Aldermen don't have all the goverrnmental fun in Manchester, NH

If you have your heart set on becoming a member of the Board of Water Commissioners for the City of Manchester, NH, I'm afraid you'll have to wait another 12 months before there's an opening.

If, however, you've ever fancied serving on the City's Senior Services Commission, or perhaps the Parks, Recreation and Cemetery Commission, you might be in luck as these bodies - and some 24 other such appointed bodies in Manchester, NH, currently have, or will have sometime in 2010, members whose terms have expried and whose seats, therefore, are up for grabs.

As Mayor Ted Gatsas, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, Welfare Commissioner Paul Martineau and others are sworn into office this morning at the Palace Theatre, they will not waste much time getting down to City business. But these elected officials aren't the only ones who serve Manchester, NH, in an official capacity. Indeed, there are scores of unelected residents who are serving in volunteer oversight and advisory capacities on nearly 30 boards and commissions that directly affect more than a few City departments and, indirectly, the lives of the 100,000-plus residents of Manchester, NH.

Among these appointed positions are the commssions overseeing the Police Department, the Fire Department, the Highway Department, the Manchester Housing and Redevelopment Authority, the Health Department, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport and the Manchester Transit Authority.

Others, including the Conduct Board, the Retirement Board and the Personnel Appeals Board, oversee City employee matters, while still others, like the Arts Commission, the Heritage Commission and the Convervation Commission, advise on the more cultural and environmental aspects of City government.

And some, including the Planning Board and the Board of Adjustment (Zoning Board), even get televised on MCTV.

To be appointed to any one of the nearly 30 official board and commissions serving the City of Manchester, NH, the first step is to contact one's alderman. If there is an opening on the board on which you desire to serve, and he or she likes the cut of your jib, the good alderman will then submit your name and resume to the entire Board of Mayor and Aldermen, who must approve all appointments.