Up Close and Personnal – On the

UP CLOSE &

PERSONAL On the Board

Welcome to Up Close and Personal is designed to give readers a closer look at NHMA board members. In this issue, we hope you enjoy meeting one of our newest board members, Donna Mombourquette, Select Board Chair in the Town of New Boston. Donna was elected this November to serve on NHMA’s board of directors.

Donna Mombourquette

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TC: How has NHMA helped you to do your job?

DM: I first became familiar with the NHMA while serving as a State Representative on the Municipal & County Government Committee. The staff of NHMA who testified before the committee were so well informed and helpful to the members while sorting out the benefits or dangers of proposed legislation affecting municipalities. The relationships formed then have greatly assisted in my transition to the role of Select Board member. NHMA is always available to assist with answering questions or directing to an appropriate source.

TC: Do you dislike any aspects of your job? Which ones? Why?

DM: The most difficult aspect of the job is addressing the issues of a small group of citizens who distrust government, in general, especially during budget development. Being transparent in decisions and building trust is a significant task of the Select Board along with assuring the citizens that the values of our community, as a whole, are represented in our budgets. Although a difficult aspect of the job, I would believe it is not unusual in municipal government to require the balancing of competing priorities of citizens.

TC: Give us an example of a problem you solved or a dilemma you faced and overcame in the line of duty?

DM: Our town lacked comprehensive procedures for the Select Board and during my first year on the Board, I researched other towns and their guidelines. Of particular interest to me was the handling of Board members who acted unprofessionally toward staff, at times. It took a year to get the policies passed but were in place when I became the Chair of the Select Board.

TC: What is your biggest challenge in performing your duties?

DM: The most challenging aspect during my tenure as Chair has been to transition the Select Board meetings to business meetings vs. a public forum. Resistance came in the form of nasty Face Book posts, negative comments from people used to having a soap box to air their grievances, and periodic disruptions from a small number of people. But we knew we stood on solid ground to do so with the help of the NHMA legal team. As a result, Select Board meetings are now concise while addressing the important business of the town. We continue to welcome public comment (not dialogue) that is relative to the agenda and to direct people to the Town Administrator for questions to be answered in a timely manner or to formally request an appearance before the Board for in-depth discussion of an issue.

TC: What advice would you give someone who would like to follow in your footsteps into this job?

DM: I would encourage people to get involved with municipal government leadership or at any level. While it can be challenging depending on your community dynamics, knowing you are part of creating solutions to community challenges, helping citizens with concerns, and assuring that your municipality operates in an effective and efficient manner is a very rewarding experience.