WHEN SUPERINTENDENT Thomas Brennan dropped the bombshell on Monday — that he would step down at the end of the coming school year — the consensus seemed to be that incessant criticism from a faction on the school committee gotten the better of him.

Not so, says Brennan.

“It probably looks like a knee-jerk reaction, and I don't know if anyone will believe me, but I had already made this decision some time ago,” Brennan said when we sat down last week to discuss the decision and his tenure.

The job had taken a toll on Brennan's relationship with his wife of 42 years, he said; she has continued to live at the family home in New London while he has rented in Manchester.

Still, it was clear that tensions with some members of the school committee had worn on the mild-mannered Brennan. “It's obvious there were times when the board and I disagreed. After awhile, you get the sense that it might be in the best interest of the school district that new leadership be brought in with a fresh look, a fresh attitude,” he said.

Not that Brennan feels committee members were out of line in scrutinizing and questioning his decisions. “I think it comes with the job. My predecessors were in that hot seat, and whoever comes after me will be in that hot seat.”

For all the rancor at times, Brennan said he's proud of the district and, while characteristically spreading the credit around, he pointed to several accomplishments, such as creating alternative programs to help marginal students graduate; making the Manchester School of Technology a four-year high school; and improving coordination across the high schools. And he emphasized that he'd continue to devote himself fully to the job in the coming year.

What comes next for Brennan?

“Not retirement,” he said with a laugh. He said he wants to continue to work in education, perhaps teaching at the college level, perhaps another superintendent job.

As for his successor, Brennan referred to guidance recently offered by the dean of the Southern New Hampshire University School of Education. “The most critical piece to moving a district forward is the relationship a superintendent has with the school board,” he said. “That would be my only piece of advice, that you have to work, and work hard at it.”

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For the past month, an urban experiment has been under way on Hanover Street. On Friday and Saturday nights, a section of the street downtown has been closed to cars, with the restaurants and bars extending seating out on to the sidewalk and offering live music.

For the most part, the experiment has been a success, business owners told city officials at a meeting last week, but there have been some bumps in the road.

One of the main issues has been communication, says Andrea Lessard, the proprietor of the clothing boutique Shop Estella.

“The last I heard about this was in April, and then I was told a week before that the street was closing,” she said. “I think this could be great, but I think so far it's been done with very little communication or leadership.”

That was one the reasons for the meeting, says Alderman Pat Long, who has been one of the main boosters of the street-closing idea.

He's urging the businesses in the area to form their own association to coordinate and oversee the event. “They could have Intown Manchester tell them what to do, or they can form their own Hanover Street LLC and decide what they want to do,” he said. The group could coordinate, for example, what type of outdoor music would be played.

Long intends to bring a motion before the aldermen this week to extend the pilot program through Labor Day weekend.

And down the line, bigger plans are being discussed.

Peter Ramsey, president of the Palace Theater, is considering offering free movies and entertainment.

Long would like to see street vendors and performers. “We don't want a carnival atmosphere, but maybe some Art Institute students could draw caricatures. We want to attract pedestrians,” he said.

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Mayor Ted Gatsas is keeping the heat on the International Institute of New Hampshire as the organization seeks to settle an additional 200 refugees in Manchester next year.

“As you are well aware, the city of Manchester has worked in the past to implement a moratorium on refugee resettlement,” Gatsas wrote in a letter Thursday to Barbara Seebart, the head of the state refugee office, which is reviewing the IINH's application to settle more refugees in the city.

Gatsas continued: “In the past year I believe that the city of Manchester and IINH have made a good faith effort to improve communication and resolve other issues relative to refugee resettlement. However, there is still much work to be done.”

The tone of the letter itself represents a considerable improvement in the relationship between the mayor and the IINH, which recently hired a new director, who by all accounts has been working closely with local leaders and agencies.

Last year, Gatsas, angered that the organization was disregarding the harsh conditions that many of the thousands of refugees here are facing, took his campaign for a moratorium to the Legislature and sought to get the Executive Council to block federal funding for the IINH.

Gatsas says he still wants a moratorium, but the latest letter hints at a little more flexibility, requesting that the proposed resettlement “be reconsidered or the number requested be reduced.”

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tsiefer@unionleader.com