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Dan Goonan

by

Running forWard 2 Alderman
in 2023

Running as Non-Partisan Election

Background info

Born in Manchester, married to Denise a Nurse Practitioner at the VA. I have 3 kids and 1 grandchild. My twins Emmett and Ella are 7th graders at McLaughlin Middle School and granddaughter Everly is a 5th grader at Green Acres. My oldest, Emily, a Dental Hygienist, owns a home in Ward 6. I spent 40 years in public safety retiring in 2021 as the Fire Chief where I served under Mayors Gatsas and Criag. I currently work for the Auburn Police department where I have worked for 30 years. I serve on several committees concerning at-risk youth, addiction. I am also involved in youth sports.

Prior political experience/offices

Never held a political office

Current jobRetired Manchester Fire Chief, Current Sergeant Auburn Police Department

Previous jobs

I spent 36 and a half years working for the Manchester Fire Department, the last 5 years as Chief and Emergency Management Director. I have also served on the Auburn Police Department for 28 years, the last 15 years as a Sergeant.

Current residenceLifelong resident

Time lived in NHLifelong resident

HometownManchester

Education

Product of Manchester School System graduating from Memorial High School. I hold a Bachelor of Science Degree from Granite State College in Public Safety Administration. I also have many certifications in public safety and emergency management.

Best way to contact candidateDan@dangoonan.com
603-493-9052

WebsiteGoonanformanchester.com

Why are you running for this office?

I love Manchester. I was born, raised here and went to school here. I spent my career serving this community and I’m raising my family here. I’m deeply invested in our city and its success and know I can make a positive impact. Sitting on the sidelines is not in my nature and I want to continue to serve my community. I will bring my experience, institutional knowledge, common sense and a passion for public service to the office of alderman.

What qualifies you as the best candidate for this office?

I have decades of service to this community. I have experience in running one of the largest departments in the city preparing and managing a 20 million dollar budget. I have accumulated a great deal of institutional knowledge on how our city works and how we can make it a better place to live and raise a family. I have jumped in with both feet when this community needed leaders that thought out of the box. I was not afraid to put myself in front of some of the most demanding problems the city could face. I have children in our school system and have a deep understanding of how important it is to have quality educational opportunities for our kids.

What are your thoughts on and plans for addressing homelessness?

I worked hard to develop a program to be an option for people and families who want a path to recovery from addiction which is a major reason for homelessness. This is a very complex issue with many moving parts. This crisis impacts the quality of life in the city, and it has begun to affect neighborhoods far from our inner city. The most noticeable issue is the people with severe untreated mental health and addiction issues that we see in our parks and on our street corners. We also have dozens and dozens of family’s that for any number of reasons cannot afford the high cost of housing and lack of available lower income apartments. The need for lower income housing and incentives for contractors to make those efforts profitable is needed. Other circumstances that compound our issues is that we have the states largest jail located in our City that releases individuals that are arrested out of Manchester directly to our streets, that policy needs to end. We also have the states largest low threshold homeless shelter, two major hospitals and one on the only urban areas in our state that compounds our homelessness issues. Homelessness is a national issue and the entirety of the situation is certainly over any one community’s pay grade. Manchester should not bear the bulk of the state’s homeless issues. Most monies coming to address the homelessness problems are decided in a statewide bureaucracy that comes from federal funding in Concord without any city input, and that’s a problem. Manchester needs input on how monies provided for homelessness are targeted in our community. Bail reform needs to be addressed. It is tying the hands of police and providing little consequence for criminal actions. Much more treatment for mental health and addiction should be available in our correction system. Criminal activity due to mental health or addiction must have consequence and must include treatment options. People who are so mentally ill or developmentally disabled to not meet their own needs should not be released back into homelessness and addiction. This problem cannot be ignored by our leaders in Concord and Washington. Allowing people who are homeless for any reason to sleep on our sidewalks or other community spaces just doesn’t make sense. We must continue to provide options for work on the core issues of homelessness but I do not think that allowing people to sleep on our sidewalks or camp in our green spaces is practical or a successful strategy to help our homeless, our citizens or business community.

What are your thoughts on housing costs and plans for addressing those concerns?

For years, the State of NH Bureau of Housing has been using the figure of 20,000 units of housing just to address the current situation statewide. I estimate that number to be much higher. The vacancy rate in Manchester is about 1% and that is driving up rents and forcing our talented workforce to seek other housing opportunities outside of Manchester. Manchester needs more housing in general, but affordable housing (including workforce and transitional housing to bring people out of homelessness) is also imperative. In Manchester there is many projects planned and currently under construction that will certainly alleviate some of the problems concerning the vacancy rate. I think that there must be more incentives made available to contractors interested in building lower-income housing not just market-rate housing. These contractors will not invest in lower-income housing construction unless it is profitable and attractive for their organizations to invest.

What are your thoughts on and plans regarding crime and public safety?

Our community’s first responsibility is public safety, which will be my number one priority as Alderman. Public safety problems affects every part of our society including our major issues of Homelessness, addiction, schools and business climate and housing. There is no other candidate running for office in the City of Manchester that has more experience in Public Safety. My career as Fire Chief, Emergency Management Director, and a Police Officer spans almost 40 years. I will use my experience as well as the advice of our expert public safety professionals to implement programs to address crime and support our Police, Fire, and Health departments. The Manchester Emergency Management System is dependent on all Manchester municipal organizations that help us plan and respond to any potential disaster and keep Manchester safe. Manchester is one of the only urban areas in our state, and we are dealing with some big city problems. We need to trust our professionals, support law enforcement, and work with the state to address issues, bail reform being of particular concern. We must allow our officers to enforce laws already on the books. In the era of “Defund the Police,” I will stand up for the men and women that keep our community and streets safe.

