R.J. Ouellette, a runner-up in the 2001 primary, faced no opposition in the primary. In the November 3, 2003, general election, Guinta beat Ouellete 452 to 324. While serving as alderman, Guinta was one of the few Republicans on the 14-member Board of Aldermen. The mayor of Manchester during Guinta's tenure on the board, Robert A. Baines, also was a Democrat. In 2004, Guinta resigned his House seat to take a position as senior policy adviser to U.S. Congressman Jeb Bradley, who preceded Carol Shea-Porter as the U.S. representative for New Hampshire's first district. Guinta held the post until March 2005, when he resigned to campaign for mayor of Manchester. Guinta was taking on Mayor Baines, a three-term mayor who had won two-thirds of the vote in the 2003 general election, who was seeking a fourth term. Mayor of Manchester In the non-partisan primary held on September 5, 2005, Guinta placed second in a three-candidate field, garnering 3,760 votes to Baines' 5,168. (Jeff Kassel received 651 votes.) On November 8, 2005, Guinta defeated Baines in the general election by 528 votes (10,125 to 9,597), becoming Manchester's youngest mayor in over 100 years. He ran on a platform of improving education, increasing public safety and security, revitalizing Manchester's neighborhoods, promoting fiscal responsibility, and reducing property tax rates. He was inaugurated on January 3, 2006. During Guinta's first term as mayor, the city raised the complement of Manchester's police force by 22 officers to 225 and added a police substation on Manchester's west side. Guinta also tackled violence at local nightclubs. In 2006, at the urging of Guinta, neighbors, and other city officials concerned about violent crime, the state Liquor Commission refused to renew the liquor licenses for clubs Omega, Envy and Fish, resulting in their closure. Guinta emphasized community policing and cooperation between law enforcement and the community. With regards to taxes and spending, Guinta takes credit for Manchester's first tax cut in a decade. Guinta was elected to a second term as mayor on November 6, 2007, defeating Democrat Thomas Donovan, a former school board member. Guinta received the backing of the New Hampshire Union Leader during his re-election bid. The paper's editorial board praised Guinta as "a tax-cutting crime fighter...[who] has pushed bureaucratic reform and improved services." In June 2009, Mayor Guinta announced his plan to lower property taxes by reducing school funding by 7 million dollars. Guinta explained