I am going to call the special meeting of the Board of Alderman to order on Saturday, November 15th, 2025 at 9 a.m.

in the City Hall Auditorium.

The prayer will be offered by City Clerk Dan Healy and Alderman Michael D.

O'Brien will lead us in the pledge to the flag.

Almighty God.

We have the high honor and the serious duty to manage the affairs of our beloved city.

Fill us, oh God, with a spirit of unity and understanding, which enables us to face our multiple problems with a serene mind with justice and charity for all, so that any and all decisions made by us will always be for the betterment and greater happiness of all our fellow citizens.

So help us God.

Amen.

I pledge an allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands for national liberty and justice for you don't want to hear it.

Oh, we can't see it here at all.

No, I can just do the okay.

Roll call.

Okay.

Could we be quiet?

In the room, please.

We need donuts.

Excuse me.

Could you keep the quote the talking down?

We're trying to run our meeting here.

Thank you.

Alderman O'Brien.

Present.

Alderman Greg.

Present.

Alderman Moran.

Aldman Thibodeau.

Here.

Aldman Govea.

Here.

Aldman Lopez.

Alderman Sullivan.

Here.

Aldman Clemens.

Here.

Alderman Senate.

Here.

Alderman Jetty.

Here.

Alderman Tebow.

Here.

Alderman Clee.

Here.

Alderman Dowd.

Resident.

Alderwoman Kelly.

Here.

Aldman Wilshire.

Here.

13 present, two absent.

Thank you.

Communications.

Communication has been received from Daniel Healy, City Clerk, regarding recount requests for Ward 1 Alderman, Ward 5 Alderman, and Ward 6 Alderman.

Without objection, I will accept the communication and place it on file.

Unfinished business resolution.

Third reading of R 25-21.

Relative to the supplemental appropriation of 148,035 and 89 cents of unanticipated revenue into fund number 7024 Opiate Abatement Expendable Trust Fund.

Alderman O'Brien.

I didn't get a script.

And for final passage.

Oh.

I would like to make a motion to recommend final passage.

No, you need to read the you need to read the motion.

Nice if I got one, though.

It's early.

No, no, it's right.

It's on the first thing.

Right there.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you.

Apologize.

Which one?

This one here?

Yeah.

Okay.

Well, um, no, it doesn't.

It's you.

Okay.

I'll make the motion to clarify the motion that was made on November 13, 2025, whereby that the title resolution-2521 was incorrectly stated as relative to the acceptance of a horse trailer donated to the city of National Police Department by friends of the National Police Department mounted unit and should have read relative to supplemental appropriation of 148,003 3589 of unanticipated revenue to fund 7024 opiate abatement expendable trust fund.

And you've heard the motion.

Is there any discussion on that motion?

Seeing none, all those in favor of final passage say aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

That motion carries.

And resolution 25211 is declared duly adopted.

Mr.

Clerk, I'm going to turn it over to you.

Yes, so we're here today.

Uh we had recount requests for wards one, ward five in ward six.

Uh we have a meeting scheduled to start at 9 a.m.

for those recounts.

I had sent letters to all the candidates.

Um indicated that ward five won't start until at least 10 a.m.

and then ward six won't start until 11 a.m.

And at that time, if needed, I'll go over the recount procedures again if more people from those wards show up.

So what we're going to be doing here is we have all the boxes from those wards up here.

These include casts, uncast, absentees.

We're going to open every box and show what the contents are of those boxes.

If they're fully uncast ballots, we're going to fan through them.

Each person, each candidate will have the opportunity to have an observer up front to see the fanning through to confirm that they're uncast.

They'll go back in the box and be sealed.

The absentee envelopes, we're fanning through those just to make sure there's no ballot in there that you know shouldn't be that should be with the cast ballots.

But the absentee ballots, the um the opportunity to challenge an actual absentee ballot was on election day, so there's no challenges to the envelopes, only two ballots.

And then the third box, third third set of boxes will be the cast ballots.

The first person will read off the name that they believe the ballot to be for, they'll pass it to the second person that will hold it up for the observers, and after a few seconds, they'll place it in the box.

Once the ballot's placed in that box, once it hits the box, the time for a challenge is over on that ballot.

Periodically, um team members, um, city clerk staff, Ian uh volunteers, Tina Gilford, uh Derry Town Clerk and Cassie who works for the city clerk's office here in Nashua, and myself will be coming around and swapping out the boxes with the counting table that's in the back corner of the room, the two back tables.

At the counting table, each person will count into stacks of 25 for that candidate or that choice, and the first person will count into 25 and put an elastic around it.

They'll pass it to the second person who will take the elastic off, count 25, put the elastic back on in a sticky note indicating that it was counted for a second time.

