Aldenberg To OCA: Supporters See A Watchdog, Critics See A Cop

By Damien Fisher, NH Journal

The argument in favor of making former Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg the next Acting Child Advocate is the same as the argument against: his extensive law enforcement experience.

“Well, to be honest, I’m not thrilled, and it’s nothing against the chief,” state Rep. Kim Rice (R-Hudson) said of the nomination. “I’m just not sure he’s the right person for the position.”

Gov. Kelly Ayotte tapped Aldenberg on Friday to temporarily take over the Office of Child Advocate from departing OCA Director Casandra Sanchez. A sharp critic of the state’s handling of child welfare, Sanchez left her post this month after Ayotte declined to renew her term despite not having a replacement ready to take over.

The Office of Child Advocate is legislatively mandated to provide independent oversight of the Division of Children, Youth and Families and other state-run child service systems.

Rice worries that Aldenberg has too much police experience on his resume and is too well known as a law enforcement officer to handle the sometimes delicate work of child advocate.

“I am concerned that families who have had prior run-ins with the police may not be willing to make a call to the child advocate because of his previous position,” Rice said.

If the Executive Council approves his nomination, Aldenberg would serve in the position for 90 days. That would give Ayotte time to find a permanent replacement. Her original choice for the job, Diana Fenton, withdrew in March as Executive Council members and the public expressed skepticism she could serve fairly given her role as a foster mother, and her husband’s job as a family court judge.

Executive Councilor John Stephen (R-District 4) is excited about Aldenberg’s nomination, saying he’s the right pick at the right time.

“I have known Chief Aldenberg for a long time. He has never disappointed in anything he has been asked to do,” Stephen said. “He has the credentials, and is also one that will push back on the system if he sees any injustice. He will be a defender of children’s rights, and I can trust his assessment based on his years of experience.”

Stephen sees Aldenberg’s posting as similar to the way Ayotte handled the leadership change in other key agencies, such as the Departments of Corrections and Business and Economic Affairs. Ayotte put in temporary leadership to stabilize the agencies and assess them while she found permanent candidates to take over.

“I like that approach,” Stephen said. “Then he can also report to her and the Council independently on what needs to happen going forward.”

Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais also applauded the nomination, citing Aldenberg’s military record, as well as his law enforcement credentials. Aldenberg holds the rank of brigadier general in the New Hampshire Army National Guard and currently serves as Assistant Adjutant General.

“I have never worked or served with a finer human being than General Aldenberg. Over the course of his more than 20-year career with the Manchester Police Department, he saw firsthand where the system was falling short of protecting our kids, and I know he will bring that knowledge and steady leadership to the Office of the Child Advocate while Gov. Ayotte searches for a permanent replacement,” Ruais said.

But one insider who spoke to NHJournal thinks Aldenberg’s nomination reveals Ayotte’s panic over the deteriorating situation inside the Division of Children, Youth and Families and the Sununu Youth Services Center, and the growing public distrust of the state’s response. Aldenberg’s nomination is more about politics than protecting children, the insider said.

“I think the best way to understand Aldenberg’s appointment is 1) he is temporary; 2) Ayotte must be feeling some heat, and felt it was necessary to slow the bleeding by appointing a trusted cop as interim to give the impression she’s ‘doing something;’ and 3) Ayotte is liked by cops because she went for bat for them in enhancing their pension plans a year ago, so it’s unlikely Aldenberg will embarrass her or call her out while he’s in there,” the insider said.

The insider thinks Aldenberg could still bring a sense of accountability to his job overseeing DCYF, though whether or not the chief has the right experience is an open question.

“His background would suggest a heavy military/law enforcement lens through which he views the world. That could be somewhat helpful, as long as he brings his critical ‘rules-based approach’ to the staff at [SYSC], not just the kids. My guess is his knowledge and understanding of trauma in abused children, and the best child psychology methods of winning the trust and changing the trajectory of damaged kids, would be minimal.”

Aldenberg has been vocally critical of DCYF in the past, during his time as Manchester police chief. After Adam Montgomery was convicted in 2024 of killing his daughter, Harmony Montgomery, Aldenberg spoke out about the DCYF failures that contributed to her death.

“I still firmly believe that some people in some other agencies need to be held accountable. And I’m asking for that. This little five-year-old girl, she deserves somebody to be held accountable that failed along the way. Because we wouldn’t be standing here today if other people had done their job,” Aldenberg said.

Months before she was murdered in 2019, Child Protection Social Worker Demetrios Tsaros was assigned to investigate reports that Adam Montgomery was physically abusing his daughter.

Tsaros failed to interview Harmony and Adam Montgomery for weeks after a report was made that the girl had been beaten and given a black eye, according to court records. Though he reported seeing bruising and redness in the girl’s eye, Tsaros never spoke to Harmony, never contacted police, and never took any other action to protect her, according to court records.

Additionally, Tsaros reported that the Montgomerys lived in a filthy house without heat or electricity, where food rotted, and where drug paraphernalia littered the living space, according to court records.

The state ended up paying millions to Harmony’s birth mother, Crystal Sorey, to settle a civil lawsuit over the DCYF failures.

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.