I think I’ve explained in excruciating detail what my responsibilities are and how I followed them.”

Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr.

PORTSMOUTH — Concerns about Elizabeth Draper’s record as Hopkinton’s finance director surfaced last week before the council voted 5-2 to ratify Town Administrator Richard Rainer Jr.’s appointment of her as new finance director for Portsmouth.

Draper will succeed Kayla Marsden, who is taking a job in Somerset. She worked her last day on Aug. 11, the same day Draper was appointed. 

Council members David Reise, Sharlene Patton and Mary McDowell all said they had reviewed Hopkinton’s audits and had concerns, although Reise and Patton declined to elaborate.

McDowell said the 2025 Hopkinton audit contained “not only material weaknesses but significant deficiencies as well.”

She also pointed to a finding in the 2024 audit that Hopkinton had been behind in monthly and year-end reconciliations and closing procedures since fiscal 2022, with the delays continuing for two more years.

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Draper became Hopkinton’s finance director in 2022.

“I mean, how do I ignore something like that?” McDowell asked.

She also noted that Portsmouth has had seven finance directors in 10½ years. “This must beg the question: why?” she said. “I think they are legitimate concerns.”

McDowell said she could not support Draper “right now.”

Rainer said he was aware of the Hopkinton audit before selecting Draper and that town officials had discussed the findings with her.

He said staffing was a major factor behind the problems identified in the audits. “The town did not help her,” Rainer said. When Draper was hired, he said, she had no deputy and little staff support.

Portsmouth, he said, has a deputy finance director and finance clerk, as well as fully staffed, independent tax assessor’s and tax collector’s offices.

“We have better staffing and better internal control,” Rainer said. “I am comfortable with her explanation and for the situation she was in.”

Rainer said he reviewed Hopkinton’s audits from 2021 through 2025 and believed the problems had been adequately addressed. “I can assure the council this was dealt with head on,” he said.

Reise questioned why the council had not received more information about the audit findings in its backup material.

“How do you justify not giving us this information?” he asked Rainer. “Your backup was sketchy at best.”

Rainer defended the process, saying he had fulfilled his responsibilities in vetting Draper. “I think I’ve explained in excruciating detail what my responsibilities are and how I followed them,” he said.

“This shouldn’t be happening now!” Reise interrupted.

Council President Keith Hamilton stepped in, telling the two men to stop before reiterating that the town’s charter had been followed. He said it was the responsibility of the town’s professional staff to “ask the hard questions.”

Despite the concerns, the council voted 5-2 to hire Draper, with McDowell and Patton opposed.