The Keene City Council elected KSC rising senior Jacob Favolise to a Ward 1 councilor position on June 6, 2024.
Favolise emerged victorious in an 11-4 race competing for votes from the rest of the council against opponent Michael Conway, according to the city council agenda packet. Previously, an election for the same seat had taken place on May 2, with Mayor Jay Kahn setting a new filing period and election after “failing to select a prevailing candidate,” according to the packet.
“I had run in the first election and that ended in a wash and there was the second round and it feels good to have earned the votes [and] the trust of the council and now I’m excited to get to work and show them they made the right decision,” Favolise said.
Favolise has previously served as a KSC Senate member and a student government representative for the Class of 2025. He said these positions have taught him valuable skills including navigating a space where differing opinions are voiced as well as listening to concerns from a constituency.
Associate Vice President for Student Engagement Jen Ferrell, who serves as advisor for student government, described Favolise as a leader among his peers. She gave examples such as his work spearheading the effort to rework and optimize the student government’s constitution. She also detailed Favolise’s role as an intern at her office, where he keeps up with various administrative tasks.
Ferrell added she was present for both the May 2 and June 6 elections.
“It was very cool for me as a Keene State College administrator to be in that space to see a student who I know cares very much about the college [and] the city of Keene to be elected into such a role where he will have the ability to help shape the future of the city,” Ferrell said.
The election was held following former city Councilor Raleigh Ormerod’s resignation, Kahn said in an interview with The Equinox. Ormerod will now focus on his recent appointment to vice chairman of the school board. Kahn said he felt Favolise’s election will present “a unique opportunity” for the city.
“I’m looking forward to working with [Favolise],” Kahn said. “He clearly has an interest in community service and will contribute a unique perspective … [He] is the candidate who, over the two months over which we held the election, consistently demonstrated a commitment to listening to [constituents’] issues and communicating with city councilors.”
Ward 1, one of five total wards that make up the city, includes the entirety of Keene State’s campus. Favolise said it is important to distinguish his position as a representative for the entirety of the ward.
“It doesn’t matter to me as much, being a college student on the city council,” Favolise said. “What matters to me is that I’m on the city council to represent Ward 1, and I’m really interested in being a good councilor for Ward 1, not just a good councilor for Keene State College.”
Two issues Favolise highlighted as policy priorities are “increasing and diversifying the housing stock” and “making sure that the cost of living in Keene is not going up so high that we’re pricing folks out of the city.”
He added, “There are a lot of young people in Keene that would like to live here after graduation, and I would like to help create an environment where they think that’s more realistic.”
Charlotte King can be contacted at
cking@kscequinox.com
