Portsmouth council elects Mr. Hamilton president, David Gleason vice president; cancels Dec. 23 meeting

At its Nov. 25 swearing-in ceremony, the Portsmouth Town Council selected Mr. Hamilton as council president and elected David Gleason as vice president, and the body voted to cancel its Dec. 23 meeting.

The clerk opened nominations for president and a council member nominated Mr. Hamilton, saying his "steady hand" and experience would help the town through impending changes. Another member nominated David Gleason; after nominations closed, the council moved by voice vote to elect Mr. Hamilton as president.

Under Mr. Hamilton’s brief remarks, he cautioned that the coming budget season would be difficult, saying, "As we've seen at the state level, there's already a $400,000,000 deficit in next year's budget." He said the council faces a challenging budget season and urged members to work together to develop a workable town budget that balances residents’ needs and taxpayer impacts.

The new president then called for nominations for vice president. Nominees included David Gleason and Carlos Pereira. The clerk called the vote and announced a 5–2 tally; David Gleason received the majority and assumed the vice-presidency.

Mr. Hamilton announced logistical matters for upcoming meetings: the council will meet on Dec. 9 at Portsmouth Middle School to accommodate larger agenda items, and he moved to cancel the Dec. 23 meeting. The motion to cancel was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

The council concluded the ceremony with a motion to adjourn that carried 7–0.

The new leadership takes over as the council prepares for a budget season the president described as "heavy lifting," with state-level budget pressures cited as a key concern. The council’s next regular meeting is Dec. 9 at Portsmouth Middle School; the subsequent meeting is set for Jan. 13.