Laconia Ward 5 City Councilor Bob Hamel, who died on Monday, works with fellow volunteers in setting up Christmas Village at the Laconia Community Center in 2015.
Laconia Ward 5 City Councilor Bob Hamel, who died on Monday, works with fellow volunteers in setting up Christmas Village at the Laconia Community Center in 2015.
LACONIA — Bob Hamel was a respected, well-liked city councilor whose legacy includes being the behind-the-scenes guy who helped make sure that every child in the city had a merry Christmas.
Appointed to the vacant Ward 5 seat in 2005, Hamel was elected and reelected biannually since then. He took a leave of absence last October to undergo treatment for cancer and did not return to the council prior to his death on Monday.
Hamel was well-known in Laconia as a part-time police officer and a member of the Lakes Region Sled Dog Club. By the time he joined the council he had already been an old hand with Christmas Village.
Over its history, the all-volunteer initiative founded in 1975 and held at the Laconia Community Center, has offered tens of thousands of children from Laconia and around the Lakes Region an opportunity to celebrate a Christmas that they might not have otherwise.
The children attending Christmas Village receive cookies and soft drinks, get to tour Santa’s workshop, where they receive a free gift, and end their visit to Christmas Village by posing for a picture with Santa Claus.
While the Bolduc brothers, Ernie and Armand, were the public faces of Christmas Village, dressing as elves and greeting visitors in character, it was Hamel, a close friend of the Bolducs, who visually documented the visitors’ time with the Jolly Old Elf.
In the setup and breakdown of Christmas Village, Hamel was the person with the cordless drill in his hand who always knew how the hundreds of individual pieces fit and how they came apart.
Gordon “Skip” Hounsell, who portrayed Santa at Christmas Village for nearly a quarter century, said Tuesday the Village is greatly saddened by Hamel’s passing.
“He (Hamel) did everything for the kids. It’s going to be very hard to replace him.”
“Anytime you needed something, Bob was always there. He always had his finger on the pulse of Laconia and Christmas Village. Bob and I had been friends for 40-plus years. We were on the (Laconia Police Department) together, and Bob got me into Christmas Village,” Hounsell said.
Brenda Baer, the former Ward 4 city councilor who served with Hamel for 12 years, said even though “Bob and I sat next to each other, we were not always on the same page, but we had a closeness and a great relationship.”
She called Hamel “a hard worker for the city” whose keen “building knowledge” and attention to detail helped the city get a good return on capital projects, including the expansion of Laconia High School, the construction of a new Central Fire Station, and most, recently, the renovation of the Colonial Theatre.
“He (Hamel) spent too much money in my opinion,” joked Baer, but it was because “he always wanted the best of everything, but he always made sure that what he and the city got in return was worth it.”
Her late colleague, Baer believes, “was probably the best-dressed councilor we ever had,” who while initially and occasionally partial to Hawaiian-print shirts, eventually warmed to wearing suits.
“Bob was a good man,” said Ward 6 City Councilor Tony Felch, who sat at Hamel’s left at the council table since 2019.
“I liked him,” Felch continued, “and I didn’t always agree with him but we could always talk about things. I’m going to miss him.”
Like himself, Felch said Hamel was an avid motorcyclist who would have been riding during this year’s Laconia Motorcycle Week, the 100th running of which is taking place this week through Saturday.
Laconia Mayor Andrew Hosmer said Hamel “epitomized the term ‘Citizen Servant,’” adding that Hamel’s “dedication to the City of Laconia was unsurpassed.” Hosmer said Hamel’s “calm presence, willingness to take on challenges and strong sense of values will be greatly missed.”
Ernie Bolduc said Hamel was the “closest, most dependable friend I’ve ever had.”
“Whenever we saw each other, even if it was twice in the same day, we’d hug,” said Bolduc. “Armand and I always considered him as a brother and he always felt he was part of the family.”
