CANAAN — After an extended search for a permanent town administrator, the Selectboard has turned to Police Chief Ryan Porter.
While Porter doesn’t plan to retire from the police department until July 2028, a municipal training process is already underway.
“It’s been an eye-opener. It’s been really busy, but so far I’m enjoying it,” Porter said of his time shadowing the interim town administrator while also serving as chief.
Back in March, former administrator Chet Hagenbarth resigned suddenly after two years in the role, and did not provide a reason for his departure. Before him, Ned Connell stepped down from the position after less than a year. He replaced Mike Samson, who served for over 10 years before retiring in 2022.
When Hagenbarth left, the Selectboard hired Municipal Resources Incorporated, a recruitment firm tasked with finding the next permanent town administrator and providing an interim employee. Since then, MRI-employee Jack Wozmak has held the role.
“Canaan has gone through a couple of town administrators that weren’t really successful,” Wozmak said, adding that this trend is reflective of the general market.
Wozmak is a familiar face in the Upper Valley, having worked temporarily as town administrator on about six different occasions, including in Canaan a few years back.
While the town launched a search for a new town administrator, the open application process wasn’t strong due to a weak job market, Wozmak said. The board approached Porter to see if he was interested, and paused hiring while they worked out the details.
As a recruiter, Wokmak tends to seek out internal talent, he said. Someone with knowledge of a community and its governance tends to settle in best.
Porter grew up in Canaan and currently resides in Enfield. After a stint in Maine, he returned to serve his hometown police department, where he remained for 22 years. When it comes to a retirement plan, the best option for Porter is to leave the force in July 2028.
While the transition into town administrator will be lengthy, that’s how Porter prefers it. An extensive training process, he said, will prepare him best for the role, so that he can get projects in motion and stick around.
“I was concerned about just kind of being thrown into a position that I had not done before. I didn’t want to do a terrible job,” said Porter. “I really want to be successful in it.
While Porter’s experience budgeting his department and managing staff will help him in town leadership, he has opted to serve as assistant town administrator for specific on-the-ground training.
In this temporary role, Porter makes 20% of his base salary as chief, which is $115,000. As he devotes more time to the position, Wozmak intends to step back and reduce his hours.
“The more that he takes on, means that I will have to do less,” said Wozmak, who added that Porter serving in this role is the “best outcome” for Canaan.
Porter, while still police chief, will free up time when possible to help with projects and regular town administrator procedures, said Wozmak.
As for the police department, Porter explained that he will start passing down responsibilities to other staff, and initiate the search for a new chief no later than six months ahead of his retirement.
“I’m going to delegate a lot of things to the officers here and give them the ability to succeed and to grow personally and professionally,” said Porter.
As a Municipal Resources employee, Wozmak is unsure as to how much the town is paying the company for its services, he said, and Selectboard members did not respond by deadline to a request for a copy of the contract.
The town administrator salary included in the budget for 2026 is $111,800.
Wozmak’s contract does not have a closed-end date, and he has committed to staying for the next couple of years. Amid stalled bridge projects, Wozmak feels he should stick around to help see them through.
“At some level, I started them a few years ago,” said Wozmak.
Porter is interested in longevity in the role, committing to three years but considering the possibility of a couple more if it’s favorable to him and the town. He wants to focus on transparency and pushing projects forward that have been delayed, he said.
“There’s just a lot to it, but I’d love to see the bridges and stuff get going so everybody can start using the roads,” said Porter.
