BY DARRELL HALEN
While driving through Salem recently, Jonathan Sistare got lost a few times. But he didn’t mind – it just helped him learn more about the town he’s working for.
Sistare, 45, became Salem’s town manager on Oct. 1, and he’s been learning how the town works since he came on board –meeting with department heads, and attending Budget Committee meetings in recent weeks.
“It’s important. You have to know the town, the operations, to do my job better,” he said.
Sistare came to the job after spending a year deployed in Bagdad. He is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves.
Sistare served as town manager in Jaffrey since 1993. Coming to Salem, he said, was an opportunity for professional growth.
In Jaffrey, a community of 6,000, Sistare managed 45 full-time employees and a $6 million operating budget. In Salem, he oversees an operating budget of $27.4 million. There are 240 full-time employees and at least 30 part-time workers.
“The issues, the problems, are similar,” he said. “It’s about running a community in New Hampshire.”
Sistare graduated from Concord High School in 1980. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science at the University of New Hampshire in 1985, and a master of public administration there four years later.
Prior to going to Jaffrey, he spent four years as the town administrator in Hopkinton. Sistare and his wife, Kathleen, live with their three boys, ages 11, 13 and 14, in Dublin.
Sistare also holds a law degree from New England School of Law in Boston, which he earned by going to school at night. Through law school, he said, he understands how laws affect municipalities.
For Sistare, his interest in working in public management came early. For a class assignment in high school, he had to interview someone in the field he was interested in working and he chose Concord’s city manager.
Sistare succeeds Henry LaBranche, the former school superintendent, who served as town manager before recently stepping down from the job. LaBranche has helped in the transition and told Sistare to call him anytime.
“He obviously was a key person to talk to, to learn the important issues from,” Sistare said.
Sistare was chosen by the Board of Selectmen after they interviewed several top candidates for the job. He has a three-year contract, and his starting salary is $118,000.
“The thing that was impressive was his longevity in Jaffrey and his ability to get things done,” said Everett McBride, the board’s chairman. “I think his military experience is an impressive thing. That he’s risen to lieutenant colonel can’t be taken lightly. I think he has the skill set we need for a long-term relationship.”
Sistare’s work will not be confined to Town Hall. He will be the guest speaker when Woodbury School students make their annual salute to veterans on Nov. 9.
He expects to attend Chamber of Commerce events, and may join selectmen in testifying before the Legislature if there is an issue being debated that affects Salem.
“It’s important for someone in this position to be involved. It’s not a 9-to-5 job,” Sistare said. “People want to see the guy in the position, talk to him, share their views.”