Milner out as Meredith town manager, police chief serving as interim

MEREDITH — Town Manager Judie Milner has been fired after about two years serving the town, and Police Chief Michael Harper will start as the interim manager effective Oct. 5.

Chris Janosa, director of human resources and special projects, through an  email sent at the request of the selectboard, stated the selectboard “made the decision to relieve Town Manager Judie Milner of her duties.”

The selectboard made the decision during a non-public session Thursday morning. Chair Steve Aiken said there was “nothing juicy” as far as the reason for dismissal. Despite turmoil in recent months — including the town voting in March at Town Meeting on an advisory warrant article to switch to a town administrator — he said the termination was due to “differences in management style.”

“It’s just for cause,” Aiken said. “We wish Judie the best, and really it is just different directions on what we are looking to accomplish.”

According to state law, the town manager can be removed from office by a majority vote of the selectboard “at any time for cause.”

Aiken said no members of the public was present for the meeting, held at the Meredith Community Center at 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 1, and the meeting immediately went into non-public session. It was advertised on the town website as a non-public selectboard meeting.

Aiken declined to comment on the details of the selectboard vote. Aiken said the minutes will be available at the next selectboard meeting on Monday, Oct. 19. A discussion about the differences between town manager and administrator government structures will be held that night, as well.

Aiken said the selectboard has high confidence in Harper in his new role. Aiken said Thursday Harper is currently working with the town’s human resources department to put together a contract “as we speak.”

“The selectboard has felt that he led his department well,” Aiken said. “He’s a well-known figure in town, and it is a good opportunity for us to have someone we know everyone can work with as we approach Town Meeting in March.”

Milner is the former city manager of Franklin, a role she held from 2017 until Feb. 28, 2025, when she resigned. She was quickly hired to serve Meredith, starting on March 31, 2025, after she was reportedly chosen out of a pool of 33 applicants. According to the online job posting at the time, the town manager’s salary was up to $160,000.

At the last Town Meeting in March, a secret ballot vote was taken to change the structure of government from a town manager to an administrator.

The change was proposed by former Public Works Director Mike Faller, who gathered signatures for a petition to have the measure included on the warrant. However, due to wording issues, the warrant article was only advisory. The vote on the article, which came 4.5 hours into the meeting at the end of the warrant, passed with an 88-55 vote.

Faller stated when he put together the petitioned article that it was not solely because of Milner, but rather a series of dealings with town managers over his 28 years leading the public works department.

One of his concerns was the difficulty in terminating the position if necessary. He said the town manager could only be terminated through statutory procedures.

Aiken said the selectboard will wait to hire a new employee to lead Town Hall once it is clear what the town wants. He said there is no sense to hire a new town manager if there is a warrant article at Town Meeting asking voters to make a change.

“We expect him to be in the interim until at least Town Meeting,” Aiken said.

The selectboard will meet at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19, for the discussion about the forms of government, as well as approving fire and police grants.