By Devon Cormier
Staff Writer

New Boston Police Chief Gregory Begin

New Boston Police Chief Gregory Begin insists he is not betraying the town he works for by running for police chief of Weare.

Begin made an unscheduled speech at the beginning of the deliberative session of Town Meeting on Monday, Feb. 7. He said he was hurt by an editorial that ran in The New Boston Bulletin which said he was betraying New Boston by running for the position.

“I can understand that there is disappointment, ” Begin said. “But I have never and will never betray this town.”

Last March, Weare voters decided to elect a police chief rather than appoint one. Some residents saw the move as a way to get around the long-term con- tract under which Myles Rigney, the current Weare chief, is working. Supporters of the change said Rigney intimidated residents and town officials and had crossed ethical boundaries as chief.

How someone – perhaps with no experience – would be chosen and trained is now the problem facing the town.

Begin, a Weare resident, said that worries him because someone with no law enforcement experience could clinch the chief’s job.

In fact, of the five people running, only Begin and two other candidates have law enforcement experience. Only a handful of New Hampshire towns elect a chief. The only criteria for the elected position is that those who run live in town.

“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.

New Boston Town Administrator Burton Reynolds said selectmen need to discuss what will happen if Begin gets the position in Weare, and what will happen if he doesn’t.

“We have to be prepared should he leave,” Reynolds said.

Selectmen Gordon Carlstrom said there is some concern that if Begin stays in New Boston, he will be treated with feelings of resentment or betrayal by officers.

Begin said he can understand disappointment, but after four years leading the department, he can’t imagine people misunderstanding his intentions in running for chief in Weare.

“I never wanted to leave this town short,” Begin said. “I will do everything I can to make the transition as smooth as possible if I leave.”

Begin was met with applause after he explained his situation to voters at Town Meeting.

“I just couldn’t look at myself in the mirror knowing that ‘Mike the mechanic’ was chief in the town my kids are growing up in,” Begin said.