Governor/Executive Council
Will 2024 be the year we sweep Democratic leadership into the Governors office and Executive Council? We hope so! You can help by writing letters to the editor, placing yard signs, and getting involved in campaign outreach.
Two Great Candidates for Governor
Be sure to vote in the NH primary on September 10, 2024. Here are links to more info on our two strong Democratic candidates:
- Cinde Warmington, former Executive Council member
- Joyce Craig, former Mayor of Manchester
Jim O'Connell for Executive Council
Strafford is part of Executive Council District 4. Our Democratic candidate is Jim O’Connell. Jim was raised in Ireland in Cobh, County Cork, where he first sparked what would become a lifelong passion for politics and public service. Jim worked on the movement to legalize divorce in Ireland, as well as allowing access to contraceptives, despite strong institutional forces standing in opposition.
In 1992, while working in Sydney, Jim met his future wife, NH native Kathy Sullivan. They moved to the U.S. later that year, and settled in Manchester in 1997. In the early 2000’s Jim co-founded Caradas, a cybersecurity consultancy and test lab for secure identity products for Fortune 100 companies.
In recent years, as Vice Chair and citywide elected member of Manchester’s School Board, Jim has led the city’s $306 million capital project to upgrade facilities, determined to deliver world class school buildings for students. On the board, he’s earned a reputation as a results-driven leader who delivered contracts to school employees, the largest increase for educators in the city of Manchester in decades. He also led the effort to implement a $15 minimum wage for hundreds of workers in Manchester.
Now, Jim is running for Executive Council to continue to deliver for our state, bringing his same brand of hard work and practical leadership to Concord to protect reproductive freedom, safeguard public education against extremists, and bring people together to make it easier for Granite Staters to live, work and raise a family right here in New Hampshire. As a business person with expertise in public-private partnerships and large-scale projects, Jim knows how to deliver for the public good. He will advance our fight to bring commuter rail to New Hampshire and take on a statewide leadership role on transportation, which is key to growing the Granite State economy.
Learn more at https://oconnellfornh.com.
In 1992, while working in Sydney, Jim met his future wife, NH native Kathy Sullivan. They moved to the U.S. later that year, and settled in Manchester in 1997. In the early 2000’s Jim co-founded Caradas, a cybersecurity consultancy and test lab for secure identity products for Fortune 100 companies.
In recent years, as Vice Chair and citywide elected member of Manchester’s School Board, Jim has led the city’s $306 million capital project to upgrade facilities, determined to deliver world class school buildings for students. On the board, he’s earned a reputation as a results-driven leader who delivered contracts to school employees, the largest increase for educators in the city of Manchester in decades. He also led the effort to implement a $15 minimum wage for hundreds of workers in Manchester.
Now, Jim is running for Executive Council to continue to deliver for our state, bringing his same brand of hard work and practical leadership to Concord to protect reproductive freedom, safeguard public education against extremists, and bring people together to make it easier for Granite Staters to live, work and raise a family right here in New Hampshire. As a business person with expertise in public-private partnerships and large-scale projects, Jim knows how to deliver for the public good. He will advance our fight to bring commuter rail to New Hampshire and take on a statewide leadership role on transportation, which is key to growing the Granite State economy.
Learn more at https://oconnellfornh.com.
