Town of Sandwich Selectman, Christopher Boldt, Receives NHMA’s Russ Marcoux Municipal Advocate of the Year Award
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Each year, the Russ Marcoux Municipal Advocate of the Year award is given by NHMA staff to a municipal member based on their interactions with officials during the legislative session. NHMA established this award in 2011 to recognize an elected or appointed local official for his or her non-partisan contributions toward the advancement of NHMA’s legislative policy goals and for the advocacy of municipal interests generally.
In 2011, NHMA staff selected Russ Marcoux, Town Manager in Bedford, as the first-ever recipient of the Municipal Advocate of the Year award because Russ did all the things NHMA wants members to do in support of its legislative policy and to enhance the success of its legislative agenda. Russ passed away just days before the 2011 Annual Conference and he never knew NHMA had created such an award or that he had been selected the first recipient. In his honor, the award was renamed the Russ Marcoux Municipal Advocate of the Year award.
At its annual conference in November, NHMA recognized Christopher Boldt, Selectman in the Town of Sandwich, with its 2019 Russ Marcoux Municipal Advocate of the Year award. Chris is Attorney and Partner in the law firm of Donahue, Tucker and Ciandella, PLLC (also known as DTC Lawyers), one of the state’s leading law firms representing municipalities on a full spectrum of legal services.
In his presentation remarks, NHMA Government Affairs Counsel Cordell Johnston recognized Selectmen Boldt for his multi-year work helping to establish a statutory formula for the valuation of utility property for local property tax purposes. Boldt served as NHMA’s representative on a legislative study commission organized to study utility property valuation and recommend legislation to reform the current system of taxing utility property in New Hampshire. As a result, Chapter 117 (HB 700) was enacted this year which sets forth a formula to be phased-in over a five-year period beginning the tax year April 1, 2020.
Past recipients of this recognition are:
2011 Russell R. Marcoux, Town Manager, Town of Bedford
2012 James Michaud, Assessor, Town of Hudson
2013 Don MacIsaac, Selectman, Town of Jaffrey
2014 Julia N. Griffin, Town Manager, Town of Hanover
2015 Shaun Mulholland, Town Administrator, Town of Allenstown
2016 Portsmouth City Council, City of Portsmouth
2017 Bill Herman, Town Administrator, Town of Auburn
2018 Mark A. Bender, Town Administrator, Town of Milford