NEWS

Mayoral election battle coming

Weston to seek fourth team, will be challenged by Carrier

Brian Early
bearly@seacoastonline.com
Dover Mayor Karen Weston and Deputy Mayor Robert Carrier.

DOVER — The race for Dover mayor is already gearing up to be a competitive election.

Mayor Karen Weston and Deputy Mayor Robert Carrier both declared their intention Friday morning to seek the mayor's seat in the November municipal election.

Weston is seeking her fourth term as the leader of the City Council. Carrier is planning his first run for the position.

In 2017, Carrier had mulled a run for mayor, but ultimately decided against it and instead successfully ran for re-election for the at-large council seat he has held since 2011. Carrier said Friday he had made an agreement with Weston in 2017 not to run for mayor and support her, and Weston had agreed to run for just one additional term, which she told to Foster’s at the time.

“I thought this would be my last term, but I have had an overwhelming request to run at least one more term,” Weston said Friday. “It made me rethink my position.”

Weston, 68, said she still has projects to see through. She said is “very concerned about the tax impact” of debts the city has accumulated from recent projects, such as the new high school and the Garrison Elementary School renovation. Weston said she is “working hard” with developers to get more commercial development in the city to help balance the heavy dependency on residential property taxpayers. Weston said she wants to continue her service on the Tri-City Mayors' Task Force on Homelessness, too. She also wants to focus on downtown parking issues and see the waterfront development project through.

Carrier, 67, said nothing is stopping Weston from continuing these efforts. “She can still do it. She doesn’t have to be mayor to do it,” he said Friday.

Carrier said he was disappointed Weston is running again. “It bothers me because that’s not integrity. She came back on her word.”

Carrier said if he's elected mayor his goal would to “continue to move the city forward.” He said that included continuing a positive working relationship between the council and the School Board and seeing where the city and the school department can share services to save money.

He also wants to have more citizen involvement. While there are many volunteers working on the different board and commissions, Carrier said he would like to see more citizen involvement at meetings to give input to the councilors. “We learn from that. We’re just volunteers. It’s good to get input,” he said.

Carrier said he would run a “more stern, more professional meeting,” though he clarified he was not knocking how Weston runs the council meetings. “I would move a meeting along faster,” he said.

Carrier and Weston have long known each other, graduating a year apart from each other at Dover High School. Weston spent two years at the former high school that is now the McConnell Center before moving into the high school on Alumni Drive that was just demolished. She graduated in 1969. On Wednesday, at the 50th anniversary of her graduation, she was on stage shaking hands with the 2019 graduates that included her granddaughter. Carrier graduated from DHS in 1970.

Both have remained in Dover for their years after college. Weston went to Keene State College, and Carrier to Plymouth State College, now Plymouth State University.

Carrier was first elected to the City Council in Ward 1 in a six-way special election held in August 2008 that was called to replace Councilor Robert Keays, who died in office during this third term. Carrier ran for a full term in 2009, running unopposed.

In 2011, both Carrier and Weston ran for the at-large position, beating out a third challenger. In 2013, Weston won her first term as mayor. She won re-election in 2015 and 2017. Carrier won re-election to the at-large position in 2015 and 2017.

The election filing period for mayor and City Council does not begin until 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 9, according to City Clerk Susan Mistretta.