Report: Kevin Smith to be Named Town Manager

The Union Leader's John DiStaso is reporting that former Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Smith is going to be named the new Londonderry Town Manager, possibly as soon as Thursday.

Reached by phone on Wednesday, Acting Town Manager William Hart said he is not in a position to comment on the Union Leader report. The Town Council is scheduled to meet on Thursday at 7 p.m., and the first item listed on the agenda is an update on the town manager search. Council Chairman John Farrell also refused to comment on the report, calling it a "personnel matter" and adding that the town manager candidates "asked for everything to be kept confidential."
 
Smith did not immediately return calls seeking comment on Wednesday. He ran for governor in 2012, losing to Ovide Lamontagne in the primary. He is a Londonderry High School graduate and now lives in Litchfield. He has also served as the public address announcer for Friday night Londonderry Lancers football games since 1992.

A 2012 WMUR profile of Smith said he has fond memories of Londonderry, and even met his wife and later proposed to her on the football field.

His hiring as Londonderry's town manager would appear to rule him out of consideration for the 2014 governor's race.

Several people congratulated Smith on Twitter on Wednesday after the news became public.

"Congrats Kevin!" read a tweet from Cornerstone Action.

"Congrats to @nhkevinsmith - great job for a great guy!" said Republican political operative Jim Merrill.

"Congrats to @nhkevinsmith on the new job. Great choice for Londonderry," said the NHGOP Twitter feed.

Londonderry has been searching for a new town manager since last year, when Dave Caron resigned. Since that time, Hart, the town's police chief, has been serving as acting town manager.