Once they are finished with that, the ballots will come back to this table.

They'll be held to the end, where myself and staff will go through the piles and tally the results up.

Um at that time, again, an observer from each uh candidate can be present.

Um when that ward is just a second.

When um if there are any challenges during the process, those will be taken, they'll be brought up uh to this table up here.

Um place them in this box here, and they will go to the alderman at the end of that ward recount.

The alderman will rule on the ballots.

Um we do have one alderman that will not be able to rule on the ward six ballots, so at that time they'll recuse themselves from the ward six ballots as they are a candidate, but they are able to rule on ward one and ward five.

Uh are there any questions now at this time?

Yes.

If I do the first count, who does the second count?

The person at your table next to you.

Yep.

And whoever does the first count, you shouldn't, you should do the first count, the the person does the second count consistently.

So yes.

So I don't want you to do the first count.

You know, you you do the first count, he does the second count, or vice versa, but keep it consistent throughout.

Are there any other questions?

Okay.

For the the ward one candidates, um, are you both present?

You want to come forward.

Now, do you each have um observers?

Okay, your observers can be if they're not already seated, they can be seated at this time.

So each candidate gets four observers and then themselves.

Um each observer gets to sit at one of the tables.

So those are the only people that will be allowed in the recount area.

So we need more seating on this end.

Usually I know here.

I was like out of town or something.

I'm gonna go to war, so I don't want to do it.

Yes.

It's interesting.

I know.

Right now.

I believe it's a good idea.

I did.

Okay, so at this time at this time.

At this time, if the if the two candidates or one of their designees wants to come to the front, we're gonna be beginning to open um the boxes.

It's during I failed to mention this, but during the recount um process, there should be no side conversations.

If you want to have a conversation, go out in the hall.

They need to be able to hear what's going on on this side of the room.

So any any conversations you need to go out in the hall.

Um if it gets disruptive, I'm gonna give warnings, then I'm gonna ask you to leave.

But we need it quiet in the room.

Okay, so after the after the the chat after the recount of ward one, the current numbers that we have, we have six challenge ballots.

Um but for the candidates, currently Stephen Chess has nine hundred and seventy-nine votes on election night he was reported at nine eighty-two.

Haley Gallagher has nine hundred and forty-two votes.

Election night was reported at nine forty-five.

We have three write-ins for non-candidates.

We have three over votes, and we have fifty-seven under votes.

So at this time, um the six challenge ballots will be sent to the alderman, and unless there's any objection from any of the candidates or um they want we'll send them.

Okay, so we will tally them with the the two candidates.

Yeah.

Okay.

Um this one, I believe it would be four calendars.

Okay, so at this time with the challenge ballots now resolved.

Uh we have nine hundred and eighty-two votes for Stephen Chess during the recount, and we had nine hundred and eighty-two votes for Stephen Chess on election night.

For Haley Gallagher, we have nine hundred and forty-five votes.

Ian on election night we had nine hundred and forty-five votes.

Um write-ins three, over votes three, under votes fifty-seven.

Do we do a motion to accept we need a motion to accept?

Alderman O'Brien.

Yes.

Madam President, I would like to make a motion to accept the results or we count of a results of ward one.

You've heard the motion, discussion on that motion.

Seeing none, all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

That motion carries.

Thank you.

So at this time I'm gonna take a few minutes to box up uh ward one, and then we'll get started on the ward five recount, but we just want to get these all in the boxes and sealed up and out of the way, and then we'll bring the ward five ballots out to the table.

Let's go.

Oh, I mean, that's great.

Okay.

So I've got more.

So currently, uh Ward 5 on election night, Paula Johnson 635 right now with 13 challenges still pending.

Paula Johnson 632.

Janice Chulin on election night 421.

Currently the recount 421.

Brenda Garneau on election night 186, currently 180.

Or election night 187, currently 186.

And Justin Gerstenfield, um election night 610, currently 600.

We have 13 challenges.

So at this time, if uh to do the challenges, we'd have one representative from each come to the stage and then we'd go through the challenges unless the candidates agree on them here.

So we'll bring them to the all room.

Oh sorry, thank you.

Okay, so the way that the charter states is that the board of alderman make a ruling on any of the challenge ballots.

Um we have a precedent for the clerk reading the intent and then passing it to the alderman for all of them to look at it, and then one of the aldermen will make a motion on on what the ballot uh is for a candidate.

So the first ballot, I believe is a vote for Paula Johnson.

No, I'm gonna pass it to the alderman so they can all see it, and then they'll determine if that is correct.

So you can have are either one of the two calendars.

Paula is general.

Madam President, maybe recognized for a motion.

Yes.

I'd like to make the motion to recognize on that particular ballot Paula Johnson to be the winner.

