Edmark Nomination As Asst. DOC Commissioner Put Off At Executive Council Meeting

By DAMIEN FISHER and PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH

CONCORD, NH — State Prison Warden Michelle Edmark’s nomination to be the new Assistant Commissioner at the Department of Corrections is on hold as some speak out about her leadership.

“She would be a terrible choice for that position, she is the reason a lot of people are no longer there,” former Corrections Officer Claudia Cass told InDepthNH.org. “Promoting her would be disastrous.”

Edmark’s nomination was scheduled to go before the Executive Council on Wednesday, but was taken off the agenda at the last minute. The Council could vote on her nomination in two weeks, but InDepthNH.org has learned some councilors are skeptical about Edmark’s promotion.

Cass isn't alone questioning Edmark’s leadership as a number of current DOC staffers told InDepthNH.org Edmark is part of the failed leadership team put in place by former Commissioner Helen Hanks. They asked their names not be used for fear of retaliation.

Some inside the DOC say Edmark was a loyal supporter of Hanks, who resigned suddenly last year and William Hart is the current Commissioner.

“[H]aving Edmark nominated by Bill Hart was disheartening, to say the least. Warden Edmark had served as a loyal supporter of Hanks, and they targeted anyone who wasn’t aligned with Hanks’ inner circle,” one veteran Corrections Officer told InDepthNH.org.

Hart did not respond to a request for comment. Edmark could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday evening.

A supervising officer told InDepthNH.org that Edmark would be fired if she worked at a private business, not given the job as second in command.

“Her nomination was meritless. The New Hampshire State Prison for Men has faced staffing shortages since her arrival, and those shortages have tripled. Many experienced staff have left the agency because of her leadership. If the Department of Corrections were a private business, she would have been fired long ago. But since it’s a state agency, as long as you keep the top person happy, you can keep your job and even get a nomination,” the supervisor said.

Another long-time DOC supervisor said Edmark’s tenure as Warden at the Men’s Prison in Concord included hiring a convicted felon to install security cameras within the prison facility. After she learned the contractor had a record, Edmark allowed him to come back and complete the job.

“Leadership in a correctional environment demands vigilance, accountability, and unwavering commitment to safety qualities that must be upheld at all times to ensure the integrity of our facility and the safety of all personnel and inmates,” the supervisor said.

Cass is currently suing the DOC over her 2023 termination. Cass sent an email to her superiors, including Edmark, about the low staffing levels she strongly felt put people in danger in December of 2022. For her efforts, Cass was suspended, investigated, forced to undergo two psychological examinations, and then fired in August of 2023.

“There was no correction action path forward because she was unwilling to change her position,” Edmark testified to the Personnel Appeals Board in 2024.

The Personnel Appeals Board upheld her termination, but that ruling was later reversed by the New Hampshire Supreme Court.

Cass did not discuss her lawsuit when talking to InDepthNH.org. Edmark’s record in DOC outside of Cass’ case is reason enough to deny the promotion, she said.

"She has her hands in so many of the terrible decisions that have been made, she's part of the culture problem,” Cass said.

Hanks’ resignation came days after the Executive Council learned that the DOC had taken possession of $2 million worth of Taser weapons without getting Council approval for the contract. The merchandise was later returned to the company and no money changed hands.

Hanks also withheld evidence in the Matthew Millar murder trial. Millar, a former corrections officer, spent more than a year in jail awaiting trial on the charges that he killed Secure Psychiatric Unit patient Jason Rothe in 2023. But just as the trial was about to start last year it was learned Hanks had not turned over exculpatory evidence to the state and the defense. Millar was acquitted by the jury after less than two hours of deliberations.

Rothe’s sister, Aimee Khatib, filed a lawsuit against the DOC, Hanks, Millar and several other officers last month. Hanks and her actions after Rothe died are a central part of the federal complaint.

“Commissioner Hanks held inappropriate investigative meetings on two separate occasions with the involved officers despite being noticed by the Attorney General that these COs were considered witnesses in investigations into Mr. Rothe’s death,” the lawsuit states. “Commissioner Hanks failed to properly investigate the Use of Force deployed in Mr. Rothe’s case, relying on incomplete reports, and completing performance reviews of the implicated COs. More outrageous, Commissioner Hanks then coached the implicated COs, instructing them to revise their statements, and destroyed their original statements. Commissioner Hanks also destroyed her own notes taken during these improper meetings.”

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.