Biography of Tom Ferrini

Tom Ferrini was elected Mayor on November 6, 2007 after a City Council campaign which emphasized affordable taxes, managing growth and work force housing.

Prior to becoming Mayor, he served two terms as a City Councilor, most recently as Assistant Mayor.  He has worked during both terms to improve openness and volunteerism in municipal government and local politics, seeking to increase participation of Portsmouth residents in the public discussion.  Citizen involvement in public process has increased significantly over the last four years.  Mayor Ferrini has and will continue to foster economic development in ways that compliment the quality of life in City neighborhoods.  Mayor Ferrini served on the following boards and commissions as a City Councilor: the Portsmouth Planning Board; the Joint Building Committee for the construction of Portsmouth High School; the Joint School Advisory Committee regarding site selection for the Portsmouth Middle School; and the Economic Development Commission.  He has served on a variety of other City Committees throughout his tenure on the City Council, including liaison to the Pease Development Authority, liaison to the Chamber of Commerce, the Committee on Committees and the Fire Station Two Committee.

Mayor Ferrini first ran for public office in 1997, when he was elected Ward Moderator of Ward 4 in Portsmouth and he was re-elected to that post two years later.  He served for six years on the City Economic Development Commission and has served as that Commission’s Chair. Mayor Ferrini’s work as a community volunteer extends to various non-profit boards including Ballet New England of Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Great Bay Services in Newington, New Hampshire.  He has been involved with the Dover and Portsmouth Chambers of Commerce in a variety of capacities.  He has also served on the New Hampshire Bar Association Legislative Committee and the Bar Publications Committee, which publishes The New Hampshire Bar Journal.

Mayor Ferrini is a Portsmouth native, and he graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.A. in History, cum laude, in 1980.   He graduated from Vermont Law School, in South Royalton, Vermont, in 1988.  He practices law with the firm of Wyskiel, Boc, Tillinghast & Bolduc, P.A., in Dover, New Hampshire. His litigation and land use practice includes regular appearances in Superior Court in real estate, business and injury cases.  Mayor Ferrini also represents businesses and individuals in administrative hearings before various state and local agencies, including the Department of Labor and zoning and planning boards. Mayor Ferrini is also a court trained mediator who has negotiated many civil cases to resolution.  He has been practicing law for eighteen years.  Prior to attending law school, he worked in the telecommunications industry.

Mayor Ferrini is married to Jane Mackin Ferrini, who practices law in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  They have two small children.  In his free time, he enjoys reading, ice hockey, fly fishing, and the arts.