Any discussion on that motion?

No discussion.

Okay, all those in favor say aye.

Aye opposed.

That vote goes for Paula Johnson.

This ballot I believe to be a vote for Justin Gerstenfield.

I agree.

Sorry.

Madam President, I'd like to make the motion that uh the ballot as shown uh recommend Justin Gurtenfield.

You've heard the motion.

Is there discussion on that motion?

Seeing none, all those in favor say aye.

Opposed.

And that vote goes for Justin Gerstenfield.

Vote for Justin Gerstenfield.

Alderman O'Brien.

Thank you, Madam President.

I'd like to make a motion that the ballot that was shown to us.

Uh rec make the recommendation of Justin Gurten's field.

You've heard the motion.

You've heard the motion.

Is there discussion on that motion?

Seeing none, all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

That motion carries, and that vote goes to Justin Gersenfield.

Okay.

Yeah.

So if you want to drop the challenges to any of these ballots, we would just read these off so we could tally them the remainder and they wouldn't have to go to the board.

Is that what you're both agreeable to the issue?

Okay.

Yep, so we'll we want to tally them the other results.

So at this time with all the votes are being cast and count counted during the recount.

Um I'm gonna go over the numbers one more time.

Um so Paula Johnson, election night six thirty-four six thirty-five.

Recount six thirty-four.

Janice Chulin, election night four twenty-one, recount four twenty-one.

Brenda Garneau, election night one eighty-seven, recount one eighty-seven.

Justin Gerstenfield, election night six ten, recount six ten.

Um then we had one right in one over vote in thirty-seven under votes.

Okay.

Yes, that was that was one of the very first ballots, yes.

The ballot that was left in the tablet box was distributed to the table and counted.

Um so at this time the I'll go over just the recall results so the board can certify those.

Uh Paula Johnson six thirty-four, Janice Chulin for twenty-one, Brenda Garneau one eighty-seven, and Justin Gerstenfield six ten.

So a motion to accept those results.

Alderman O'Brien.

Thank you, Madam President.

I would like to make a motion to recognize Paula Johnson as the winner of the Ward 5 election.

Could you add and accept the results of the RECO?

And to accept the results of the recon.

Okay, you've heard the motion.

Discussion.

Seeing none, all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

That motion carries.

Okay, thank you.

Congratulations.

Okay, again, there'll be a few minutes to box these up and then we'll begin the recall for ward six.

A little longer than I thought.

Okay, so for ward six, election night showed Chris Thibodeau with 468.

Uh the recount today, 469, and election night for Vanguard Fooder Smith, 490.

The recount today, 491.

Thank you, Madam President.

We'd like to make a motion for Vender Flet uh Van Gletter Smith.

Accepting the results.

Yeah, and accepting the results of the uh ward six recon.

Let me make the Jimmy ask if the you've heard the motion.

Is there discussion?

I just wanted to know where the last time it was caught in the machine.

Do you know where the two additional ballots came from?

Something obvious like that.

So that is what the recoil team found was that there were an additional vote for each candidate.

Sometimes looking when you look at the ballot, there's a different determination.

If you do yes, so when the ballots are looked at by people, you can maybe make a different determination on voter in time.

All right, you've heard the motion.

Is there further discussion?

Seeing none, all those in favor say aye.

Aye opposed.

And one abstention, Alderman Tibet.

Yes, I'm gonna have to say.

Okay.

And that motion carries, and the results are for Venom Flutter Smith.

Okay, and for the record, I am going to go over the results one more time, and then the board of Alderman will then make a motion on that and declare the races uh official.

So for ward one, Stephen Chess four uh nine eighty-two.

Haley Gallagher, nine forty-five.

For ward five, Paula Johnson.

Um we have a minor correction when we were looking at the tally sheet.

We I had announced earlier 634 is actually 635, which is the same number um from election night.

Uh so it's 635 for Paula Johnson, 421 for Janice Chulin, 187 for Brenda Garneau, and 610 for Justin Gerstenfield, and then for ward uh six, Chris Thibodeau 469, Ian Vanger Futura Smith 491.

So Haldeman O'Brien.

Thank you, Madam President.

I would like to make the motion to certify recount results as read by the city clerk and declare the candidates with the top votes as the official winners of the election.

You've heard the motion.

Is there discussion on that motion?

Seeing none, all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

That motion carries.

Alderman O'Brien.

Thank you, Madam President.

Would further like to make the motion that the November 15, 2025, special meeting of the Board of Alderman be adjourned by roll call.

We don't need a roll call members.

Skip that.

The motion before us is what it says.

Is to adjourn.

All those in favor say aye.

Okay.

Opposed?

Oh, that was loud.

We are adjourned at 338.

Thank you, everyone.