‘A full board’: After frustration, Chichester appoints a third selectman

Frank Swirko (second from right) was sworn in as Chichester's newest selectman on Tuesday. He will serve on the Board of Selectmen alongside Richard Bouchard (middle) and Matt Stolnis (right).

Frank Swirko (second from right) was sworn in as Chichester's newest selectman on Tuesday. He will serve on the Board of Selectmen alongside Richard Bouchard (middle) and Matt Stolnis (right). Rachel Wachman / Monitor staff

By RACHEL WACHMAN

Monitor staff

Published: 04-30-2025 3:47 PM

Modified: 04-30-2025 4:58 PM


Frank Swirko was sitting in the back of Grange Hall when, after a sudden turn of events, he learned he was chosen as Chichester’s newest selectman.

“I was shocked,” Swirko said. “I was just sitting there listening to the back and forth and all of a sudden I heard my name.”

The seat had been left vacant by Michael Williams, who resigned from office prior to a contentious town meeting in March. Sitting selectman Richard Bouchard and newly-elected Matt Stolnis heard candidate proposals from nine residents before deliberating again on Tuesday night.

Bouchard and Stolnis began the night with an announcement that they had been unable to come to a decision and would take the issue to superior court, where a judge would then pick for them, likely from among the nine candidates.

Residents voiced frustration at the lack of a conclusion to the process that was nearing the two-month mark. They overwhelmingly expressed a desire to see Bouchard and Stolnis work together and settle their differences.

“I would rather see you two compromise than go to the court,” said resident Doug Hall. “We have no idea what criteria they would put in, and so I just make that suggestion that I’d like to see the two of you get back together and find a way. Even if you have to reject each other’s top candidate, find somebody. It’s a 10-month job, and we need to have a third selectman in place.”

Ultimately, Bouchard and Stolnis agreed to make a decision. Swirko was the only person that each selectman had on their lists of top contenders, and they named him as their pick for the role.

“The other people that put in their names, they’re all such great people,” Swirko said. “I know most of them, and anyone on that list would have been more than a great choice. I’m humbled that they ended up picking me.”

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

‘Would you raise your right hand?’ — Local veterans consider the meaning of Memorial Day
Jesse Sullivan pleads guilty to second-degree murder of half-brother, Zackary
‘Bittersweet’: The Post on Main Street closes Friday
Messy parking around Concord’s bus terminal won’t get less messy any time soon
New Hampshire school phone ban could be among strictest in the country
‘Something to chase’: Pascal Zabayo’s art fundraiser grows soccer from Concord to Kampala, Uganda

Months of friction led to this moment. Town administrator Jodi Pinard resigned in December and was rehired in February with a $31,000 raise, eliciting outrage from residents over municipal salaries and the function of town employees. Williams resigned from the Board of Selectmen right before town meeting, which ended up taking place over two separate days after residents voted to zero out the executive section of the budget, thereby eliminating the town administrator and administrative assistant position, which could have prevented the town from spending any money on office functions, including payroll.

Residents voted to restore all the money to the budget – with the exception of $35,000 – at its second town meeting on April 5. Pinard remains the town administrator and the board has yet to decide about hiring someone to fill the administrative assistant/planning coordinator position, left vacant in February when Kristy Jobin resigned. Now that the board has a third selectman, town matters can move forward more fully, as neither Bouchard – now chair of the board – nor Stolnis wanted to decide on anything beyond day-to-day matters without a complete board.

“I don’t want to make a decision with just the two of us because to me it doesn’t feel right,” Stolnis said at the meeting.

Swirko has lived in Chichester for 15 years. He recently retired from a 42-year career in the military and now works as the assistant director of the Military and Veterans Campus at Easterseals. Swirko also served on the Manchester police force for over two decades. He currently sits on Chichester’s budget committee and planning board.

Sworn in on Tuesday night, Swirko hopes to help rebuild trust between the board and the town residents.

“I think a lot of people felt that a lot of stuff was done behind closed doors, and there wasn’t a lot of transparency,” he said. “Everyone uses that word ‘transparent,’ but be transparent, be open. Let the folks learn from everybody, what their expectations are, and try to explain anything we do. As a board, I want to make sure everybody fully understands the reasoning and why we’re doing it, and get a lot of input from the citizens.”

He also wants meetings to be more accessible to people and hopes this will improve the climate in town.

“I believe that drawing more people to the meetings themselves, which has really happened, is going to help a lot,” Swirko said. “We’re seeing a lot of participation, and, of course, the social media. I really want to look at getting the meetings recorded, and maybe do a Facebook of some sort of a way, so people, if they can’t get to the meeting, they can watch it.”

He said his message to the people of Chichester comes down to a feeling of community pride.

“My priority is to start looking at some of those things that make Chichester what it is, so really start looking at Old Home Day and get a lot of support for that,” he said. “A year and a half away, we’ve got a 300th anniversary coming up. So we need to really start concentrating on some of those events that really make Chichester what it is, which is a great place to live, a great place to raise your family.”

 

Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@cmonitor.com