LACONIA — By a narrow margin, state Rep. Mike Bordes (R-Laconia) is the city’s next mayor.

Bordes, a three-term representative in Concord, beat Ward 1 Councilor Bruce Cheney, 1,604 votes to 1,549, in the Municipal Election on Tuesday. He’ll assume the seat left vacant by former Mayor Andrew Hosmer, and filled in the interim by state Rep. Charlie St. Clair (D-Laconia).

“It was good, it was tight like I thought it would be,” Bordes said Wednesday morning. “We stayed focused on the issues. That’s what really got us over the finish line.”

Bordes ran a campaign stressing the importance of lowering the tax burden on city residents, in an election where the cost of housing and homelessness were top issues among voters. Refraining from negative campaigning, Bordes said his strategy was to confr

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