Dean Trefethen appointed Laconia planning director

By MICHAEL KITCH, LACONIA DAILY SUN

LACONIA — City Manager Scott Myers announced Tuesday that Dean Trefethen of Dover, an engineer and administrator with 25 years' experience in both the private sector municipal government, as director of Planning, Community Development and Code Enforcement.

The appointment comes nearly a year after Shanna Saunders resigned last February to take the position of director of Planning and Community Development in the city of Somersworth and on the heels of the resignation of Warren Hutchins as chairman of the Planning Board, following a dispute with the City Council.

With a degree in electro-mechanical drafting from the New Hampshire Technical Institute, Trefethen spent 25 years with Alcatel-Lucent, formerly AT&T Bell Laboratories and Lucent Technology, some of them as a computer-assisted design engineer. He managed staff, oversaw vendors, formulated budgets and made capital purchases as well as identified and resolved technical issues.

At the same time, Trefethen served in a number of appointed and elected positions in Dover. For 15 years, he served on the Zoning Board of Adjustment, seven of them as its chairman. Five times he was elected to the City Council and spent two of his terms as deputy mayor and one term as mayor. During his tenure, he represented the council on the Planning Board.

Myers noted that his experience, which included participation in the Master Plan and Capital Improvement Program processes along with his knowledge of both technical plans and zoning regulations, "make him uniquely qualified" for the position. Trefethen will assume his responsibilities at the end of January.