An attorney with extensive experience in government operations and in federal and state tax law, Carollynn Lear became City Manager on June 16, 2025. Lear most recently spent three years with the IRS with the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate, and previously as senior attorney and advisor to the deputy commissioner of the IRS.
Prior to federal service, Lear served as the assistant commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration and in that capacity she oversaw 160 agency staff and an agency budget of $24 million. She managed several agency departments that included the Business Office, Legal Bureau, Internal Audit, Human Resources, and Project Management. She had final say over tax matters, personnel issues, litigation, project and contract management, and other matters.
Lear is a native of Belfast, Maine, who graduated from Northeastern University and later earned degrees from the Roger Williams University School of Law and from the Boston University School of Law, where she received a specialized legal degree in tax law.