Dean Trefethen takes over for Scott Myers as mayor of Dover

Long-time city councilor Dean Trefethen has officially become the new mayor of Dover. The former deputy mayor takes over for Scott Myers, who vacated the position to become city manager of Laconia earlier this summer.

Trefethen has been on the City Council for eight years and served as deputy mayor for three. He previously sat on the Zoning Board of Adjustment for 16 years, six of which he spent as chair. The 57-year-old has lived in Dover for 27 years and currently works for CADVantage, a printed circuit board design company in Windham.

The new mayor was sworn in during a Council meeting on July 27 after the only other candidate who filed for the post, attorney and Dover Republican Committee chair Chris Buck, bowed out of the race. His term will last through December.  

Trefethen said he will strive to maintain continuity on the Council and keep working on the issues it has been dealing with all summer, including a couple of proposed changes to the City Charter, as well as work on the capital improvement plan. 

“The top priority is just to continue on the things that the Council has already been working on,” he said.  

Trefethen said his style and approach as mayor will not be dramatically different from Myers, although his day job limits his availability for certain public events. He said he would make sure other councilors attend such events.

“I don’t think there will be too much difference,” he said. “(Myers) was very visible in the community and went to a lot of events. He had flexibility in his work schedule that allowed him to do that, and I don’t have that flexibility.”

Myers served four terms as mayor. During much of that time, the Council was plagued by infighting and animosity. Trefethen said tensions have cooled in recent months, however, and the current councilors get along well together. He said the key to maintaining focus and avoiding personal spats during meetings would be “striking the right tone without being confrontational.”

Three Dover residents recently filed a lawsuit against the city alleging councilors illegally removed language about the city’s tax cap from the City Charter. Representatives from the city argue they only removed the language from the condensed online version of the charter and not from the physical document. They removed the language from the online version after the Supreme Court ruled Manchester’s tax cap was illegal last year. But state legislation approved in July reinstated the Manchester cap.  

Trefethen said Dover’s tax cap, which essentially limits government spending to the rate of inflation, is currently “in flux.” Regardless of the outcome, he said he would work to find efficiencies to keep budgets balanced. That includes examining various long-term programs to see if they can be streamlined or eliminated. 

“I think that’s what you have to do as a council, and we’ve been trying to do that,” he said. 

Councilor Karen Weston has been appointed Dover’s new deputy mayor. The filing period is now open for candidates to fill the at-large seat Trefethen vacated. The Council will select a new councilor to fill the seat for the rest of the year.

Dover’s municipal elections will take place in November. Trefethen said he is leaning toward running for reelection as mayor.

“I haven’t decided 100 percent, but I’m leaning in that direction,” he said.