Lipman urges council to think local when picking next city manager

LACONIA — As the City Council approves a contract for coordinating the search for a new city manager, at least one city councilor is saying City Manager Scott Myers’ replacement should be someone familiar with New Hampshire government and has a commitment to the area.

During Monday’s council meeting, City Councilor Henry Lipman said as the council looks to hire a new manager it should focus on candidates with ties to the region rather than those from other parts of the country.

“In terms of casting the net, I don't think we have to go too far,” Lipman said. “There’s advantages to knowing your way around state and local government.”

Myers, who announced in January he was stepping down after 10 years on the job, said he doubted there would be a nationwide search for his replacement. Rather, he thought advertisements seeking applicants for the opening would be limited to publications and professional websites in New England.

The council approved a contract to hire government consulting firm Municipal Resources Inc. at a cost of $14,500 to coordinate the search.

Mayor Andrew Hosmer said based on the timeline in the contract that the council would be able to offer the position and complete negotiations on the new manager’s contract by mid-year.

Myers said it was important that the mayor and the councilors discuss what issues and skills they consider important soon so those can be incorporated into the job description that will be included in the posting.

As part of the process, once a panel of consultants has reviewed all the applications they will be ranked, and then MRI will prepare an essay questionnaire which will be sent to the top candidates. The questions will be prepared in consultation with the council. They will focus on matters that are specially relevant to the city’s needs and current situation.

In making his point about his preference for local candidates, Lipman said he feared that applicants from other parts of the country would be more likely to move on to another job after only a few years. He cited the case of a Manchester school superintendent who recently resigned after two years in that post to move back West to be closer to family.

Myers said while that is a legitimate concern, he told the council that the city has had good experience hiring people from outside the state, citing Finance Director Glenn Smith who came to the Laconia from Vermont.

Myers was a resident of Dover when he was hired in 2011 and had served as that city’s mayor. His predecessor, Eileen Cabanel, came to Laconia in 1999 from Somersworth to be finance director, and moved into the city manager’s position after Dan McKeever left to take a position in Virginia. The city manager prior to McKeever, Ken Boehner, had been city manager in Lebanon before coming to Laconia.