Hanover Board of Selectmen Chairman Brian Walsh '65 Th'66 announced his retirement last week, signaling the end of a career that fostered positive relations between the town of Hanover and the College, according to Chief of Staff David Spalding. Walsh, who decided to retire following his wife's retirement from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, worked with Dartmouth students and administrators to bring attention to important campus issues, but his policies were met with some reservation from students and community members.
"He's been a very good partner for the College during his time on the Select Board," Spalding said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "I think [Walsh] has provided great leadership to the community."
Spalding, who described himself as the President's Office "point person" to the surrounding community, highlighted Walsh's vested interest in the issues of sexual assault and underage alcohol abuse on campus as part of Walsh's outgoing legacy.
"This is an area where [College President Jim Yong Kim] had a particularly good relationship with [Walsh], in part because the two agreed very early on that we needed to work together on these issues of binge drinking and sexual assault on our campus," Spalding said.
In an effort to address these concerns, Walsh helped spearhead the creation of the Town College Alcohol Task Force in May 2010, Spalding said. The task force is currently led by Town Manager Julia Griffin and Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson, according to Spalding.
Prior to the establishment of this collaborative, communication between town officials and the College administration was less efficient and mainly relied on ad hoc meetings, Spalding said.
Walsh became involved in the task force following a Winter 2010 town hall meeting during which a group of students voiced concern regarding the high number of students arrested by Hanover Police for underage drinking, Walsh said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
"We had seen a number of students who needed to be transported to [DHMC's] emergency room over the fall, averaging something like 2.5 students a weekend," Walsh said. "These were 2.5 kids that had put themselves at risk of permanent harm or death."
Walsh said he has been "really gratified" to see that student leaders have taken the issue of binge drinking seriously, and that the town, the administration and the student body have successfully worked together since the task force's inception.
Student Body President Max Yoeli '12 said that while Walsh's initiative successfully increased communication between the town and the College, the task force fell short of its potential.
"Obviously he's a prolific public servant and he's given a lot of his time to Hanover, but that being said, I don't think he necessarily promoted student interest as much as he could have in his position," Yoeli said. "I think there were other members of the town board that were more sympathetic to the challenges of having the College be such a factor in shaping town policies, and especially in how they relate to student life."
Yoeli said he disagreed with Walsh's and Hanover Police Chief Nicholas Giaccone's similar stance on police involvement in situations regarding student alcohol consumption on campus. Walsh said his approval of a strong police contingent that patrols for underage drinking simply follows in line with state laws.
"He did work very closely with [Giaccone] with promoting more predatory policies," Yoeli said. "Students and organizations suffered short-term but also missed out on tremendous learning opportunities. I think it's really a disappointment that as a member of this community and as somebody who's been involved with Dartmouth for such a long time, that many of these opportunities fell by the wayside." Although Walsh devoted much of his time to alcohol-related topics, he also worked with the College on construction and planning, Spalding said. Walsh helped to foster open communication between the College and the town on major construction projects, as the two entities do not always have the same interests, according to Spalding.
Walsh began working in town government in 1977 when he joined the Hanover Planning Board after earning a masters degree in city planning from Columbia University. He first served on the Board of Selectmen in 1996 and was elected chairman three years later.
Walsh has been an asset to Hanover governance throughout his tenure on the board, Griffin said.
"I've thoroughly enjoyed working with him," Griffin said. "He's a fabulous board member to work with, and he's very, very bright and engaged."
Griffin cited several of Walsh's accomplishments as chairman, including the Three Party Agreement which benefits the Hanover school district, the town and the College, she said. Per the agreement, the College gave the town 23 acres and $9 million to support the construction of a new middle school and the expansion of Hanover High School in 2008 in exchange for two baseball fields on Reservoir Road that were owned by the town at the time, The Dartmouth previously reported.
Although a Nov. 5 editorial in the Valley News stated that Hanover residents have accused Walsh of encouraging the town board to acquiesce "too readily" to Dartmouth's interests, Griffin rebuked this claim.
"That's so not the case," she said. "We have a very dynamic relationship with Dartmouth. When I saw the Valley News editorial, I chuckled and thought, If folks only knew.'"
Spalding said Walsh has been fair to both the College and the town throughout his tenure.
"There was no compromising on [Walsh's] part, in terms of compromising the town or favoring the College at any time," Spalding said.
Walsh's successor will be named next Monday evening, he said. A fifth member of the Board of Selectmen will not be added until the next election cycle in May, but Walsh said he does not anticipate much competition for the position given the cooperative nature of previous elections.
"It's a history of public service, rather than political posturing," he said. "That culture will likely continue."
Walsh decided to leave the town government after his wife retired from DHMC, he said.
"I'd been on the board for 15 years and chaired it for 12, and I'd always said to people that when my wife Linda retires, I will too so I can have some fun," he said.
Outside of politics, Walsh is an avid painter, and his work is currently featured in the Ledyard Art Gallery at the Howe Library, Spalding said.
