KEENE - The county delegation unanimously appointed assistant county attorney Chris McLaughlin the new Cheshire County attorney Monday night.

McLaughlin was one of three assistant county attorneys who were finalists for the elected position left open in December when newly reelected County Attorney Peter Heed stepped down to take a job in the private sector.

As an assistant county attorney, McLaughlin had most recently been prosecuting cases for the Keene Police Department.

John Pratt, chairman of the Cheshire County Commission, said McLaughlin and the other two attorneys were interviewed by the subcommittee before they unanimously voted to recommend McLaughlin to the full delegation.

"It was a combination of experience. He had far more than the other two. He has been with us 20 years. He has been a prosecutor and a defender. He has managerial experience. He was very familiar with the regional prosecutors. He has experience both in the district court and superior court - I thought that was valuable," Pratt said. "We all independently arrived at the same conclusion. What I call, 'This one had the gravitas, the depth.' . Anyway you looked at it, he was the one."

McLaughlin will be interim county attorney until the next election, which is November 2014, Pratt said.