Hooksett Police Chief Janet Bouchard was named the acting town administrator after a town council vote Tuesday, making her the second person to fill the interim role this year.
Don Winterton took the role Jan. 12 for outgoing town administrator Dean Shankle, but he resigned in a March 28 letter sent to the council’s chairman, James Sullivan. Winterton also resigned as District 5 councilor, a post he held for six years.
In his letter, Winterton said he did not feel he could represent the “current Council in a positive light due to the toxic environment.”
“I stepped up and then, because of this environment, I didn’t want to do it anymore,” Winterton told the Monitor on Thursday. “It’s as simple as that.”
Winterton faced backlash during his stint as acting town administrator when he pursued hiring a part-time seasonal recreation coordinator. The town had previously rejected hiring a full-time Parks and Recreation director in each of the last three years.
Town code allows the town administrator to make part-time hires, but some felt that Winterton’s move flew in the face of voters’ desires. Town Councilor David Ross told the Union Leader that he believed the decision undermined the authority of voters and could dissuade them from participating in town decisions.
“I found it incredulous that this position was posted before the vote even happened, and then the hire took place after the votes were taken,” Ross told the paper. “Talk about disenfranchising voters and making people say ‘Why do I bother?’ ”
Winterton, meanwhile, said he had good reasons for seeking someone for that role. The town has an agreement with the YMCA to run the town’s day camp this summer, and Winterton said this person would be the main point of contact between the YMCA and the town. The job would’ve mainly overseen purchasing equipment and scheduling, he said.
Winterton would not say how many people applied for the job, only that “we didn’t get many applications.” He said it would pay $17 per hour and would be needed for three months this summer.
Bouchard and Christine Soucie, director of finance, were the only two to pursue filling the town administrator’s role until a permanent replacement is found. The town council interviewed both women in non-public sessions Wednesday night before announcing their choice later in the meeting.
Bouchard, who has worked in town for 15 years, said her main goal is to “help things run smoothly.”
“It’s important to have consistency and someone familiar with the town,” she said. “Everybody’s goal is to just have a solid person in the position to make decisions but not make any changes in such a short time.”
Bouchard’s contract as town administrator was not available Thursday. She said it will be available publicly when “it is finished and written.”
Winterton, 70, said he will take a break from town politics. He said he is glad that Bouchard is assuming the role.
“She is a good person,” he said.
(Nick Stoico can be reached at 369-3321, nstoico@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @NickStoico.)