BY LAUREN SAUSSER and GINGER KOZLOWSKI
Hooksett Town Administrator David Jodoin will soon become Pembroke’s town administrator.
Town Council Chairman David Dickson said Jodoin’s day of departure has not been finalized and details are still being discussed.
Jodoin is set to begin work in Pembroke on Dec. 1, according to both Jodoin himself and a release from the town of Pembroke.
He will be paid a salary of $72,000, said Pembroke Selectman Fred Kline, along with standard benefits, which Kline said is in keeping with what town administrators are paid in towns of Pembroke’s size. He was paid $90,000 in Hooksett.
“Pembroke leaned heavily on town administrator for finance,” said Kline. “He rose right to the top (of their list of candidates).”
In a press release by the town Pembroke, Jodoin’s experience was cited.
“By combining his knowledge of the local government systems, along with the strong and experienced staff already in place, the Board feels that we will be able to move forward quickly,” it said.
Jodoin said he looks forward to having an easier work schedule in Pembroke due to fewer meetings.
“The appeal of Pembroke is simple,” he said. “It will give me the opportunity to spend more time with my family, and that’s the most important thing to me.”
“The taxpayers of Hooksett have lost a very good friend and the Town Council is very appreciative of everything David has done for the town since 2005,” Dickson said.
The Town Council will discuss plans for both a short- and long-term replacement.
“I’m going to be having a discussion with Municipal Resources Incorporated,” Dickson said, explaining the recruitment company will aid the town in filling the position with an interim manager. “That will be the short-term solution, and then we’ll definitely be looking for a long-term replacement.”
Such an arrangement has been in place in Pembroke for the last several months, with Carol Murray providing services as interim town manager through MRI.
Jodoin was hired as town manager in 2005. His name drew international attention in 2007 when four Hooksett town employees were fired for allegedly gossiping about him and another town worker. The town’s insurance company settled with two of the former employees last March for $130,000. Litigation is still pending with the remaining two employees.
Jodoin’s three years as town administrator seemed to break Hooksett’s unlucky streak, having gone through two other administrators in one year after Mike Farrell left in 2003 after six years on the job.
Arthur “Chuck” Packard held the job for just three months, from Jan 1 to April 1, 2004, leaving to care for his sick mother. Moni Sharma was town administrator for about one year, serving from Aug. 9, 2004, to July 8, 2005. Jodoin took over on July 11, 2005.
“We’ve had our fair share of turnover,” he said. “One of David’s strength is definitely his knowledge base on how the town is supposed to run.”
State Rep. David Boutin, who previously served on the Hooksett Zoning Board of Adjustment, said Jodoin was a good fit for the town.
“David is a very hard worker but he was low key,” Boutin said. “He really did his business by example – worked hard. That’s one of the great things about him. The town is going to miss him.”
Town Councilor Mike Pischetola said he is confident Jodoin served Hooksett well for three years.
“I certainly would put my name down on a recommendation,” Pischetola said. “He has the good intentions of the town of Hooksett in mind at all times. But everyone moves on, sometimes it’s for the better and sometimes it’s not.”