Hooksett council elects Santoulis chair, Sullivan vice chair and assigns members to town committees

Hooksett — At the July 9 reorganizational meeting of the Hooksett Town Council, members elected Tim Santoulis as council chair and James Sullivan as vice chair, confirmed Randall Lafayette as council secretary, adopted council rules of procedure and assigned councilors to town boards and subcommittees.

Acting Chair Sullivan opened the item noting the town administrator would preside only until officers were elected. Councilor (name recorded in the minutes as) nominated Tim Santoulis for chair; the nomination was seconded and approved by voice vote. James Sullivan was nominated and elected vice chair, and Randall Lafayette was nominated and approved as secretary with one abstention noted in the roll call.

The council adopted its rules of procedure (sections 3–12) after a motion and second; members said the rules are procedural and can be amended later. Councilors then volunteered and were assigned as liaisons to roughly two dozen local bodies including the Board of Assessors, Budget Committee, Conservation Commission, Economic Development Advisory Committee, Heritage Commission, Highway Safety Advisory Board, Hooksett Village Water Precinct liaison, Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, Planning Board, Recycling & Transfer Advisory Board, Sewer Commission, TIF district oversight and historic preservation groups.

Councilors discussed scheduling conflicts (for example, budget committee meetings during budget season on Thursdays) and agreed to work with committee chairs on meeting dates. The council noted this is the first 7-member council configuration approved by voters in March and that staff will continue outreach to boards and committees to fill vacancies.

No controversial policy decisions were made during reorganization; the council concluded assignments and moved to the administrator’s report.