By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CLAREMONT — The City of Claremont has named John Bohenko as the new interim city manager, via a unanimous vote by the city council.
The decision comes as the city continues its search for a permanent choice for city manager. Current interim city manager John MacLeans’ contract comes to a close at the end of June. Maclean was hired to replace Ed Morris in January 2022. Maclean had been hired to fill the position in 2019 as well, when Ryan McNutt had been fired.
Bohenko comes to Claremont from Portsmouth, where he served as the city manager for 22 years. He retired from city management in 2019. Bohekno lays claim to a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Public Administration, as well as his Master’s Degree in Business Administration. He is also credited as overseeing the development of Portsmouth that helped it to become a tourist destination. As of 2020, Portsmouth had a population of roughly 21,000 people as opposed to Claremont, with a total of approximately 13,000.
This year, Claremont received roughly 12 applications for the position of city manager, which is a small number compared to the 50 applications the city received two years ago when they hired Morris. Over the past several decades it was reported by the International City/County Management Association that city managers tenure typically last between 4-7 years.
The city manager job parameters, as described by the city of Claremont website, claims that the manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the city, and updates the city council at regularly scheduled meetings. Included in that job is coordinating with department directors to make sure that each department is following the proper rules and regulations.
Claremont’s struggle to locate a permanent city manager has plagued it for a number of years. This is not an issue specific to Claremont, but, Mayor Dale Girard says there may be a specific issue causing the lack of qualified applicants. Claremont’s charter has a residency clause that states the city manager is required to live in Claremont. While the clause has been historically typical for cities, that is becoming less so in recent years.
“When Ed Morris was hired he was living in Weathersfield across the river, but because of the clause he had to sell his house and move here. It was something he was happy to do but the housing market makes it difficult. Some people may not want to uproot their family especially if they have their kids in schools that they like,” Girard said.
The residency clause does not affect any interim city managers and during Maclean’s tenure he would travel to Claremont a few days per week. In MacLean’s contract with the city he was able to hire an assistant city manager to be in Claremont when he wasn’t available. MacLean hired Chief of Police Mark Chase. Bohenko’s contract stipulates that he is also able to hire an assistant city manager, but he has not yet made it clear if he intends. He will also be traveling from Portsmouth two-to-three days a week.
The contract for interim city manager offers an hourly pay of $95 per hour in a 30 hour work week. Bohenko will also receive a traveling stipend of $155, as opposed to the $145 MacLean received during his tenure. The city allows for $155,000 for a city manager and, as of now, the transfer between Maclean and Bohenko seems to neutrally affect the budget.
“We’re really excited to find the next full time manager, we just want to make sure the next person is the best fit for the community. They have to walk the line of working well with department directors and the community as a whole. As of now they also have to be willing to move here. We are definitely looking forward to it,” stated Girard.
The city council has been in conversation hoping to include changing the charter to remove the residency clause on the ballot in the upcoming primary elections. The residents of Claremont will decide if they would prefer to have the manager live specifically in the city or abroad.
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