Guy Santagate steps down as city manager in Claremont at year’s end, having earned our respect for his tenure in a tough job and our astonishment at his longevity — after 15 years in the position, Santagate retires at age 78.

As with any municipal manager, Santagate has had his critics. In some communities, Claremont among them, bird-dogging the manager can rise from a hobby to an obsession, making the job eventful at the very least and driving some managers away. Give Santagate credit for managing that challenge.

Santagate, who recently looked back on his career in an interview with Valley News correspondent Roger Carroll, said he kept working because he believed Claremont was making progress. Indeed, 15 years ago the city’s budget was in the red and its balance was a little more than $4,000 — a pittance. Now the city has a $3.1 million fund balance and is allocating $1.7 million of that to hold down the tax rate. But mention of the tax rate brings up one charge in the court of critical opinion against Santagate: The city rate is second-highest in the state on an equalized basis. Blaming him ignores certain realities: The larger portion of the tax rate pays for schools, the cost of which the city manager and council do not control; and serious cuts have been made — Claremont has fewer city employees than it did 15 years ago. Also, the state has over the years down-shifted costs to local governments.

The ultimate solution for the tax burden is to build up the tax base, particularly by recruiting new businesses to replace the mills that once drove Claremont’s economy. Santagate has had successes on that score, though he and others pressing for development have not wrought miracles. Yet the city has things to be proud of, such as a new community center, plus Red River Computer and the Common Man restaurant and inn operating out of old mill buildings along the Sugar River.

Perhaps his biggest success has been in bringing professional management to city operations. During a run of one-year managers, a remarkable five in five years before Santagate started, city councilors had become involved with day-to-day functions, bringing questions and concerns directly to department heads, which can lead to disruptive meddling. Santagate insisted city councilors go through him, which likely contributed to a better retention rate for department-level managers. Upper Valley communities with chronic public employee turnover should take note.

That Santagate’s legacy is positive is supported by the apparent success of the search to replace him. It’s easier to attract candidates when a municipality is functioning relatively well. The City Council recently announced the selection of David Johnston, 57, a city manager from Maple Valley, Wash. A former mayor of Maple Valley called him “a wonderful person and a true leader.” Johnston says he enjoys economic development, a top priority for Claremont.

Santagate recently said he has some regrets as he ends his tenure, mostly because he’d hoped to do more to improve the downtown district, which, as in other communities, has faded in vitality as chain businesses and big-box stores locate elsewhere. Reversing that trend is a tall order, perhaps more than a single manager could handle — even one with the staying power of Santagate.