“Somersworth Can’t Wait”
Campaign Launch Party
Thursday, July 29, 2021 7:30pm
Bad Lab Beer Co. 460 High Street Somersworth
Join Crystal Paradis and Special Guests Andru Volinsky, Emmett Soldati, Nancy Pearson, Clifton West, Jr. and more.
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Somersworth Municipal Election, Tuesday November 2, 2021
Somersworth, New Hampshire — Tuesday, July 20, 2021 // Somersworth City Councilor At-Large and communications and community engagement professional Crystal Paradis announced her bid for Mayor of Somersworth in the Tuesday, November 2, 2021 Municipal election.
After receiving the highest number of votes in the 2019 election, and being seated on City Council, Paradis wasted no time transforming her campaign into an enviable city-wide communications program to keep all citizens up to date and engaged in happenings at City Hall, spearheading the City’s first dog park and collaborating on the opening of Little Indonesia Cultural Center. As she observed opportunities for more collaborative leadership at the top, Crystal decided to set her sights on the Mayor’s office and laid out her “Somersworth Can’t Wait” platform, which is focused on using the upcoming Ten Year Plan to create a more forward thinking city, address economic development and overdue infrastructure improvements. Crystal also prioritizes affordable housing, creating an Arts Commission, and conducting an accessibility audit of city buildings, sidewalks and digital platforms.
To kick off her historic campaign for Somersworth’s first woman mayor, Crystal is holding a “Somersworth Can’t Wait” Campaign Launch Party to unveil her platform and featuring special guests Andru Volinsky (former Executive Councilor for District 2 and 2020 Democratic Gubernatorial candidate), Emmett Soldati (Proprietor of Teatotaller, former Executive Councilor candidate and NHDP Chair candidate), Nancy Pearson (founder, Mind the Gap and former Portsmouth City Councilor), Clifton West, Jr. (co-founder, Black Lives Matter Seacoast; VP of Public Affairs, NH Young Democrats; Communications Director, Tri-City Young Democrats).
“Somersworth Can’t Wait” Campaign Launch Party
The event will be held in person
Thursday July 29, 2021 7:30pm
Bad Lab Beer Co. 460 High Street Somersworth, NH
www.badlabbeer.com
RSVP Here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/cp4somolaunch
Crystal on why she decided to run,
“I’m running for Mayor because I’m excited about our collective possibility, and because Somersworth can’t wait. Somersworth can’t wait for affordable housing. Somersworth can’t wait for downtown revitalization. Somersworth can’t wait for lower property taxes. I want us to imagine together what we want the future of our City to be. Having leadership who sees the urgency and who truly listens to and engages meaningfully with all members of the community is critical. As we gear up to create our Ten Year Master Plan, we know that whoever leads these efforts sets the tone for the city. I think that tone should be collaborative, welcoming and inclusive. I think Somersworth deserves a leader with forward-thinking new energy and new long-term ideas to chart the course. I look forward to sharing my ideas and approach as we set our vision, together. I’m ready to embrace that bright future.”
According to Somersworth Business Owner and Community Leader, Emmett Soldati,
“The timing for Crystal’s race is critical. The city of Somersworth is literally on the starting line to create a Ten-Year Master Plan. To engage all residents in the process, we need a mayor who is ready for the long term, who has exhibited open respectful communications and responsiveness to the community, and who understands the importance of affordable housing, the arts and business friendly policies to the long term vitality of our city. Somersworth can’t wait. Clearly, there is one person in this race who fits the bill. Crystal Paradis is the one.”
About Crystal Paradis
Born in Portsmouth, longtime Seacoast resident Crystal Paradis is a communications and community engagement professional who helps mission-driven teams build more inclusive and connected communities. City Councilor At-Large for the City of Somersworth, Crystal was elected in 2019 with the highest number of votes At-Large. As City Councilor, she serves on Public Safety, Sustainability, Recreation and Economic Development committees, and Chaired the 2020 Election Review Planning Commission. She is the Director of Strategic Communications and Community Engagement for the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation, where she also leads the foundation’s Women Run! Program, recruiting and training women to run for state and local office.
Crystal’s previous experience includes organizing large community events (Portsmouth PRIDE, TEDxPortsmouth); founding Feminist Oasis, an intersectional feminist social enterprise, where she led groups and individuals in exploring feminist values in action; advocating around reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ issues, substance use awareness, gun violence prevention and poverty; working on political campaigns from municipal to presidential; and engaging community through her writing, from local newsletters to op-eds on progressive social justice issues.
In 2015, she was named one of 10 to Watch by Catapult & Seacoast Media Group, and in 2019, she was named NH’s Young Progressive of the Year by the NH Young Democrats.
She is Vice-Chair of the Somersworth Democrats, Secretary of the New Hampshire Stonewall Democrats, delegate at-large for Strafford County Democratic Committee, and board member of SOS Recovery Community Organization.
Previous employers include the New Hampshire Democratic Party, Brown & Company Design, Vital Design, Hawai’i Primary Care Association, The Hired Pens, Breaking New Grounds, Eagle Photo, and Teatotaller Cafe. She has volunteered with Planned Parenthood, The Music Hall, Families First Health & Support Center, Art-Speak, Indigenous NH Collaborative Collective, Never Again Action immigrant rights group, and Strafford County warming shelter in Somersworth.
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For images, please see attached photo, credit Will Zimmermann
For more information, visit paradisformayor.com
For interviews, contact Crystal Paradis at crystalforsomersworth@gmail.com
