On eve of retirement, City Manager Tom Aspell’s public service lauded by Chamber of Commerce

As Concord City Manager Tom Aspell addressed a crowd of current and former employees, elected officials and businesspeople, his 4-year-old grandson Gabe tugged at his hand, pulling him toward the stairs offstage.

Retiring after nearly three decades with Concord city government, Aspell will soon trade budget books for story time, and paving projects for Hot Wheels tracks.

“Whether it’s his work or his family, he’s always been about taking care of other people,” said Aspell’s daughter, Casey Wilson. “Seeing him relax, seeing him enjoy his retirement is going to be the icing on the cake for me.”

On the eve of his January departure, Aspell was recognized Wednesday night by the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce as its 2026 Citizen of the Year.

Former mayor Jim Bouley, who won the award when he stepped out of office three years ago, nominated his longtime partner for the honor. They came into the city’s top leadership positions just a few years apart, Aspell in 2005 and Bouley in 2008, and together oversaw transformational city projects and economic development in the capital city despite major obstacles, including both the Great Recession and COVID-19.

A city manager’s job, Aspell said, is “simply to craft a vision for how the City of Concord organization and the community will navigate the moment.”

That long-term view is what many, from current city councilors to former employees, have said is Aspell’s defining skill.

“One of the things I learned from Tom was the notion of really thinking things out and having a strategy that’s not just a strategy for today or this month or this year. It’s a strategy for the long term over several years,” said Carlos Baía, a former deputy city manager who left Concord to become the city manager of Temple Terrace, Fla., in 2022.

“You have to have a long-term vision to be in this business, the business of city management,” Baía continued. “Tom is a master at that; he clearly understands where he wants to get to, and he sets the pieces in play on the board so that we can have the best chance of getting there.”

The Main Street project and City Wide Community Center were the marquee projects of that vision, but it also goes as deep as the sewer overhaul underway on the Heights and the city’s proactive street maintenance plans, according to Bouley.

Mary Ann Aspell, his wife, and daughter remembered how enthused Aspell had been to put the finishing touches on Main Street.

“I remember him talking about the benches, the bike racks, the trash cans, just picking all that out,” Wilson said. “He was just so excited about the vision that was coming together.”

For any city manager to stay in one place for more than 20 years is uncommon. Before becoming city manager, Aspell had already put in seven years in another role in Concord’s government. In Baís’ eyes, Aspell’s long commitment to one place puts him in “rarefied air.”

“I think what he saw in Concord was a sense of what I saw too,” Baía said. Namely, potential. “It’s a city of 64 square miles, has a wonderful downtown. It has only gotten better during Tom’s tenure. There was a lot of great structure there that many communities would give their right arm for.”

Still, Bouley noted, Aspell’s “greatest legacy … goes beyond any single building or project. Tom’s ability to cultivate a team of talented leaders who prioritize the long-term interests of community has helped establish a strong foundation for Concord.”

Every major department head and the vast majority of employees at the city — with the notable exception of Clerk Janice Bonenfant, who came aboard around the same time as Aspell — were brought in during his tenure. Many of them applauded him Wednesday, waving large cutouts of his face, like it was senior night at a high school soccer game.

“I will certainly miss knowing Tom is here at City Hall. I will miss his knowledge of the City’s history, his perspective, and simply knowing he is right upstairs,” Bonenfant said in a written statement. “I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him, proud to call him a friend, and wish him and his family nothing but the very best in this next chapter. He has certainly earned it.”

Aspell’s attention and mentorship, Baía said, was quietly caring. When Baía’s father died, Aspell came to the wake unexpectedly, bringing a contingent of City Hall staff with him.

“He didn’t flaunt any kind of boastfulness in the things he did. He just did them,” Baía said. “He was always sort of this caregiver, just in a sort of calm, very silent way.”

Aspell said his approach to leadership has been framed by the wise words of others.

Like those from his parents: “‘The impediment to action advances action.’ Or, put another way, what stands in the way becomes the way.”

And Ralph Waldo Emerson’s advice: “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

The talking heads in the city manager’s remarks went on to include John Cleese, John F. Kennedy and David Byrne, but most of all, Aspell said, he had always simply been following the lead of the rest of the city.

“In my 28 years here, I constantly find people, so many people, who endlessly endeavor to give their time, talent, and treasure to do things that benefit others without regard for the benefit or effects on themselves,” Aspell said. “So, I suggest, keep doing what you’re doing.”

Aspell, who will retire at the end of January, can’t be replaced, Mayor Byron Champlin said after the award ceremony. But city leaders are eager to find a successor. An interim manager has not been named.

Aspell’s retirement caps off a broad changing of the guard in Concord, with new leaders in the mayor’s chair, school superintendent’s office, police department and chamber of commerce in the last few years.

Tom hates the idea of quitting anything, his son-in-law, Matthew Wilson, said. He wouldn’t step away from the job if he wasn’t sure it was the right time.

Aspell’s family said his involvement at home has always mirrored his investment in his work. But time is finite. With both his daughters living in the region, and a third grandchild on the way, family will now be his full-time gig.

With his grandchildren too young to go trick-or-treating, he’s built a “spooky walk” for them in his yard on West Parish Road. He’s a skilled baker, from gingerbread men each winter to soft pretzels. He plays veterinarian games with granddaughter Izzy, 5, and soccer with grandson Gabe.

“He doesn’t know how to use the grill, but he can bake,” Matthew joked.

“Being a grandfather is his joy,” Mary Ann said. “We’re all ready for him to be home.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comments from Janice Bonenfant.