By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Correspondent
CLAREMONT, N.H. — The Claremont City Council is down a member, as Spencer Batchelder submitted his resignation citing that he needs to devote more of his time toward his job and graduate school.
“I just need time for work and school,” Batchelder told the Eagle Times on April 3. “I enjoy the boards and commissions I sit on, but I wanted to pursue other opportunities to serve the community.”
Batchelder explained that he notified the council through an email, and that they will need to accept the resignation at their next meeting. The email stated that he was resigning effective immediately, and did not go into detail with reasons, according to Batchelder.
In September 2022, Batchelder was appointed by the Claremont City Council after Rocky Beliveau resigned from his seat, who also said that it was due to the lack of time he had to properly fulfill the position. Batchelder and two other candidates were interviewed by the city council, and Mayor Dale Girard asked the candidates questions about themselves and what they would bring to the table.
The decision was narrowed down to Batchelder and former council member Mike Demars, and the city council took a roll call vote that led to a 4-4 tie between the two candidates.
A recess was called and a second vote was taken in an effort to break the tie, but the same votes were made. They considered drawing names from a hat, but councilors on both sides agreed not to go about it this way. A third round of voting took place and finally Mayor Girard flipped his vote to bring Batchelder onto the council.
When Batchelder applied, he said that he had recently switched jobs from the private sector to the public sector. He said working for the state had given him more time, and that he saw a need for investment in infrastructure while still considering the taxpayers’ best interests.
Batchelder said that he originally got into this to fulfill his civic duty. When asked if resigning had been weighing on his mind in the time leading up to his email, he said “yes and no.”
Batchelder currently works for the Department of Safety where he manages technical projects. He is also getting his MBA at Southern New Hampshire University, and said juggling the two, along with the city council seat, wasn’t feasible.
“I just wanted to make room for someone who had, A: the time, and B: the inclination,” Batchelder explained.
He added, “That’s pretty much it. I think it is a great group of people, and I think they have done a lot of good, and hope they continue to.”
Mayor Girard said on Wednesday that, at this point, there was nothing official from a council standpoint to comment on. In the case of an open seat on the council, there will be a posting to the community to give interested parties time to submit applications.
“The council would then interview potential applicants at that point, and appoint somebody,” Girard said.
City Manager Yoshi Manale said that while he does not oversee the city’s functions, Claremont’s charter lays out the process of how a new member is chosen by the remaining councilors.
The charter reads: “Vacancies in the office of councilor resulting from a failure to elect a candidate thereto, or which occur at any time after the election of a candidate thereto, shall be filled by some qualified person who receives the votes of a majority of the remaining members of the city council. Such appointment shall be made at or before the second regular meeting after which such vacancy occurs and the councilor so appointed shall serve until his/her successor takes office. In the event a vacancy occurs, there shall be an election conducted at the next regular municipal election and the councilor elected to fill the vacancy shall serve for the balance of the unexpired term. The city clerk shall act as clerk to the council.”
Batchelder’s term goes through Dec. 31, 2025. The Claremont City Council meets on April 10 at 6:30 p.m.
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