We recently caught up with new Wilton Town Administrator Nick Germain in his office after only four days on the job.  He is excited to be part of a small town like Wilton, and looking forward to jumping in and tackling the many key projects that are currently in the pipeline.  We agreed that the term “drinking from a firehose” was an apt description for everything that is coming his way!

Nick has lived in N.H. since he was 1-years old – his mother and father moved from central Massachusetts to settle in Fitzwilliam, and eventually Swanzey. Since 2014 Nick has lived in an apartment in Manchester (close to his former job with the town of Hooksett).  “I haven’t found the commute that difficult, but eventually I might want to move a bit closer”, he said.

Nick attended Keene State College obtaining a BA in Communications with a minor in American Studies. He then went on to the University of New Hampshire and received a Master of Public Administration. His initial position was at the Portsmouth Housing Authority where he helped conduct a strategic planning process which included 50+ stakeholder interviews and researching and analyzing information on demographics, housing, land usage, regional economics, and policy.

For the last five years Nick has worked for the Town of Hooksett as its Project Coordinator.

“I got a chance to manage a variety of special projects and initiatives for the town, and also acted as liaison to the public, town departments, state and local officials, and private contractors”, he said.  He also focused on budgeting, managing requests for proposals and procurement projects, policy reports, election processes, and the town’s annual report and town website. 

“I really love Wilton’s website, and a number of curious municipal colleagues from other communities have told me that it is among the best they have seen, so I’m looking forward to exploring it further”.

Nick is also a LEAN Management & Strategic Planning specialist and recently spearheaded a complete LED Streetlight Conversion project in Hooksett.

He has also volunteered at the Greenleaf Recreation Center in Portsmouth, the New Hampshire Food Bank, and the Seacoast Adopt-a-Block program, and has also participated in the New Hampshire Municipal Association, Young South East Asian Leadership Initiative Exchanges, the Leadership Matters Program and the International City Managers Association.

“From my experience so far in town government, I’ve learned I can’t be an expert in everything and I need to draw on the expertise of town staff and departments. I’m really looking forward to having a meaningful impact on the town”. Nick foresees a lot of change coming at the local, state and federal level, and he views one of his roles as helping Wilton get prepared for that change and minimize any negative impact.

Our discussion then turned to his personal interests and hobbies.

“I’m very close to my father, and a lot of my interests and hobbies come from him.  I love hiking and hunting/foraging for wild mushrooms – I think I have learned to identify about 14 varieties”, he said.  

He is very much a student of history and a voracious reader, and loves podcasts.  “During the pandemic, like many other people I got interested in cooking. I’ve previously learned how to make fresh pasta -- my ancestors are from the Lombardy region of Northern Italy; I’d also like to learn more about Italian wine”, he added.

We closed our interview with two questions that we also ask the Select Board as part of their profiles:

Who would you want to play you in a movie about your life? What would the movie be titled?

“I envision perhaps Steve Buscemi or Paul Giamatti, or perhaps Paul Rudd. I’m not sure about a title for the movie, but it would definitely be a comedy!”

What person (alive or dead) would you most like to meet, and why?

“I’d like to pick two.  First, Abraham Lincoln, for all the obvious reasons, but also because of the ways he could bring people together and effect major transformation.  The second is Giuseppe Garibaldi. He was also the effecter of transformative change, having contributed to Italian unification. And like Abraham Lincoln, he was also pragmatic and deliberate in terms of bringing various factions together to implement change.”

Next time you are doing business down at Town Hall, be sure to stop by Nick’s office and welcome him to town!