WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — The Hartford Selectboard is broadening its search for a candidate to take over as Town Manager, a position that’s changed hands several times in recent years.s
Late last month, John MacLean, a former interim town manager in Claremont, took over as interim Hartford town manager from Patrick MacQueen, who was also in the job temporarily.
MacLean has a 50-year history in municipal government, which includes a city manager position in Montpelier in the 1980s and a 20-year career as a city manager in Keene before he moved into consulting.
MacLean will likely oversee the transition to a permanent town manager once the Hartford board completes its search, which began in the summer. Board members appeared to be close to a decision in September, when they narrowed down a pool of candidates to three, all of whom were from New England.
But they have since widened the search to include candidates from across the country, Selectboard Chairman Dan Fraser wrote in an email Wednesday.
“We have a search committee reviewing applicants that will then come to the (Selectboard),” Fraser wrote.
MacLean, who has spent the two weeks since he took over aiding in the town’s 2022 budget planning process, said he hopes the board is able to find a good, long-term candidate for the position.
“I know they’re aggressively seeking a full-time town manager,” MacLean said in an interview Thursday. “The community itself is very livable and the people are generally very nice. It would be a great place for someone whose career is unfolding.”
The transition to MacLean is the latest in several changeovers at the town manager position since former Town Manager Brannon Godfrey announced his resignation in April, which was effective at the end of July.
In his resignation letter, Godfrey said part of his reason for leaving was a difference of opinion with the board over “the expectations for the role of the Town Manager.” He and some board members had previously disagreed about several town issues, including the “Welcoming Hartford Ordinance,” which passed Town Meeting in March.
MacQueen took over following Godfrey’s departure, but agreed to a short, temporary contract, which expired several weeks before MacLean took over, Fraser wrote.
Godfrey was hired in February 2019 after a six-month search to replace then-Town Manager Leo Pullar, who stepped down after two years for health reasons. Prior to Pullar, former Town Manager Hunter Rieseberg was in charge for two decades, until 2015.
Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.