AN ERA in Queen City politicking may well have come to an end last week.

The Merrimack Restaurant, a Manchester institution and New Hampshire primary landmark of nearly three decades, hosted its last campaign event Thursday night. It was a private fund-raiser for state Rep. Will Infantine and his wife, Christine Infantine, a candidate for Hillsborough County Register of Deeds.

A flier for the fund-raiser billed the event as "The Merrimack Restaurant's final political celebration." (Actually, it was in capital letters, and it had an exclamation mark.)

"The Merrimack . . . I mean, as far as I'm concerned, it's the political place in Manchester," Rep. Infantine said.

It was not exactly a typical night in the life of the Merrimack, a place that has welcomed just about everyone who has ever had the hubris to run for the Presidency, from Gary Hart to George W. Bush to Barack Obama.

Everyone who went was a campaign contributor. No one had a meal ruined by an awkward conversation with a candidate. All hand-shaking was voluntary.

Mayor Frank Guinta handed co-owner Maria Saitas a key to the city.

"You know, this is the end of an era," he said.

The restaurant itself was scheduled to close its doors for good yesterday. Saitas, who has co-owned the restaurant with her sister, Koni Farr, since 1981, said she planned to invite the regulars for one last meal.

The staff wasn't cooking anything special, she said. "Just whatever's in the house. We have to get rid of whatever we have left," she said.

Saitas and Farr announced their retirements earlier this month.

The new owners are planning to renovate the outside of the building. Francis Fernando, a member of the ownership group, said he and his partners are "actively searching for a restaurant."

There's no telling now what sort of restaurant might open there. But Fernando and his partners have purchased the rights to the name, "The Merrimack Restaurant," just in case.

EVERYONE'S GOING GREEN: Soon, every department in City Hall will have what Guinta is calling a "green liaison."

The liaisons' job will be to monitor the departments' energy consumption and, hopefully, help the city save money on its electric bill, the mayor's office says. The New Hampshire chapter of the Sierra Club has agreed to hold a training session this summer.

With tears in her eyes, Merrimack Restaurant waitress Denise Nutt of Manchester smells flowers given to her as her husband, Charles, looks on. The landmark restaurant closed yesterday. (CHERYL SENTER/UNION LEADER)

"If you can reduce energy usage, you save money for the city and at the same time reduce carbon emissions, which helps the fight against global warming," said Kurt Ehrenberg, a field representative for the Sierra Club. "It's a win-win."

DRUG WARS: A conflict over random drug and alcohol tests has upset the union representing Manchester Water Works employees.

Mike Roche, the union president, claims the city is backing out of an agreement that would have subjected every employee in Water Works, including managers and other non-union members, to the random tests.

Roche was so upset last week that he has refused to sign the union's seven-month-old labor contract, and he said he was preparing to lodge a complaint with the state Public Employee Labor Relations Board.

"We want a drug- and alcohol-free workplace," Roche said. "You have to ask yourself: What is their problem with that? What do they have to hide?"

Tom Bowen, the Water Works director, says there never was an agreement requiring drug tests for non-union members. In fact, he says it was the union that asked to have its own members tested.

"The union has no rights to negotiate for anyone other than its members," Bowen said.

Compensation manager Dawna Rooks said the Human Resources Department is "working" to get the Water Works contract signed. "I don't think that'll be much longer," she said.

SELLING A CITY: Here's one way to explain what the belt-tightening in City Hall has done to the city's marketing budget:

There's enough money in it to buy a 2008 Honda Civic, but not enough to get the model with the moon roof and alloy wheels.

Kate Benway, the city's marketing manager, says she's making do this year with a budget of just $17,000.

Last year, the budget was $50,000.

The money pays for advertisements, trade shows, marketing events and promotional materials.

"It's certainly not a lot," Benway said. "But we're doing everything we can to leverage those dollars as precisely as we can."

Benway's solution, so far, has been to convince local businesses to team up with the city on ad purchases in regional publications.

This summer, she said, she'll be on the lookout for grants.

MOVIN' ON UP: Facilities manager Tim Clougherty is now the number-two man in the Highway Department.

Clougherty's new title is deputy public works director. His boss, Public Works director Kevin Sheppard, approved the promotion last Wednesday.

"Tim is energetic," Sheppard said. "I think he'll do a great job."

THE FULL MONTY: This is what mayoral aide Sean Thomas hears almost every time his phone rings:

"I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK! I sleep all night and I work all day!"

This is what he hears when the mayor calls:

"Lovely Spaaam! Wonderful Spaaam! Lovely Spaaam! Wonderful Spam!"

OK, so Thomas likes Monty Python. But why the special ringtone for the mayor?

"I did it to annoy him, more than anything else," Thomas said.

Read Scott Brooks' coverage of Manchester City Hall in the New Hampshire Union Leader during the week. E-mail him at sbrooks@unionleader.com.