To the editor:
An era has ended in Atkinson; Chief of Police Philip V. Consentino has retired. He will be missed.
Our town has changed so very much over these past decades, but a feeling of small-town homeyness, of being a warm and comfortable place to live and raise children, has survived.
Chief Consentino has played a large role in maintaining that je ne sais quoi.
I’m sure the town will remain a good place to live, but something valuable and irreplaceable will be lost with the chief stepping down.
I’ve worked for the chief, as a former part-time police officer and prosecutor, and with him, as a former selectman, through most of these past 40 years.
The chief deserves our appreciation and gratitude for doing well a job that was often not easy and, at times, quite difficult indeed. He handled it all with competence, wisdom and patience.
Congratulations, chief, on a tenure you can look back upon with great pride, and best wishes to you and Jody in your retirement. Your shoes will be hard to fill.
William M. Bennett
Atkinson
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