MANCHESTER, N.H. – A Director for Homeless Initiatives applicant for the city is set to be nominated and hired in the near future, but concerns have been raised over the vetting process for that new hire.
During Tuesday night’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BMA) meeting, Michael Porter (Ward 8) expressed concern after learning Manchester Fire Department Chief Dan Goonan reached out to three aldermen regarding the hiring process for the position but did not seek guidance from the other 11 members of the board.
The members of the board Goonan sought guidance from included Bill Barry (Ward 10), Keith Hirschmann (Ward 12) and Pat Long (Ward 3). Advice from the three aldermen regarding the hire was sought due to their specific expertise: Barry’s chairmanship of BMA Special Committee on Alcohol, Other Drugs and Youth Services; Hirschmann’s former chairmanship of the BMA Human Resources committee as well as his experience hiring employees in the private sector and Long’s direct advocacy work with the city’s homeless population.
Porter clarified that his statement was not an attack on Goonan, but rather a concern over transparency and a lack of communication to members of the board given that this information was not revealed to other members of the board until Tuesday night.
Goonan apologized for any appearance of impropriety, but stood by his decision, stating that he sought feedback on the hiring process from individuals with relevant expertise and the trio’s membership on the board was incidental.
He also reiterated the fact that the final decision in the hire is under his purview, as the new coordinator will begin their role under the aegis of the fire department, with the position potentially being transferred to another department at a later date once the situation with the city’s homeless population is no longer considered an emergency.
Jim Roy (Ward 4) asked city solicitor Emily Rice whether it violated the city charter for any aldermen to be involved in the hiring process of anyone working for the city outside of department heads or mayoral nominees before the BMA. Rice said that the section 3.04 of the city charter gives the aldermen authority only with department heads and nominees, but does not prohibit them from participating in the process in a manner comparable to any other job applicant provided that they do not violate the job applicant’s privacy rights.
A date for the final hire was not released, but it was mentioned that the announcement would be coming soon and the finalists for the position included three women and a man.
