The Democrat running to replace Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais also wants to end his approach to addressing homelessness and cleaning up the streets, calling it wrong to remove tents that once dotted downtown.

School board member Jess Spillers, a last-minute entry in the mayor’s race, said during a debate sponsored by the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce on Monday that “forcing people out of encampments … is not the way that we address homelessness.”

Ending public camping and forcing the homeless off public sidewalks has been a contentious issue in Queen City politics for years. Ruais replaced outgoing Democrat Joyce Craig in part by pledging to clean up the streets. In July 2024, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen passed an ordinance banning public camping regardless of the time of day o

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