Committed, efficient, diligent, prudent, thorough, courageous, accurate, trust-worthy, fair. These are among the words used to describe our 2025 Citizen of the Year, Kathy Donahue, who has been nominated multiple times over the years, and by several residents, for her myriad contributions to town governance and organizations.
The role she is currently associated with is on the Board of Finance, where Kathy has served since 2019, the last five years as Chairman. Statutorily charged with providing oversight of the Town’s finances, the board is responsible for the Town’s budgets, annual reports and audits, approves appropriations, and sets the tax rate. Kathy exercises due diligence with regard to all of these matters. She is constantly looking for ways to reduce spending and increase revenue through sound investments, initiating committees to examine policies and procedures when necessary in an effort to protect taxpayers’ interests. Under Kathy’s keen eye and vigilance, no stone is ever left unturned, no penny is wasted. Taxpayers can rest assured that their dollars are well spent.
“I’m so delighted that Kathy has been selected for this honor. She is one of the hardest working, committed people I know,” says colleague Kathi Newcombe. “She has spent countless hours attending meetings of other boards, commissions and committees in Hampton, as well as staying abreast of the governmental activities in surrounding towns, all in order to stay on top of the needs of the town. In her leadership role, she has been almost solely responsible for increasing the percentage of funding for the Fire Department’s Length of Service Award Program to assure the rewarding of our hard-working Fire Department volunteers into the future. It is a pleasure to work with someone as diligent and conscientious as she is!”
A stickler for accuracy, Kathy collects and disseminates all data relevant to board discussions, relying solely on documented sources, so that the most informed decisions can be made by members. She reports the pertinent information she learns from her attendance at other meetings in town. A review of the minutes of meetings she conducts reveals: countless contributions of information; transparency in the materials provided to officials and to the public; deliberation among members in the questions raised, answered, and the discussions had.
As Chairman, Kathy presides over meetings in a manner which facilitates a strong working relationship with all members. Though not everyone agrees on every matter, debate is encouraged and opinions are respected. Members are asked to forward suggestions for the next agenda, and their requests are honored. Citizens are always encouraged to speak, at the start and at the close of every meeting; their questions and concerns are welcomed with a response.
Along a similar vein, the relationship the First Selectman and the Chairman of the Board of Finance have forged could serve as a model of different branches of government working together. Allan Cahill and Kathy Donahue discuss everything that arises in our Town, check in with one another throughout the course of any given week, ensure that everything is covered to present options to the decision makers, whether the Selectmen, the finance board, or the Town Meeting, for all potential purchases, budgetary matters, solutions to problems. They might, perhaps, compromise at times, yet they have what’s most important in common: a sense of fiscal responsibility, a love of the town and a commitment to its people.
Says Al, “Kathy Donahue is the consummate public servant, always the most prepared, and has constantly done the due diligence and the background homework as Chair of the Board of Finance. We are fortunate to have her advocating for the Town of Hampton. It’s a privilege to collaborate with Kathy, preserving our fiscal integrity.”
Some of the stances Kathy has needed to take have not always been easy, or popular. Yet she never forgets that her charge is to protect the financial health of the town, to safeguard its finances, and to remain sympathetic to the plight of taxpayers, especially during difficult times. She listens, and she cares.
Along with serving on the Hampton Elementary School Board of Education for many years, as its Vice-Chairman, and Chairman of the school’s Finance and Operations Committee, Kathy served on Ad-Hoc Educational Committees. In 2003, when the Regional District #11 Board of Education Chairman announced at a tri-town meeting that residents needed to approve construction of a $25 million building to solve issues jeopardizing the school’s accreditation, Kathy was among the citizens who explored other options through an “Educational Choice Committee” established by the Selectmen. After a year-long study, tri-town residents overwhelmingly defeated the question of a new school, and as a result, the building was reconfigured and still stands today to educate the district’s middle and high school students.
Most recently, Kathy served as a member of a committee which spent a year studying the possibility of a merger with Scotland and Hampton elementary schools in the face of increasing costs and a decreasing student census. Though Scotland supported the proposal, Hampton defeated it, but the committee’s thorough work provided us with ample information on current and future costs of operating our local schools as our towns, and towns across the state, meet the challenges of escalating expenses and declining student populations.
Kathy has served the town, not only as a public official, but also as a volunteer. She was a member of the Gazette’s Editorial Board and served as our Treasurer. She has helped prepare the Senior Luncheons, salads for the Memorial Day Barbecue, and grinders for the Super Bowl Sunday Sale. Sometimes this assistance is at the last minute; she’s always been available to “pitch in in a pinch”. That adage – if you need something done, ask a busy person – certainly applies to Kathy, but that’s not why she’s frequently asked. She’s extremely competent. She simply rolls up her sleeves and gets the job at hand, done. During the 2020 Presidential Election, when Covid struck key election officials, it was Kathy who stepped in to assume multiple responsibilities at the polls.
Years ago, when their sons Matt and Shane were children, Kathy and her husband Steve were involved in youth activities, including sponsorship of youth sports teams. Children have always held a special place in Kathy’s very large heart. Though not a member of the Recreation Commission, this Halloween Kathy decorated the pavilion for the trick-or-treaters, and throughout the Covid pandemic, she decorated the elementary school for every holiday as a way to show the children, isolated from the community at that time, that the community cared. She’s always the one to suggestion collections for colleagues, sending condolences in times of loss, or gift cards in recognition of those who retire from boards. And when the Mennonite community was new to Hampton, it was Kathy who organized a baby shower for five young women as a way of welcoming them, and their children, to our community.
Among the long list of superlatives, two other words are frequently used to describe Kathy: supportive. Her empathy is unparalleled. She doesn’t have to know a person well to care deeply. How many neighbors have she and Steve volunteered their time, energy, and truck to help move? How many free groceries delivered during the pandemic to those who were quarantined?
On a personal note, this fall when we had our grandson’s adoption party, it was Kathy and Steve who showed up early and unannounced to assist, and without a word, set up the tables, replenished them with food, and cleaned them afterwards. Two and a half years earlier, while Kathy was calling to check if I’d heard anything of my daughter, who was missing, the police arrived in our driveway. Kathy was here, by my side, in less than ten minutes, and stayed “by my side” throughout those first difficult days, weeks and months. I’m so fortunate to have her as a friend.
The other word everyone associates Kathy with – fun! She has a great sense of humor and an affinity for laughter. Whether you’re slicing grinders or crunching numbers, Kathy is, unfailingly, fun to be around.
Dayna McDermott