Hanover Town Manager Cliff Vermilya, recently named Hanover's 30th Citizen of the Year, may not agree that he was born to be a town manager -- but he comes pretty close.
"It is something I wanted to do since the days of junior high school," he said.
After graduating from Weslyan University, Vermilya planned for a career in town management by studying public administration at the University of Connecticut.
Vermilya has directed all of Hanover's administrative divisions, such as the library, police and fire departments, since he moved to the town in 1983.
Citizen of the year
After 36 years in municipal management -- the last 12 managing Hanover -- Vermilya was named Citizen of the Year by the Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce earlier this month.
"I was very surprised by the whole thing," Vermilya said.
"My wife and I were invited out to dinner with friends," he said. "We walked in and there were 150 people there for the [Chamber of Commerce] dinner."
Vermilya, who will retire March 1, won the award for his "dedicated service and high level of expertise," according to a Chamber of Commerce press release.
Marilyn Black, the chair of Hanover's Board of Selectmen, said Vermilya's "encyclopedic" mind has served the town well.
"No matter what you ask him, he can tell you," she said. "If you want to know the price of a load of gravel, he can tell you that. He can speak about why a certain fire engine is preferable over another."
"Not many managers are adept in so many different ways," she said.
Vermilya has helped lead a dozen volunteer community organizations that range from the "Meals on Wheels" program to the Hanover Water Works, according to the press release.
Despite his work and volunteer responsibilities, Vermilya said he still finds time for himself and his family. Vermilya has seven grandchildren.
"I like to read, I like to cook and I like to sail," he said. A history buff, Vermilya prefers reading history and biographies. One of his favorite books is David McCullough's "Truman."
Relations with the College
But to those who know him, Vermilya will always be associated with his work for the town of Hanover, which his colleagues say he has done wisely and well.
"He made a major commitment to a number of things, not only because he was town manager, but as a resident of the community," said Cary Clark, the College's director of external affairs.
Vermilya said his position is always susceptible to politics because town managers are responsible to elected officials.
"I'm a behind the scenes facilitator," he said. "I help the political leaders, the selectmen, be in a position to make things happen."
Black said this position is seldom easy.
"In any town there are those issues which become very controversial," Vermilya said. "We had [arguments] over things like the Center for Jewish Life [at Dartmouth], things like police alcohol policy, the move of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock] hospital," he said.
But Vermilya said he is delighted with Hanover's relationship with the College.
"One of the other things I'm most pleased about is the relationship between the town and College," he said. "It is probably better than any other in the country."
Gordie DeWitt, the College's director of facilities planning, said he and Vermilya "both work for bureaucracies, and even so we manage to get things done without unnecessary hoo-haa."
Vermilya said people who work as town manager usually only stay in a town for five or six years.
"It is the kind of a position that is very susceptible to changes in political philosophy," said Vermilya, who worked in Hanover more than twice that long.
Jean Hullman, Vermilya's administrative assistant, said Vermilya makes everything go over smoothly.
"Rarely, if ever, have I seen him get upset over anything. He handles everything with fairness," she said. She said his sense of humor makes budget deliberations, contract negotiations and other "hard times" go more smoothly.
Smooth sailing
Always humble, Vermilya took little credit for the town's smooth sailing.
"It is probably the best community in the country for a manager," Vermilya said. "There are no petty politics or party politics."
Black said Vermilya has been instrumental in a number of changes including the "Hanover revitalization project."
Because of Vermilya's help, "there are new sidewalks, new benches, new lights, new trees," she said.
But the job of town manager is not always about progress.
"We had two police chiefs die in office," Vermilya said. "I think that's probably the lowest point."
Vermilya said the loss of the two Hanover police chiefs, who both died of heart attacks, was trying both personally and publicly.
One of the things he is most proud of is the conservation efforts the town of Hanover has made under him, he said.
"I'm most pleased with ... the amount of land we've been able to purchase for open space and recreational use," Vermilya said. "Along the Connecticut River we have accumulated several parcels for conservation purposes."
Black said Vermilya "has been instrumental in getting an outstanding recycling program going -- one of the best in the state."
After his March retirement, Vermilya will be able to devote more time to the environment.
"The part time job I'm taking now is with the oldest environmental association in New Hampshire," he said. "They preserve the quality of an incredibly good lake."
Vermilya will work for the Lake Sunapee Protection Association.
Vermilya said he is looking forward to his new responsibilities.
"After 35 years in the business, it was time for something different for me," he said. "I got to the point where I needed to change."
"I'm working with a very small staff of four part-time people -- bright, young part-time people," he said. "Working with them is energizing."
His new job at Lake Sunapee will give Vermilya more time to pursue one of his hobbies.
Black said Vermilya "is a master sailor."
"His favorite hobby is sailing, and we wish him well as captain of his boat," she said.
