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Peabody mayor's chief leaving for New Hampshire post

Fitzgerald takes town manager job

By Matthew K. Roy
Staff writer
Published: November 13, 2008

PEABODY — Sean Fitzgerald, Mayor Michael Bonfanti's chief of staff who launched a tireless but unsuccessful campaign for state representative in 2006, is the new town manager in Plaistow, N.H.

Fitzgerald signed a three-year contract with the town that pays him $85,000 a year. His first day in Plaistow is Nov. 24.

"This opportunity in Plaistow will give me an opportunity to grow and get additional experience as a public administrator and a leader in public life," Fitzgerald said yesterday morning after Bonfanti announced his departure in a press release.

Fitzgerald, 38, is a proud product of Peabody who aspires to one day serve the city in an elected office. The new position delays but does not retire his political ambitions locally, he said.

"I haven't put those on the shelf," he said.

But his focus in the near future is Plaistow. The town is across the border from Haverhill. It has a population of nearly 8,000 and an annual municipal budget of $7.5 million.

"We are excited to have Sean on board," Plaistow Board of Selectmen Chairman John Sherman said in a statement. "Sean will work with the board to actively plan for Plaistow's future, while at the same time managing the day-to-day activities in the town. We need a hands-on town manager to tackle our current budget issues."

Fitzgerald is a Peabody High School graduate who attended Central Connecticut State on a football scholarship. His introduction to local government came in 1994, when he took a job as a budget analyst for the Essex County Advisory Board. Peabody Mayor Peter Torigian chaired a board that included 10 mayors and 24 selectmen.

"I have had an extraordinary opportunity to work with Mayor Torigian and Mayor Bonfanti for close to 15 years," said Fitzgerald, who has been Bonfanti's chief of staff for the last seven years. "I would really like to use those experiences and lessons that I have been able to take from both mayors and try to put them to a broader use."

Bonfanti credited Fitzgerald with spearheading the renovation of the high school and helping to secure state and federal funding to address flooding problems downtown.

"We need good people in local government. You have to have some skills. You have to be committed to the public," Bonfanti said. "I think Sean is very committed to the public. I think it's Plaistow's gain and our loss on a day-to-day basis."

Fitzgerald's family is rooted here. His mother is director of religious education at St. Ann Church. His two sisters have settled in the city. His brother is a Peabody police officer.

Fitzgerald and his wife, Jennifer, have no plans to leave. It's a 30-minute commute to Plaistow, he said.

Less than 500 votes separated Fitzgerald from Rep. Joyce Spiliotis in the 2006 Democratic primary. Fitzgerald said he walked through three pairs of shoes going door to door during his campaign.

It could be awhile before he hits the streets again.

"It's a very opportune move for him at this point in his life," former City Councilor Fred Murtagh said yesterday. "It's a great training ground for him."

Given his close connection to Bonfanti, Murtagh said Fitzgerald would have an added hurdle in a Peabody election because any voters unhappy with the mayor would link him with Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald makes $62,300 in his current position. The salary increase is welcome, especially since he and his wife are expecting a son around St. Patrick's Day.

But it's the opportunity, not the money, that has drawn him to the Granite State, Fitzgerald said.

"I owe (Bonfanti) a tremendous amount. It's been a tough decision for me in regards to moving on," Fitzgerald said.

"(But) I think I'm ready for this."

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