Planning and Zoning Director Seth Creighton poses for a portrait on Memorial Street in Franklin on his last day of work Friday afternoon. (Photo: Daniel Sarch/The Laconia Daily Sun)
After three years on the job, the city’s Planning and Zoning Director Seth Creighton resigned to take a job in Rochester. His last day was July 26. He cites Mill City Park as one of his greatest accomplishments in the role.
“The position I’m getting is a step up in my career. It’s for a much larger community, I get more pay,” Creighton said. “The benefits of the job that I see and hope for is that I’ll have more resources there.”
Creighton was an hour’s round trip from Alton to work in Franklin, and in his new role as director of planning and development in Rochester, proximity between home and work was also an important factor in his decision.
“From a personal perspective, I have a young family and being home more is great. Being closer to home is great. And a little extra money is good,” he said. “And from a professional perspective, I’m at a point in my career where I want to do more planning. Proper planning, like long-term planning projects, implementing master planning concepts, implementing public improvement projects, and this new position will allow me to do that. So much of my time here is consumed with immediate day-to-day planning tasks.”
City Manager Judie Milner worked closely with Creighton and said she was sad to see him go but excited for his future.
“I felt bad for Franklin, but I was also very happy for him,” Milner said. “It says a lot that a larger community actively recruited him, and it speaks volumes about his professionalism and what he did for Franklin.”
The Planning and Zoning Director position isn’t the only position Creighton is leaving. Due to limited staff, Creighton also held the positions of Special Projects Coordinator and Director of the Building Department. While he enjoys filling all of those positions, he’s excited to narrow his scope of practice in Rochester.
“In Rochester, it will be myself, three other planners and an administrative assistant, and that Rochester department will focus on planning, zoning and development. There’s a separate economic development department in Rochester. There’s a separate construction department in Rochester,” he said. “So essentially all the work that I do now is split between three separate departments with literally 15 people. Franklin, on the other hand, currently does it with two.”
With three positions in charge, Creighton found it difficult to achieve his goals for the city. One such goal, and the main reason for taking the job in Franklin, was the whitewater features at the nonprofit Mill City Park.
“Franklin had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a city planner to try to create a public park on the river and get support for funding. There’s nothing like it anywhere else in New England, and that really intrigued me,” Creighton said. “To be honest, it took a little longer than I thought. It took almost three years, but the next phase is fully funded.”
Mill City Park is a much-discussed project. The park is funded primarily by state and federal grants and money from the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District. While some residents and city officials see it as a way to attract more tourism and tax dollars, others think it distracts from other city issues, such as school funding or road maintenance. Park founder Marty Parichand praised Creighton for his work on the whitewater park and emphasized its economic benefits to the city.
“We are a property-poor community with a lot of problems related to aging infrastructure. The idea that we have a lot of money just hidden in the budget and people can’t access it is not true,” he said. “We need to increase tax revenue.”
Creighton believes these issues are not mutually exclusive. While he acknowledged that Franklin is facing problems, he said it is his job to figure out where the city can grow. He believes the park will do that in the future, bringing more funds to the budget.
“We are all taxpayers, whether here or in another municipality. None of us likes to pay more money than necessary. But when there is a need, it must be brought forward, and as department heads we are hired. It is our job to protect the interests of the city,” he said.
Creighton also pushed for renovations to the Franklin Opera House. The City Council has scheduled a public hearing on a bond for renovations for Tuesday, September 3rd at 6 p.m. at the Elks Lodge.
Creighton in Rochester will be responsible for these types of long-term projects.
“One of my likely tasks in Rochester is implementing the downtown master plan,” Creighton said. “The master plan is the big vision for the city. What should the city look like in 25 years?”
The person tasked with finding Creighton’s successor is Milner. She will evaluate and interview applicants with the help of a committee. The committee is made up of six people, three of whom represent the city and three outside members. The committee includes a member of the Lakes Region Planning Commission, another person who works with planning and zoning directors across the state, and the heads of city departments, as well as herself. After the committee selects a candidate, the City Council must vote on the election within 10 days. Milner said the council has never objected to a election in her 15 years in office. Milner described what she looks for in a new director.
“I need a person who can think outside the box and also not be afraid to say, ‘Whoa, let’s not do this yet, and here’s why,'” she said. “That person has to be able to be the devil’s advocate of the city, always looking at things from every angle and not being afraid to jump up and say, even if it’s my idea, ‘This is a bad idea right now, and here’s why.'”
Third Ward Councilman Leigh Webb served on the Historic Preservation Commission with Creighton and chaired the Legislative Committee. He said many of the issues he dealt with were also things Creighton was involved in. Webb said he and Creighton had a “deep rapport.”
“I think it’s important that his successor is approachable to all parties and has the personality to deal with the issues that may be a little controversial,” Webb said. “Seth was good with people. You really have to be a people person to be an effective planning and zoning director and I hope his successor brings those qualities.”
Despite his departure, Creighton has an affinity for Franklin and looking back, he believes he and the city have accomplished a lot in recent years. He pointed out that during his time, 15 new businesses and a number of expansions of existing businesses have come to Franklin, as well as about 160 multifamily units, 30 single-family homes and six additional residential units.
“I think when the city takes a step back and looks at the progress it has made over the last five years, it should pat itself on the back. A lot of communities with more staff and more money have not done the same, have not been able to do the same,” Creighton said. “It took a lot of creative people to find the funding. It took a lot of people on all kinds of boards and committees and the public to support these things. And that’s what’s really going to keep this community going: keeping that momentum going and keeping the creativity and the hard work going and supporting it.”
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