Julia Nye appointed Ward 5 councilor

LACONIA — Julia Nye was appointed Monday night to serve as Ward 5 councilor through January 2028, finishing Steven Bogert's term after his resignation last month.

Interviews and an appointment were originally scheduled for the Aug. 10 city council meeting, rescheduled for Aug. 17. Four applicants were interviewed by councilors Monday night, the council voted unanimously to appoint Nye. She will be the first woman on the Laconia City Council since Brenda Baer’s term ended in 2017.

Nye is a retired attorney. She graduated from Dartmouth College, and went on to the University of Connecticut School of Law. After, she returned to New Hampshire, to clerk for Judge William Batchelder on the state Supreme Court, and later worked as a public defender for over 30 years.

Nye has been coming up to the Lakes Region since 1986, when she interned in Gilford. A few years later, she bought a house on Winter Street, in Ward 5, living there for eight or nine years. During her years in Laconia, Nye was active in the community, sitting on a couple nonprofit boards, playing ice hockey and softball, and coaching hockey for three years.

“I got to know Laconia fairly well, and I lived in New Hampshire for the last 35 years, in different parts of the state, so I know this is a special place, and I’d like to help keep it that way,” Nye said.

After relocating back to the city in 2022, Nye moved to Ward 5 at the beginning of the summer. Her short residency brought some debate about her ability to understand the residents and issues of her ward.

“I believe she's qualified. My concern is that she's only been in her ward for two months, and I really don't think in that time period she could have her finger on the pulse of the neighbors' wishes, wants, and what Ward 5 really needs. So, I would be a no,” said Ward 6 Councilor Mike Conant.

“I’d like to point out that our esteemed former colleague, Councilor Bogert, made it clear that your tenure in the city really had nothing to do with appointments. And I also would like to say that having an attorney in our midst would certainly help,” Councilor Jon Hildreth (Ward 1) replied.

Following the discussion, the five councilors voted unanimously to appoint Nye.

Ward 5 is in the south end of the city, from Lakeport to the town lines with Belmont and Gilford.

Mayor Mike Bordes said he found odd the lack of debate and discussion among councilors during the candidate interview process, and he has “grave concerns” following Nye’s appointment.

Bordes noted the other three candidates were outstanding, and had deep ties to the community. Bordes found Nye to be the weakest candidate since she resided in Ward 5 for such a short time compared to the other candidates, who have raised children through Laconia schools or sat on community boards.

Bordes brought up the missed opportunity of bringing young voices into local government. Sean Sullivan, a 36-year-old resident, interviewed for the appointment. Bordes said he was a qualified candidate, and is concerned the council is “blocking out young voices.”

Bordes also thought appointing a new councilor with more than a year left in Bogert’s term should be done through a special election in the future, while keeping the public more informed about candidates and their appointment.

Councilors also interviewed Brett Beliveau and Mark Roy.

“The city's a hardworking city, likes to have fun. I like the spirit of the people. They like to speak up. And I've been retired for a couple of years, and I'm ready to give back to the community that I like so much,” Nye said Monday night. “I've met with each of you, either by phone or in person, just to learn a little bit about the job. I appreciate the time that I got. I also met with the city manager, and learned a little bit about the budget. So, I appreciate your time for that.”

Nye said her priority going into the role will be transparency, and getting information out to the public about how the city budget works.

“I'm looking forward to working with everybody else on the council. I think it's a teamwork responsibility to oversee the budget, and the workings of the city, and to keep the city running.”

Nye is working on communication between herself and Ward 5 residents. She is working to get her phone and email accessible to residents. She invites people to approach her with questions and concerns, or for meetings.

“That's my first plan of action, is to try to figure out how to reach people, and let them know that I'm accessible and available,” Nye said.

“I think the city was very lucky to have four qualified candidates, and I appreciate the council's majority, unanimous vote in the end."

Once Nye is sworn in by City Clerk Katie Gargano, she can begin attending meetings. Her first meeting will likely be Monday, Aug. 24, according to City Manager Kirk Beattie.