What are your thoughts on and/or plans for addressing concerns about property tax rates?

As Alderman I will respect the tax cap and work tirelessly to keep our taxes low. I think a tax cap is a good check and balance to make sure the tax rate is reasonable and provide some assurances against unexpected, spiking tax increases. It is also important to find ways to increase the tax base with more business development to take some of the pressure off our homeowners.

What are your thoughts on the city's snow removal and trash pickup services?

Although there is always room for improvement I think the city does a pretty good job plowing our streets and picking up trash. Our Highway Department has been doing more with less employees. I know it has been hard to hire and retain employees in this economic environment and the competition hiring for those types of jobs is high. I am confident that the leadership at our Highway Department is looking for ways to improve and streamline our system and look for efficiencies and best practices.

What are your thoughts on the city's small business climate?

Small business is the backbone of a healthy community and is the economic engine that supports our city. This is particularly true in our Downtown area. The safety of our community is a major factor toward making our city attractive to small business. It also has a significant impact on allowing established businesses to continue to attract customers. Addressing homelessness, increasing police presence, and continuing community police efforts can help change the perception that our city is unsafe for small businesses and their customers. I also think it is time to look at our zoning. What changes could make it easier for small businesses to pivot and adapt? We need to look for new opportunities for mixed use areas. We must work with state and federal resources to make small business loans and grants available. Another issue that I have experienced as a Department Head over the years was how difficult it is as a business owner to get through the bureaucracy in city approvals. There needs to be a central location to address all questions concerning licensing, building approvals, and zoning issues.

What are your thoughts on and plans on improving the city's medium and large business climate?

I have spoken to one of the cities largest business partner who cited a lack input or insight that they see as effecting the city’s business climate. One of the issues that he brought up was that the only way to make money in Manchester at this time was to build apartments. I really think the city has more potential than only apartments. I think it would make sense to ask the experts on what they see as hurdles to attract businesses or what they need to expand their current situations. I suggest a committee of these partners which would be coordinated by our Director of Economic Development to identify the vision our larger stakeholders see as the potential of the city from their successful business perspective.

What are your thoughts on and plans on improving parks and recreation in the city?

Parks and recreation is an essential part of the city’s public services. It is important for the city to provide a safe, secure and well maintained places for our citizens to enjoy our community open spaces. I also think it is an important part of community pride. Manchester has made some recent updates like splash pads at and plans for Hunts Pool. Unfortunately many parks have been allowed to fall into disrepair with little upgrade and consistent maintenance. As a parent of kids on travel sports teams it is obvious that other communities have much better parks and sports facilities for their youth. I do understand that some of our leagues are responsible for the fields but some fields had the same infrastructure since I was a kid and that was quite along time ago for sure. We should partner with these organizations to improve fields and facilities. I think the city needs to take a comprehensive look at the condition of our parks and make plan to upgrade and improve some of the parks and invest in our kids.

What are your thoughts on how public transportation and infrastructure in the city can be improved?

The Manchester Transit Authority provides quality transportation and options for our city like charter busses and travel to other communities. The value of the service for people who depend on it is very important and must be continued. I know that leadership at MTA is constantly looking at options like smaller busses, ridership usage and volume of all routes. Public transportation bus service to our schools has also been an issue that I have heard from our parents with children in schools. Lack of school bus drivers have been a huge issue that must be discussed. I think low pay for bus drivers and a lack of employment pool in the city certainly doesn’t help that situation. I trust the leadership of the MTA to bring solutions to the board in regards to these issues. I think it is very important to listen to our experts and make informed decisions.

What are your thoughts on the current state of the city's civic pride and ideas on how to improve it?

I think there is a lot to be proud of when it comes to Manchester. We have a rich history, arts scene, professional sports, entertainment venues and strong sense of community. Our natural surroundings, vibrant Millyard, diverse neighborhoods gives Manchester the unique charm that makes it a place worth taking pride in. Although Manchester certainly is not without its problems when it comes to pride and reinventing itself is overdue. Earlier this year the Manchester Economic Development Office solicited bids from vendors in a process market and to update our city’s brand. This re-branding effort approved by Alderman will spend 1.5 million from American Rescue Plan monies earmarked for modernization and branding plans. I believe this will help to give us a roadmap to our future marketing, revitalize and reinvigorate the way tourists, visitors and new residents view our city and what it has to offer. The city currently spends little to nothing on marketing and advertising and this process will help focus on what makes up unique and a great place to work and raise a family.

What are your thoughts on any neighborhood specific issues in your ward as well as any plans on addressing those issues?

I think much of the current issues that are felt in Ward 2 are also the primary issues in all parts of the city. Homelessness, crime and public safety, education. We have also seen an expansion of business and housing of all kinds expanding near Wellington Hill that has been an ongoing concern. Increased traffic and congestion will have to be overcome. Concerns of the local community regarding these issues should be giving primary consideration while some of these expansions are planned. I have also heard many safety complaints of the speed of vehicle on some of our main roads and reckless operation especially during the summer months.

What is your view on the main role of an Alderman?

I see the main function as representing the constituents for any issues that affect Ward 2 and the city. Responding to constituent complaints and concerns and getting things done that are positive for the community. Advocating for my ward and constituents and serving as the bridge between the community and city government. Basically working to improve the quality of life for my ward and city.