Bob Hamel, servant and champion of Laconia, dies

LACONIA — Bob Hamel, longtime city councilor, has died. Mayor Andrew Hosmer confirmed the report, saying he heard the news from a member of the Hamel family.

Hamel's death was reported to have occurred Monday evening. The Daily Sun has not yet been able to speak with Hamel’s family to confirm details.

Hamel is remembered as someone dedicated to the city he served, who used his service as an opportunity to improve the lives of his neighbors.

Hamel, 72, took a leave of absence from city council in October to begin cancer treatment. He had served on city council, representing Ward 5, since 2005, initially appointed to fill a vacant seat. He was last reelected in 2021, for his ninth term on the council. His current term would have expired at the end of the calendar year.

His service to the city extends back decades earlier, though. Hamel was among the team of volunteers who created Christmas Village, one of the city’s most beloved holiday traditions, in 1975, which welcomes thousands of children — and youthful people of all ages — for an experience both magical and accessible, as there’s never been a fee to enter.

A life of service

Hamel lived his entire life in Laconia, with the exception of the time he spent serving in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. After his military service, he returned to his hometown with an eagerness to help make Laconia better.

Hamel worked for a short period as a law enforcement officer, and first became a city official through the Parks and Recreation Department, serving on that commission for nine years, including three as chair.

Hamel’s commitment to Laconia was evident through his volunteer work. He coached Little League and Babe Ruth baseball teams, and basketball teams in the Lou Athanas league. He served on the board of the Winnipesaukee Muskrats collegiate baseball team, and was on the board of directors for Lakes Region Public Access television. He and his wife, Kaye, raised a son who continued the family’s commitment to service; Todd Hamel is a colonel in the U.S. Army.

‘Look at the good things’

City Manager Kirk Beattie said he hadn’t yet discussed with city council how to handle the vacancy. However, he said that in recent history, similar vacancies had been filled through an appointment, voted on by the other councilors, and the process would likely begin by soliciting letters of interest from qualified candidates. Beattie said that all registered voters in Ward 5 are eligible to offer their candidacy.

“We will handle it similarly” to previous instances, Beattie said. “The council will end up naming a successor to complete the term. ... The exact dates of how that will happen have not been determined yet.”

Beattie, who served as the city’s fire chief before being named manager, said he had known Hamel for “a good number of years,” and the late councilor made the most of his obligation to serve.

“He was certainly one of those councilors who worked very closely with constituents, really put a lot of effort into making sure that the issues that the people in his ward cared about came forward before council. That’s really an important trait for councilors to have,” Beattie said.

Hosmer, who served as a city councilor alongside Hamel before being elected mayor, remembered a colleague who wanted to see projects through to completion, and wasn’t afraid to get into the complications.

“Bob didn’t want to bounce along at the 30,000-foot level, he wanted to dive into the weeds, understand projects, understand the people involved in projects. He formed very strong opinions based on the facts in front of him. But he wouldn’t get so dug in on issues that he would be unwilling to compromise,” Hosmer said. “Sometimes it would take a while to move him, but he wasn’t obstinate, he wasn’t a grandstander. His priorities were well-known to everyone. He was about pragmatic problem-solving.”

That pragmatism and collegiality left a legacy of successful projects. As a city councilor, Hamel helped to champion many landmarks of the city today: The middle school, new fire department and, along with his late friend and former Mayor Edward Engler, the Colonial Theatre.

Alan MacRae, a photographer who, like Hamel, has a history in law enforcement, said their relationship goes back decades.

“We’ve been friends for a long time,” MacRae said, adding that in recent years, they worked together on the LRPA board. He said Hamel was not just the board’s liaison to the council, but showed an “active interest” in the mission of public access broadcasting.

“Bob’s just a good guy,” MacRae said.

Hamel was a motorcyclist and a supporter of Laconia Motorcycle Week. Charlie St. Clair, executive director of the world’s oldest motorcycle rally, said he was heartbroken to hear of his death.

“I went to school with Bob, it just breaks my heart,” St. Clair said. “As a motorcycle enthusiast, you’re not going to find anyone more dedicated to that than Bob Hamel. Along with his wife, he went all around the country on his motorcycle at the drop of a hat, and came back with great stories about the places he went and the things he’d seen, and I loved hearing about them.”

St. Clair said Hamel “really cared” about his city. “People didn’t always agree with his decisions, but he put his heart into it. I’m going to miss him as a friend. I will keep him alive in my mind.”

Beattie said he learned more about Hamel’s view of public service when he was being interviewed for the job of city manager. Hamel listed some of the recent improvements the city had achieved, saying, “Look at the good that we can do,” which seemed to define Hamel’s motivation on the council.

“He was very proud of the larger things that make our city what it is,” Beattie said, adding that Hamel was also concerned with the more tedious work of the city, such as maintaining roads and keeping the parks in good condition for the enjoyment of residents.

Hosmer said Hamel seemed to appreciate his opportunity to serve his city, which is one of the reasons that news of his death was hard to hear.

“Even when he started his treatments, he was still strong, he was still looking forward to getting his treatments out of the way and get back to council in short order,” Hosmer said. “I am going to miss having him on council.”