Portsmouth Mayor to Run for Re-election

When asked Wednesday morning if he is planning to run for City Council again, Mayor Eric Spear replied without hesitation, "most definitely."

Spear, who participated in a ground breaking ceremony for Strawbery Banke Museum's $350,000 expansion project at the Tyco Visitors Center, hopes to win his fourth consecutive term on the council.

Spear gained the highest number of voters with 2,243 in the 2011 municipal election. He won Ward 2 with 508 votes and won Ward 5 with 607 votes.

On Wednesday, Spear said he is aware there are a lot of potential candidates who say they are planning to throw their hats into the ring of Portsmouth politics.

earlier this month. There has also been some speculation that for council.

Spear said all the talk about potential council candidates is cheap. At the end of the day he said it comes down to the people who have actually filed their papers to run in November. 

Spear said he plans to campaign just as vigorously as he did in the fall of 2011 when he spent several weekends going door to door in city neighborhoods to ask for residents' support.

When asked if he believes he will serve as Portsmouth's mayor for a second term by garnering the highest vote total on election day, Spear relied, "It's up to the voters."