NASHUA – After an extensive Tuesday presentation by acting Administrative Service Director Kim Kleiner and her assistants regarding the progress made since the March 1 release of the Management Audit Report, most members of the Board of Aldermen present expressed renewed confidence.

While most of the aldermen applauded the efforts, Alderman Ernest Jette, who said he believes the reform is headed in the right direction, expressed concerns over the elimination of the Chief Assessor position and the reinstatement of the administrative services director.

“You’re adding some management, but I’m concerned. We had a chief assessor and these problems occurred. Now, we have no chief assessor. We have nobody supervising assessors, but a non-assessor, someone who is doing their best, but you are not familiar with the whole skill, art, science of assessing,” Jette said referring to Kleiner.

Kleiner disagreed with the notion that firing the chief assessor and replacing him with a management structure where she, having no assessing experience, would hinder the efforts to reform the office.

“What lacked within the department was some clear management. That was shown clearly in the management audit,” Kleiner said, “You had a certified assessing specialist. You had an expert, but what you didn’t have was clear management, and we got in this situation. What makes a good manager is someone who realizes where to go to get the info they need to make decisions.”

Kleiner responded to the concerns established by Jette, saying that if she at anytime believes she is hurting the city, she would immediately notify the mayor. However, she said the resources available to her at many levels, including those at the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration, KRT Appraisal and the individuals she is always working with in the department.

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