Chichester will have a new town administrator beginning Monday.
The Board of Selectmen announced at a meeting on Tuesday that it has chosen Charles Smith of Laconia to replace Jodi Pinard, who resigned from her position early last week for the second time in eight months.
“He comes to us with a lot of experience, and he’s excited to come here knowing that it’s a six-month appointment, and after six months, we will review,” said Selectman Frank Swirko.
Smith has served as town administrator in Moultonborough and Sanbornton and as town manager in Ashland. He attended Southern New Hampshire University as an undergraduate and obtained a Master’s in Public Administration from Northeastern University. Smith also belongs to the International City/County Management Association.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to make a difference,” Smith said. “We provide public service that can help people and make a difference for people’s lives and protecting, as I like to say, the health and safety of our communities.”
The Board will bring him on with an annual salary of $92, 377.34, which Selectman Matthew Stolnis said was the same salary offered to Pinard before she resigned last week. Her salary had previously been $120,000, marking a $31,000 increase from what she was paid before her first resignation in December and her decision to rejoin town hall in February.
Smith looks forward to hitting the ground running when he starts next week.
“I’m excited to work with the Board,” he said. “I’m excited to get to know the department heads a little bit more, find out more about their projects that they have going on and work as a team to try to accomplish the goals that the town, the Board and the departments are looking to achieve.”
He has experience with streaming meetings, something the town hopes to get set up soon.
Smith said he hopes to build connections between town hall and Chichester residents.
“Usually, my door’s always open for the public,” he said. “I work for the town. If someone comes to town hall, if I’m able to put down what I’m doing and respond to them, I will. If I get a phone call, I usually try to call back that day and just to try to be accommodating and respond in a timely manner.”
Some residents shared their thoughts with the Board when selectmen announced Smith’s hiring at Tuesday’s meeting.
“I support what you’re doing. I do. I think it’s the right step,” said longtime resident and former selectman Dennis Call.
He and others inquired about the Board’s intention to fill the administrative assistant role left vacant by Kristy Jobin in February, given the six-month town administrator contract and recent turnover in town hall.
“Six months from now, I don’t want to be in the same position. I mean, that just sucks,” Call said.
The Board clarified that it intends to do a performance review at the six-month mark and that members are still coming up with a plan for the administrative assistant role.
“It’s been a week since we got a bombshell dropped on us, and we’re just trying to get to work,” said Stolnis.
Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@cmonitor.com
