Plymouth hires new town manager with experience in New Hampton

PLYMOUTH — After about four months and two interim managers, Corey Davenport has been hired to lead Plymouth Town Hall, with a start date of Oct. 6.

Davenport is currently town administrator for New Hampton, and will finish out his duties before assuming the role of town manager in Plymouth.

“I’m very excited for the opportunity to step up and move into a manager’s role,” Davenport said on Tuesday.

Davenport has been administrator in New Hampton for nearly three years, and prior to that, he was the administrator in Campton. He said when he moved into the area, about seven years ago, he always saw Plymouth as a potential town where he'd like to work.

“Plymouth is a hub community, and a special place, where a lot of people in the area gather, work, and live,” Davenport said. “It is a fantastic community that I’m really excited to be a part of.”

Davenport is a resident of nearby Bridgewater, a small community located between the mountains and lakes of the region. He said Plymouth has plenty of intriguing qualities, as it is not only a focal point for entry to the White Mountains, but one that holds fun, annual holiday events and parades, is bustling with activity, and has expansion on the horizon.

“There is a fantastic conglomerate of people there,” Davenport said. “The hope is to work with them, and explore possibilities in ways that the town can move forward through commercial development, while also maintaining the character we are here for.”

The search

Selectboard Chair Zach Tirrell said after Scott Weden left the town manager role to become the new administrator in Holderness, the town was fortunate to have co-interim managers for four months, so they didn’t need to rush.

Tirrell stressed Weden’s departure was not personal, and there were no hard feelings, and the selectboard and town employees hold Weden in a high regard. He said Weden, the previous fall, had spoken about leaving for family reasons, and the new role in Holderness will be a better fit. His final day was April 2.

“He left on good terms with us, and we still talk regularly,” Tirrell said. “We love Scott, so there are some big shoes to fill for Corey.”

When Weden departed, Fire Chief Kevin Pierce and Finance Director Anne Abear split duties leading Town Hall. Having such dependable town employees made it easier on the selectboard to make sure they got the hire right.

Tirrell said they made a nationwide search for the position, and were keeping options wide open. It did help that Davenport was local.

Tirrell said they received just shy of 30 applications for the position, and the first round of interviews were phone screenings. They didn’t find what they were looking for in the first round, opening the process back up for another round. That's when they found Davenport.

The interviewing process whittled down the choice to Davenport, and one other finalist, who backed out at the last second. Davenport met with the selectboard, Tirrell spent most of the day with him, and then he had a meet-and-greet with residents. Tirrell said they are very confident Davenport was the right choice.

“It was a unanimous approval by the board to hire Corey,” Tirrell said.

While Davenport is still in New Hampton, Tirrell said the town will be contracting with him in the interim, to get him to evening meetings.

“Then, he’ll get right into budget season, the hardest time of the year,” Tirrell said.

Tirrell said they wanted someone who would come in and be energetic, and handle all the things someone needs to juggle as town manager. He knows that's a generic quality, but the point was to have someone who will be there long-term, and commit to the community, while embracing the town’s vision.

“We want someone to help manage our budget, priorities and fiscal responsibilities,” Tirrell said.

One major project is the public safety building, as land was approved at this past Town Meeting to get the project rolling. Site work and architectural plans still need to be done, and construction will likely begin in 2028, or 2029. Another priority is stabilizing the tax rate, while providing optimal services. The planning board is also just starting a new master plan, in which Davenport will be heavily involved.

Tirrell said it was important for them to give Davenport the time to leave New Hampton on a good note, being a neighboring community, and having strong interims in place made the transition easy. Davenport said there is no replacement for him in New Hampton yet, but hopes to work with Municipal Resources Inc. over the next two months to find a new administrator.

Small-town guy

Davenport is originally from Poultney, Vermont, a small town on the western side of the state. He moved to the Granite State when he attended college at Southern New Hampshire University. While there, he received a bachelor’s degree in politics and law, before heading back to his hometown, where he wanted to get more involved.

He became a part-time assessor in Poultney, and was then elected to the town’s selectboard, where he served for two years. This is where he realized he enjoyed working in towns, and the idea of becoming a town administrator or manager popped into his head. Knowing he needed more education, Davenport earned a master’s degree in public administration and public finance through Rutgers University.

But his passion for local work actually dates back to when he was just a kid. Davenport said Poultney had a great recreation program for children, and when he was 11 years old, he became a counselor. Over the years, he became close with Town Hall employees.

“I guess it was something I was always interested in,” Davenport said. “Local government drew me in, because you can make the largest impact on the smallest amount of people. The further away you go from local constituents, the less direct impact you can have.”

Davenport considers the new position a step up, moving from administrator in a smaller community like New Hampton, to manager in Plymouth, which has many dynamics, challenges, and benefits.

The plan, he said, is to continue living in Bridgewater, and he hopes to build a house there. While his first introduction to New Hampshire was more city-oriented, in Hooksett and Manchester, he is more of a “small-town guy.” He said he feels much more at home in this part of the state.

Davenport grew up playing hockey, and snowboards a little bit, having learned nearly a decade ago. Knowing Tenney Mountain is in town, and he is that much closer to resorts up Interstate 93, he will likely keep learning. He loves to take in other geographic features of the area, in his spare time, saying he and his friends get together for a float down the Pemigewasset River during the summer.

“I do love the area being 20 to 30 minutes from the lakes and mountains,” Davenport said. “This place reminds me a lot of my hometown, and I really have come to love this area.”