Cranston has not had a full-time personnel director for more than five years, but that void was finally filled last Thursday night.

The City Council held two special meetings, one of the finance committee and another for the full council, to confirm Daniel Parrillo, Jr., as the new personnel director. The reason for the rush is Parrillo’s 30-day notice to the Johnston Police Department, where he currently serves as deputy chief.

He was confirmed unanimously by finance and the full council, and the process went rather quickly.

“Everybody says you’re a great guy and you're more than qualified and judging by what you said tonight they were correct,” Citywide Councilman John Lanni, Jr., said. “I wish you a lot of luck.”

Parrillo said that, as deputy chief, he has also acted as a “quasi-personnel director,” handling everything from training to hiring to termination hearings.

While he has experience in the requirements for the job, Parrillo said he won’t be able to do it alone.

“I’m going to be asking for a lot of help from people who work for the personnel department,” Parrillo said. “It’s not a one-person job. It’s going to take a lot of unity, a lot of working together, meeting with department heads, finding out what their needs are, what they haven’t had in the last five years without a personnel director.”

In that respect, it’s not so different from his soon-to-be-old job.

“That’s the key in any operation, whether it’s policing or civilian life: You need to have all hands on deck,” said Parrillo. He was joined by acting personnel director Rob Coupe.

Parrillo said, “Not everyone’s going to get everything they want.”

A paramount concern of Ward 1 Councilman Steve Stycos is diversity within the Cranston workforce, as evidenced in his July 5 op-ed in the Herald with Len Cabral. Stycos wrote, which he echoed last week, that “23 percent of Cranston’s population is black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American or mixed race,” citing the Census.

However, just 2 percent of full-time city employees are minorities. It’s an issue Stycos has championed since last year, and Parrillo is on board with improving those numbers as well.

“I think the biggest thing, when it comes to diversity, is engagement, recruitment and getting the word out,” Parrillo said. “Getting into communities that are less represented. I think it’s important to hit those diverse cultures, let them know they can be a part of this administration in whatever capacity they see fit.”

Parrillo added after a follow-up from Stycos that it is also “absolutely” important to reach out to veterans as well, calling them an “undersized class within the workforce.”

Mayor Allan Fung said Monday that it is “exciting” to have Parrillo on board. He hopes to see the personnel department take a more proactive role such as filling a position because of an impending retirement, now that there is a full-time director at the helm.

“The priorities that we see are necessary are to update our personnel handbook [and] the push on diversity is critically important, and getting his input and insights on reviving a lot of the things that we can do still to improve on the diversity and the recruitment process.”

During an interview with the Herald on Friday, Parrillo went into more detail about his job search. He said a chance encounter with Mayor Fung seemed to be a harbinger of things to come.

“Being in the Deputy Chief position for the last 4 ½ years I’ve had the opportunity to really meet a lot of different people, engage with different people and network with a lot of different people,” Parrillo said. “So you build up a rapport and relationship, and I was talking to Mayor Fung one day and he asked me what the future held, and I told him I’m looking for an opportunity to see what’s out there. He asked me if I was strictly looking for a police chief’s job. He asked me if I was open to any other opportunities and I told him I was and willing to listen.”

Fresh out of Salve Regina with his Master’s degree, Parrillo said he had “maxed out” in Johnston. He will have a couple weeks of vacation coming up that will be used as transition time, and he officially starts in Cranston on Aug. 21.

It could take some adjustment at first, but he still expects to see some of the same issues he once saw in Johnston.

“Right now it’s a little confusing, but it will all come together,” he said of switching to a different title after 28 years in criminal justice. “Everything I do now is what’s needed in Cranston on a different scale. We have 65 policemen and 17 civilians here, so you’re talking about 82 people and they have 620 in Cranston. But it’s the same issues, it’s hiring, firing, disciplining, keeping track of payroll and people’s time, sexual harassment, Family Medical Leave Act, Fair Labor and Standards Act, conflict management, a lot of the same issues that we deal with here.”

Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena said Monday that while he knew losing Parrillo would be a blow to the town, he could not prevent him from seeking other opportunities and ultimately departing for Cranston.

“The mayor asked if I would be upset if I take him, and I said no I would never hold him back,” Polisena said. “Our loss is no doubt Cranston’s gain.”

(This story includes reports from Tim Forsberg, editor of the Johnston Sun Rise.)