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Residents press Barnstead Select Board after police resignation, say recruitment is a countywide problem
Summary
During public comment, residents described a recently received resignation by a police officer and urged the board to pursue retention and exit interviews; speakers also raised broader recruitment shortages for police, highway and fire staffing and criticized a prior committee's handling of chief hiring.
Public comment at the Barnstead Select Board meeting focused heavily on a recently received letter of resignation from a police officer and the town’s difficulty recruiting for public‑safety and highway positions.
Several residents said a resignation letter had been placed in the board’s legal folder and urged the board to work to retain the officer and to seek an exit interview. One resident who spoke directly to the board said, "we need to resolve" recruitment problems and noted that the town has advertised part‑time and full‑time positions without applications. Another speaker praised the departing officer’s community contributions and called the loss a "big loss to the community." (Speakers used first names in the meeting; the transcript identifies contributors as Steve and others.)
Commenters also criticized a recent committee charged with reviewing police and fire staffing, saying the panel worked quickly and was not sufficiently open; one speaker said the committee did not spend enough time evaluating a full‑time police chief option and called the committee selections "off base." The transcript records debate about whether to pursue a full‑time chief, keep a part‑time model, or explore regionalization with neighboring towns; board members noted a planned joint session with the Pittsfield Select Board to explore intermunicipal options.
Other public concerns included exposed insulation observed at the elementary school, which a commenter urged the board to raise with the school board and superintendent for inspection. Residents also asked that the board pursue an exit interview for the resigning employee and requested clearer communication about personnel matters; the board closed public input at 7:07 p.m. and subsequently moved to enter nonpublic session citing "RSA 91‑A 32."
