Derry has its new town administrator, pending the usual background checks and contract signing.
While the Town Council is holding off on a formal announcement until its Sept. 7 meeting, John Anderson, currently town manager in Boothbay, Maine, looks to be a promising choice.
Anderson was selected from among a surprising 121 applicants seeking to replace outgoing Town Administrator Gary Stenhouse. We hope he's the best of the group. Anderson will need to be a skilled administrator to cope with Derry's rough-and-tumble political environment.
The first challenge Anderson will face is adjusting to the scope of his new job. Boothbay is a small town of 3,400 residents. Derry is 10 times that size — 34,000 residents. Derry is torn between some residents' desire to preserve what's left of the small town it once was and the need for growth and the expansion of commerce to build a base for the town's future.
Anderson will have to balance those competing interests.
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," Anderson told reporter Suzanne Laurent. "Gary Stenhouse has paved the way."
Anderson also must learn quickly to balance the conflicting personalities on the Town Council. The divide on the council reflects the very real split among Derry residents over what is the best course for the town's future. But too frequently, the differences of opinion on the council explode into actual animosity. Too often, the factionalism produces paralysis.
Anderson will need to help bring the councilors together when possible, to find a common ground that can help the town move forward.
Already, there are signs that will be possible. Both Councilor Kevin Coyle and Council Chairman Brad Benson, who are frequently at odds, are positive about the choice of Anderson for the job.
"I think he will be a dynamic leader," Coyle said. "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."
Derry residents need a town administrator who can thrive in a tough political environment and manage conflicting personalities all while maintaining a focus on the town's future. It's a tough job. Anderson shows promise. We'll soon see if he is up to the task.
How to drive away development
There are some early — and promising — plans for the development of commercial land off Exit 5 in Londonderry.
The town needs commercial development to build its tax base. Town officials are supportive of development off Interstate 93. But they need to be wary of attaching so many conditions to proposals that they drive developers away.
Michael DiGuiseppe of Londonderry Land Development LLC has preliminary plans for a 10-acre parcel at the intersection of Vista Ridge Drive and Rockingham Road. DiGuiseppe told the Planning Board recently of a proposal for a 6,000-square-foot restaurant and 60,000 square feet of retail space.
Although the plan is little more than a concept at this point, members of the Planning Board already are concerned about elements of the proposal. Some expressed worries about aesthetics; others, about traffic.
Board member Mary Wing Soares said smaller separate stores would be more aesthetically appealing than a larger, single unit. Chairman Art Rugg said he didn't want "anything monolithic looking."
This is the kind of nitpicking that makes developers want to run for the hills.
If Londonderry officials want the tax revenue commercial development can provide, they must remember Voltaire's admonition: "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."
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