Politics & Government

Bettencourt Named Ripp City Baseball GM

Former N.H. House majority leader from Salem will work for Haverhill baseball and softball academy.

Former N.H. House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt (R-Salem) has a new job with a Massachusetts-based baseball and softball academy.

Ripp City Sports at DB's Instructional Baseball and Softball Academy in Haverhill announced Friday Bettencourt had been hired as General Manager and Director of Public Affairs.

Bettencourt will assist Ripp City owner Rob Aziz "in developing and implementing a high-level business strategy, making major organizational decisions, and managing the overall operations of the organization. He will also lead all public relations and communications activities," according to a statement on the academy's website.

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Aziz lauded Bettencourt's "baseball and softball knowledge and leadership skills, as well as his knowledge of what it takes to run a successful small business will be a tremendous asset and will be invaluable to our plans to expand operations into southern New Hampshire."

In the statement, Bettencourt said, "for several years I’ve been talking about the importance of small business and I look forward to digging into the trenches and helping Ripp City expand and showcase its first class instruction. More importantly, I look forward to providing a positive and constructive atmosphere for young players to grow both on and off the field.”

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Bettencourt issued his immediate resignation from the House on May 27. He originally announced his intent to resign effective June 6 to focus on his job as executive director of the New Hampshire Legal Rights Foundation and his family.

 to the University of New Hampshire School of Law. Giuda said Bettencourt claimed he'd spent a semester interning at Giuda's law office, which Giuda said wasn't true. Bettencourt admitted "misrepresenting" his reports and apologized for his actions.

NHLRF later announced Bettencourt would not be joining their organization as executive director.

According to Ripp City, Bettencourt will bring his experience as a coach and player to their organization. He attended the University of Massachusetts on a baseball scholarship and later transferred to UNH, where he was captain of their club baseball team. He was later an assistant coach at UNH.

Bettencourt was head coach of the Rockingham County Red Storm and later the Rockingham County Firebirds, "an organization comprised exclusively of collegiate and former professional players" from 2004-2006 and again in 2008. In four seasons, he compiled at 60-32 record, according to Ripp City.

He later coached the Salem High School freshman baseball team in 2009, compiling a 17-3 record. He was also their assistant varsity coach in 2008 and 2009.


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