Frank Guinta

Frank Guinta
54th Mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire
In office 2006–present
Preceded by	Robert A. Baines
Personal details
Born	September 26, 1970 (aged 38) Edison, New Jersey
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Morgan Smith Guinta

Frank Guinta (Template:PronEng) (born September 26, 1970) is the current mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire, the state's largest city. He is also a current Republican candidate for New Hampshire's 1st congressional district seat in 2010.

Personal life

Guinta, the son of Richard and Virginia Guinta, was born in Edison, New Jersey on September 26, 1970. He graduated from the Canterbury School, a Catholic boarding school in New Milford, Connecticut, and Assumption College, a private, four-year liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he met his wife, Morgan.

After their marriage, the couple moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where Guinta worked for Travelers Insurance. In the fall of 1999, he began attending Franklin Pierce Law Center in New Hampshire where he earned a Master’s Degree in Intellectual Property, graduating the next spring.

Politics

On November 7, 2000, Guinta was elected to a seat in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing Manchester, New Hampshire. He was re-elected November 5, 2002, to the same seat. On November 6, 2001, Guinta was elected Alderman representing Manchester’s Ward 3 and was reelected to that office on November 4, 2003. In 2004, he resigned his House seat to take a position as senior policy advisor to Congressman Jeb Bradley, a job which he held until March, 2005, when he left to run for mayor of Manchester on a full-time basis.

Guinta defeated three-term incumbent Manchester mayor Robert A. Baines, a Democrat, in the November 8, 2005 non-partisan election becoming Manchester's youngest mayor in over 100 years. He ran on a platform of improving education, increasing public safety and security, revitalizing Manchester’s neighborhoods, promoting fiscal responsibility, and reducing property tax rates. He was inaugurated Tuesday, January 3, 2006. During Guinta's first term as Mayor, he raised the compliment of Manchester's police force by 22 officers to 225. increased police sub-stations, He also closed several downtown night clubs due to the increased crime these establishments were bringing to the city. The mayor attributes Manchester's 17% reduction in violent crime during his first term to these actions. With regards to taxes and spending, during Guinta's term, Manchester had its first tax cut this decade.

Guinta was elected to a second term as mayor on November 6, 2007, defeating Democrat Thomas Donovan, a former school board member. Guinta received the backing of New Hampshire's major state-wide newspaper, The New Hampshire Union Leader, during his re-election bid. The paper's editorial board argued for Guinta's re-election because of his role in reducing crime, lowering taxes, taming bureaucracy, and improving city services. Guinta was instrumental revitalizing the newly formed Rimmon Heights Neighborhood on Manchester's West Side and in bringing a large economic development project in Manchester; Elliot at the River's Edge, which will turn the long closed Jac Pac Foods warehouse into an $87 million dollar redevelopment project.

In June 2009, Mayor Guinta attracted state-wide attention for his plan to cut school funding by 7 million dollars to lower taxes on property owners. With the passing of this budget and the enacting of "pay-to-play" rules, the district will charge a $100 fee for high school sports, $50 for middle school sports, and $40 to participate in the choir. Additional cuts will be made to the budget affecting the employment of guidance counselors and the salaries of principals. Guinta defended his budget by telling WMUR-TV "We've got to find ways to be more effective, more efficient so we can keep money in taxpayers and property owners' pockets."

During Guinta's tenure as mayor, Manchester, New Hampshire has been honored with two awards. In 2009 CNNMoney.com rated Manchester 13th in a list of the 100 best cities to live and launch a business in America. In addition, Kiplinger voted Manchester the second most tax friendly city in America, second only to Anchorage, Alaska.

Run for Congress

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in New Hampshire, 2010 § District 1

On April 2009, Frank Guinta announced that he would run for higher office next year instead of seeking a third term as mayor. He stated that he had been asked to run for Governor, Congress, and the Senate. In May 2009, Guinta filed the paperwork and made an official announcement that he is running against incumbent Democrat Rep. Carol Shea-Porter for New Hampshire's 1st congressional district in 2010.

Electoral history

Manchester Mayoral Election 2005

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Frank Guinta	10,125	51.3
	Democratic	Robert A. Baines (Incumbent)	9,597	48.7	− 18.0

Manchester Mayoral Election 2007

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Frank Guinta (Incumbent)	10,381	53.9	+ 2.6
	Democratic	Tom Donovan	8,894	46.1

See also

• List of mayors of Manchester, New Hampshire

Sources

• [1] December 30, 2008
• New Hampshire Union Leader editorial, "Guinta Ready to Lead City," January 2, 2006
• New Hampshire Union Leader article, "Guinta Sworn In, Seeks School Reforms," January 3, 2006
• New Hampshire Union Leader article, "It's Election Day," November 6, 2007.
• http://www.guintaformayor.com/about.htm - Campaign Website biography

References

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