DERRY — John Anderson is preparing to take the reins from Town Administrator Gary Stenhouse, although it won't be formally announced until the Town Council meeting Sept. 7.
Anderson, currently the town manager of Boothbay, Maine, said he received a conditional offer from Derry on Aug. 3.
"It was subject to a background check and full investigation," he said. "This already started, so I had to let people here know that I would be resigning."
Anderson's last day as town manager in Boothbay — a position he's held since 2000 — will be Oct. 15. He said gave his resignation notice to the Board of Selectmen there Aug. 16.
Anderson said he planned to start his new job in Derry Oct. 25.
"This is not 100 percent done yet," Brad Benson, chairman of Derry's Town Council, said Tuesday. "I'm waiting to hear from the rest of the council today. If they approve, we will send a formal offer Wednesday and have it signed by Mr. Anderson in time for the next meeting on Sept. 7."
Anderson, 47, was one of 121 applicants for the job. After narrowing the field down to six candidates and seeking public input, there were just two candidates remaining, Benson said.
"We made it clear to him that he's our pick," Councilor Kevin Coyle said. "It's appropriate to give as much notice to his current employer."
Anderson will go from a town of 3,400 residents to one of 34,000 residents. He said he plans to live in Derry and has started scouting around for houses. He is no stranger to the Granite State, he said, having summered in New London on Otter Pond at Georges Mills as a child.
He said it is important to live in the community he is serving. He also said he knew Coyle had purchased a home in Londonderry and had announced he would leave the Town Council once he sold his Derry home.
However, Coyle said he is staying put for now. He said he couldn't sell his home and now his children are back in school. He said he will rent the property he bought in Londonderry.
"I think he will be a dynamic leader," Coyle said of Anderson. "He was my overall number one choice. I think he'll work well with all sides of the council — the majority, as well as the minority."
Anderson said he plans to spend a significant amount of time "meeting and listening to everyone in town."
"I want to focus on economic development and the downtown district," he said. "Gary Stenhouse has paved the way."
Anderson's salary is not public information at this point, Coyle said.
"But the position was advertised as between $110,000 to $115,000 as a starting salary," he said.
When Stenhouse was hired in 2007, his base salary was $117,655, including benefits and a $3,600 car allowance.
Benson said the same and all would become public after the formal announcement.
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