Londonderry Names New Town Manager, Fire Chief

The Londonderry Town Council named former Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Smith the new Londonderry Town Manager by a unanimous 5-0 vote at its meeting on Thursday night. The council also voted to suspend the residency requirement for Smith for one year.

"It was time to take a step back from the political fray," Smith told WMUR. "I'm happy to do so. I can't wait to get to work here in Londonderry and as I said, there's a lot of great projects on the horizon and I can't wait to be a part of them." He also added that he is not running for governor in 2014.

According to Town Council Chairman John Farrell, Smith's salary will be $105,000 and his first day on the job in Londonderry will be Aug. 15. Former Town Manager Dave Caron earned about $133,000 in 2012, even though he resigned mid-year.

Smith 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 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 met his wife and later proposed to her on the football field.

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

Also on Thursday night, the council voted 4-0 to approve the appointment of Darren O'Brien as Londonderry Fire Chief. Councilor Jim Butler abstained from voting because his son works for the Fire Department. O'Brien had been serving as the acting fire chief since earlier this year.

"The Fire Department in recent years experienced some challenges," Police Chief and Acting Town Manager William Hart said on Thursday. "On March 1st, Darren O'Brien said, 'I'm willing to face those challenges. I'm willing to take a leadership role in this important agency in our city.' In that time, we've become friends, we've become strong co-workers and colleagues. He has led this department, restoring its morale... as well as restoring a bond it already had with Londonderry. This is Londonderry right here."