On July 31, Hanover town manager Alex Torpey will step down from his position after two years in office, according to a Town announcement. The Selectboard unanimously voted to name planning, zoning and codes director Robert Houseman the interim town manager, the announcement wrote.
The Selectboard will start the search for a new town manager in “the coming weeks,” according to the announcement. Selectboard member Jennie Chamberlain said the Selectboard is currently focused on the transition between Torpey and Houseman and does not have a timeline for the search yet.
According to the Valley News, Torpey’s contract was set to expire in 2025. In an interview with The Dartmouth, Torpey said he is leaving the position to pursue other professional and personal projects.
“The timing works really well for me and … the Town and gives me the opportunity to work on a couple projects and things … that I am really excited about,” Torpey said.
During past town manager searches, the Selectboard engaged with a candidate search firm and various stakeholders, such as community groups, community committee leaders and board leaders, Chamberlain added.
“Everyone had an opportunity to talk about what was really important for them in a town manager and how they see the role playing out in the future,” Chamberlain said. “It is really important that we work thoughtfully and all our interests are represented.”
According to Torpey, the “most important thing” during the remainder of his tenure is facilitating a smooth transition to Houseman’s interim leadership, which will begin on Aug. 1.
“We’ve been having meetings … to identify some of the high priority stuff that needs to be looked at,” Torpey said. “I’m putting together some memos for [Houseman and] for the Selectboard that will document in more detail the status on a bunch of projects.”
Houseman added that he and Torpey have been frequently communicating to ensure that current projects continue “to move forward.” According to Houseman, Torpey is currently working remotely to ensure that “no issues are outstanding” and “everything is properly documented for the transition.”
“I’m in the Town Hall with boots on the ground, meeting with our leadership team to keep us moving forward,” Houseman said.
Houseman added that his current priority is understanding “time-sensitive issues,” such as new hires and completing contracts for ongoing projects.
“I’m drinking from the firehose right now, trying to digest a lot,” Houseman said. “Until I have the opportunity to meet with the Selectboard and have a dialogue about what their hopes and aspirations are during the interim, my priority is to make sure that the waters are calm and that we continue to make forward progress.”
According to Torpey, the biggest challenges during his tenure were related to “finance and human resources.” In response, the Town created a capital improvement program committee to improve long-term capital planning. The Town also implemented new personnel policies and wage adjustments for below-market employees to deal with staffing difficulties, Torpey said.
Hanover also made “a lot of good progress” in collaboration with the College on downtown and housing issues, Torpey added.
Torpey said he would advise his successor to “get a view of the entire game board” early on.
“We know what pieces are on the table,” he explained. “What are the highest priority things that need to be done in the short term? What can we come back to in six months? … Those things are a challenge for anybody [with] the onslaught of information.”
Torpey said he is in the process of starting an organization called “Rethink Local,” which will work with town managers and local officials in the Upper Valley to provide “free workshops, webinars [and] best practices” to help residents become more involved in their towns. The organization will also provide “consulting and technical advising” to governments and nonprofits, Torpey said.
Torpey also plans to write and potentially publish science fiction books, build a house and find outdoors work “that’s not in front of a computer,” he said.
Torpey said his two years in office were “really challenging but really rewarding.”
“I didn’t really know anything about the Upper Valley before moving up here [in 2022],” Torpey said. “I really love the area, so I will forever be grateful to the community for bringing me up here.”
Torpey encouraged Hanover residents to stay in touch over email and Instagram — alex@rethinklocal.us and @alextorpey, respectively.
