NASHUA, NH – Shoshana Kelly of Nashua has a young family, is civically active, is a successful business owner, and is an elected city official. She is also a candidate in the Democratic primary for Executive Council District 5.
She is running against former Democratic NH State Senator Melanie Levesque in the September 10th primary. The winner will take on Republican incumbent David Wheeler in November.
Kelly is serving in her second term as Alderman-at-Large in Nashua. Elected first in 2017 and re-elected in 2021 she is the first woman of color and person of color elected to that post. Asked why she runs for public office she replied, “My ‘why’ is tied to a lot of things that are happening that I’m frustrated with.”
She was motivated to run for alderman when the serving alderman voted against all-day kindergarten describing it as “glorified daycare for your offspring.” Kelly at that point was placing her daughter in kindergarten and thought this system was not working for families. She ran for that office.
“I ran because I was frustrated and I ran for this race (Executive Council) two years ago for the same reason.”
She lost that race.
The NH Executive Council is the only one of its kind in the country. It is unique, often misunderstood, and an especially powerful body.
The five-seat council has an important set of powers including approval of state expenditures for amounts over $10,000 and appointment of judges among other powers. It is a vestige of British rule of the colonies. In 1690 King Charles II signed into law the Executive Council as a counterbalance to the chief officeholder then called the NH “president”. A century later the job title became governor and the council was enshrined into the state constitution.
The last redistricting of the council seats provides the Republicans a 4-to-1 voting advantage over Democrats. This is where her sense of frustration and motivation arises from.
Kelly believed that Roe was settled law and that the Supreme Court would never overturn that precedent. When the Dobbs decision came down she was shocked. At that moment she realized the implications for New Hampshire and decided to make her second run at the office.
“I think the Executive Council is one of the most powerful ways to make a difference in terms of reproductive freedom and changing policy. You could work forever to get something through, but if the money is not approved it is dead in the water,” Kelly said.
Current Councilor Wheeler has voted against Planned Parenthood funding for non-abortion healthcare each time it comes up. Those clinics provide vital healthcare services like cancer screening to rural, poor women, and the denial of revenue limits services, said Kelly.
Every expenditure for commuter rail, an important issue for Nashua, gets blocked the same way, she said.
The appointment of judges is also a major role of the Council. Dobbs relegating reproductive rights back to the states and the continuous pattern of conservative judicial appointments by the current council motivates Kelly’s run.
“There have been very obvious slants to the appointees we have seen in our state courts. Judges are one of the biggest impacts of the council, ” Kelly said.
Kelly plans to continue in her Nashua at-large seat if elected to the council. She does not see a conflict between the two positions but rather an advantage in her effectiveness. For example on the local level, she advocates for affordable housing but often sees those efforts blocked at the Executive Council.
For her, it is a simple calculation. “You put your money where your values are,” so having a vote on expenditure matters.
This is a tough race to win. After the primary the time to the general is short. Shoshana fell short last time around but is confident about her path to winning.
“I am known more in the district. I have been elected and am still elected in Nashua, going on seven years of experience. I plan to run again at large because I love that work. I am working on big things like affordable housing, and sustainability, and smaller things like a fire truck playground.”
Kelly believes her current experience of running a business, of having kids in the public schools, and her role in the Nashua government prepare her to be relevant to her constituents on the council.
Reflecting on President Biden’s decision to step aside and have the Vice President lead the ticket, Kelly said, “It was a really powerful moment when Joe Biden decided to step aside and hand the baton to a new generation and I think we have to do that more in our politics.”
Nashua is the biggest city in her district. Mayor Jim Donchess has endorsed her candidacy. The city is a key part of the distinct and home to her family.
“I am going to cantinue working for them, at the city level and at the state level,” Kelly said. “Being on the Council will allow me to advocate for things that are important to the city as well as the whole district. Nashua will get a seat at the table.”