Arrested Atkinson selectman excused from meetings until May, when he plans to return
Apr. 12—ATKINSON — While his DUI case unfolds in Pennsylvania, Atkinson selectman William Baldwin asked his fellow board members this week to excuse his absence until next month.
Town Administrator John Apple read aloud an email from Baldwin at Monday's regular meeting: "I am officially asking for a medical leave of absence with the understanding I will be returning to my Board of Selectmen position at the next meeting after April 25, 2022."
Baldwin, 51, was arrested March 16 after his car went off the side of a highway and into a tree, according to a statement from the Derry, Pennsylvania, Township Police Department. Officials said he was not injured in the crash.
He has not attended an Atkinson Board of Selectmen meeting since.
The arrest revealed that Baldwin worked for nearly a year as a public safety director — with 24/7 responsibilities mirroring a police chief — in Middletown Borough, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania while still holding elected office in New Hampshire. He was fired from his Pennsylvania post following the DUI arrest.
In the meantime, Atkinson officials partnered with the New Hampshire Secretary of State to assure that no residency laws were broken.
One of the qualifications of the Pennsylvania police job was a valid Pennsylvania driver's license, which can only be obtained with two proofs of residency.
As explained on the state's website, applicants have the option to bring a person with whom they reside to sign an affidavit. A second proof of residency, such as official mail, is still needed.
Baldwin also had to prove he lived in New Hampshire when filing to run for his fourth term as an Atkinson selectman earlier this year. A copy of that paperwork at Town Hall notes an address in town, 48 Chandler Drive.
The homeowner at that address said Baldwin is her roommate but declined further comment.
Atkinson Select Board Chairman Robert Worden said the investigation is complete, but declined to share details. He said Town Clerk Julianna Hale will present all findings at the next selectmen meeting on April 25.
Worden this week also retracted prior statements he made publicly about his knowledge of Baldwin's Pennsylvania employment.
At Monday's meeting, he said, "At the time I was unaware of the details pertaining to the contractual arrangement of Mr. Baldwin's employment, but I was aware that he was working in some sort of capacity in a public safety position for a town in Pennsylvania."
He said he believes that work done outside of the board's purview can be kept private.
Much of Baldwin's career, however, has been in the public sector. That includes local policing experience in Atkinson and Plaistow, and most recently part-time in Danville.
According to Danville Chief Wade Parsons, Baldwin was employed by the agency part-time on March 19, 2021 — two months before taking the out-of-state role. He worked a total of 335 hours through the remainder of the year.
"He has not worked any hours for us in 2022," Parsons said. "Which was due to his obligations as Public Safety Director for the Borough of Middletown, Pennsylvania."
