Claremont makes finance director acting city manager

CLAREMONT — The City Council voted to appoint Finance Director Nancy Bates to the post of acting city manager for up to one year in an 8-0 vote Monday evening.

Bates and Police Chief Brent Wilmot have been serving as acting co-city managers since the council dismissed former City Manager Yoshi Manale in late April. In that shared role, their primary task was to present the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The council is expected to approve a budget at its Wednesday evening meeting.

Bates, whose official starting date is July 1, will earn $152,000, Mayor Dale Girard said in a news release issued late Monday. One of her first tasks will be to hire a finance director.

Bates was hired in Claremont in 2024, having previously served as finance administrator and revenue administrator in three other New Hampshire municipalities.

Bates’ appointment will bring “continuity for city staff and ongoing projects,” Girard said, noting that she “brings valuable municipal experience.”

Before initiating a search for a new permanent city manager, the council will await the results of a November ballot question on the residency requirement for the city manager, which is currently part of the city charter, Girard said in a phone interview Monday.

The council is hoping residents remove the requirement that the city manager reside in Claremont because it will open up the field of potential candidates, Girard said. The city’s legal counsel has said the residency requirement will be tough to enforce if it is challenged in court, the mayor also said. Bates lives in Wilmot but as acting city manager, she does not have to meet the residency requirement, Girard said.

Manale was the third city manager Claremont has hired since 2016. Before that, Guy Santagate served in the role for 15 years.