bureau of Homeless Services for Concord on the monthly dynamics of the number of homeless persons; and

  • Advocating for both increased affordable housing and also the full range of all types of housing our community needs (senior housing, starter homes, workforce housing etc.).

    
    

• Advocating for a careful authorization of city budgets and their impact on property taxes and city infrastructure

  • Monitoring Capital Improvement Projects impacting Ward 7;

  • Advocating for modest yet meaningful property tax exemptions and credits for our most worthy homeowners (Veterans, disabled, poor elderly) on the Tax Exemption Policy Committee; and

  • Supporting fair union contracts for our public safety workers and other city employees.

    
    

And there is much more we can do to both celebrate and improve our community.  Hoping to increase my impact as a voice of the community, I commit to

●      Creating more constructive action toward significantly reducing homelessness based on the needs and values of our entire community, and the foundation of planning and preparation this past year;

●      Actively engaging all segments of our community in the Master Plan Revision process to identify the key values and vision we desire for Concord; (This will also serve as a foundation for the eventual revision of our Zoning Ordinances to spur economic development and increase much needed housing.)(see also Concord Master Plans);

●      Continuing to support the many ways that residents can contribute and be involved in our city–serving on committees or boards, reporting neighborhood concerns using See/Click/Fix (see Report a Concern/Submit a Request on the city website), attending and speaking at council, committee and board meetings, and engaging and volunteering with community agencies, faith-based groups, and nonprofits, including the  Community Concordia group; and

●      Holding regular Ward Resident Meetings for both input and learning.

I invite you to consider how you might best contribute to these overall efforts. Every little bit helps.  I welcome your voice and partnership.  I welcome your support.

Warm regards,

Jim Schlosser, Ward 7 City Councilor

781-879-2089 jim4concord@gmail.com jim4concord.com

Save the Date: Ward Resident Meeting September 23, 2025 from 7:00-8:30 PM...more details to come.

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