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<div class="subhead">NEW BOSTON</div>
<div class="sidetitle">Town plans now in case chief leaves</div>
<p>By <a href="mailto:dcormier@yourneighborhoodnews.com">Devon Cormier</a><br>
Staff Writer<br>
<p>
New Boston selectmen are
looking at
resources that
may help them
hire a new
police chief if
Chief Gregory
Begin leaves
the town for a
position in his
hometown of
Weare.<p>

“We can’t do anything until
we know,” said Town Administrator Burton Reynolds.
“We are just preparing for the
contingency.”<p>
Begin announced his plans to
run for police chief of Weare a
few months ago. Weare had formerly
appointed its police
chiefs, but the town decided to
elect a police chief this year
because of controversy surrounding
Myles Rigney, the current
Weare chief now on adminstrative
leave.<p>
Town officials are still tightlipped
about the circumstances
surrounding Rigney’s leave.<p>
Begin, a Weare resident, told
an audience at the deliberative
session of Town Meeting that he
felt obligated to run for police
chief.<p>
He was greeted with applause
from the 30-or-so residents who
attended the meeting.<p>
“I felt that I had an obligation
to my family to at least make
my services available to the
community my kids are growing
up in,” Begin said.<p>
Now, New Boston officials
are scrambling to figure out
what to do if Begin is elected.
Out of the five people running
for police chief, Begin said only
one other has any law enforcement
experience. The only prerequisite
for running is that candidates
be town residents, one
of the reasons why only a handful
of New Hampshire towns
elect police chiefs.<p>
Reynolds said he has been in
contact with the town administrator
in Weare and hopes they
can work together if Begin
leaves for Weare.<p>
Begin made it clear at Town
Meeting that he would continue
to help out in New Boston until
a replacement was found if he
was elected in Weare.<p>
Begin also expressed his
desire to finish the DARE program
at the New Boston Central
School, Reynolds said.<p>
“We tried to find a plan in
case he does leave,” Reynolds
said. “We have gone to two different
sources that might be able
to help us hire a chief if we need
to.”<p>
The selectmen have contacted
Municipal Resources and the
Municipal Association to discuss
their possible need for a
new chief.
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