Above: Richard Rainer’s previous job was chief operations officer for NATO Joint Force Command Brunssum in the Netherlands.
PORTSMOUTH — Back in March, some members of the Town Council expressed surprise that of the 57 applications for the town administrator’s job, one came from the Netherlands.
Guess who ended up with the job?
Richard Rainer, a longtime executive in the U.S. Naval Forces who is currently stationed in Denmark, has been tapped to become Portsmouth’s next town administrator starting July 1. He succeeds John C. Klimm, who left the job last month to be the city manager of Aiken, S.C.
According to his Linkedin page, Mr. Rainer has been chief operations officer for NATO Joint Force Command Brunssum in the Netherlands from July 2013 to the present. At Tuesday’s meeting, Council President Keith Hamilton said Mr. Rainer retired from that position last month.
“It was more of a want for a job and an enthusiasm for a job,” said Mr. Hamilton in summing up what impressed him about Mr. Rainer. “He has an impeccable résumé of where he’s led and what he’s done as a leader.”
When asked if Mr. Rainer has any municipal experience, Mr. Hamilton said no.
“He has leadership experience through his military experience,” he said.
Mr. Rainer is no stranger to Portsmouth. From 2008 to 2012 he and his wife lived here while he served as director of international studies at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport.
“They really wanted to be back here because of their experience at the War College,” said Mr. Hamilton.
Added council member Elizabeth Pedro, “He was the only candidate who wanted the job because he wanted to be here in Portsmouth.”
Mr. Rainer has a three-year contract beginning July 1 and will be paid an annual salary of $120,000, Mr. Hamilton said. Mr. Rainer, who’s originally from Niagara Falls, N.Y., is expected to move back to Portsmouth from Denmark on or about June 26, he said.
According to his Linkedin page, Mr. Rainer’s previous positions include chief of Naval and maritime programs at the U.S. Embassy Copenhagen, commanding officer aboard the USS Thomas S. Gates stationed in Pascagoula, Miss., and chief of staff and deputy commander of Destroyer Squadron 26 in Norfolk, Va.
Mr. Rainer earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from State University of New York at Buffalo in 1983, a Master of Science in management information systems from George Washington University in 1992, and a Master of Science in military strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College in 2012.
He is the recipient of the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal.
Mr. Rainer was a volunteer firefighter in Amherst, N.Y. and a high school lacrosse coach in Coronado, Calif., both for brief spells in the 1980s.