City struggles to hire full-time DPW director

By ROSEGALIE CINEUS
Posted 1/15/25

With the inauguration over, the work for the new year has begun, and in Cranston that work includes filling some of the top positions in city government.

At the Department of Public Works, the …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

City struggles to hire full-time DPW director

Posted

With the inauguration over, the work for the new year has begun, and in Cranston that work includes filling some of the top positions in city government.

At the Department of Public Works, the director’s job has been missing a permanent fixture since its last full-time employee, Richard Bernardo, retired in April 2023.

But getting someone permanent has been difficult, according to Anthony Moretti, the mayor’s chief of staff.

Moretti explained that several factors have figured into the delay in hiring a full director – from the qualifications specified under the city Charter to the inherent uncertainty of the mayoral election’s outcome.

A candidate for the position is required to be a professional engineer licensed to practice in the state and needs to have at least five years of experience in highway or public works administration.

Moretti noted that since the director is appointed by the mayor, with the election season happening, someone who may have been appointed by Mayor Kenneth Hopkins could have been dismissed without cause if Hopkins had lost reelection – not exactly an incentive to work for the city.

Now that Hopkins has won the office again, Moretti said, “we think there could be a greater opportunity to attract a professional for a career move.”

However, one of the biggest obstacles that continues to challenge the administration in its search for a new director is the salary.

In the fiscal year budget for 2024, the DPW director’s salary was about $132,000.

Because of the complexity of the job, Moretti says, the city should be more competitive with the private industry.

In the fiscal year 2025, the salary for the director of the Department of Public Works is $33,252. According to Finance Director Thomas Zidelis, the question was posed, “How long would it take to fill the position?”

It was determined that it would take three quarters of a year to fill the position permanently and assumed the position would have been filled by April 1, 2025.

So, the salary was budgeted at $33,252, which included a differential given to the acting director at the time, Justin Mateus, who was also the primary city engineer.

“Given those parameters and the job market, certainly just those parameters make it very difficult to attract a career professional engineer to commit to a municipality where salaries are not competitive to private industry,” Moretti said.

According to Zidelis, Mateus got paid a differential for doing additional duties related to the director role alongside his role as the city engineer.

Moretti says for the upcoming fiscal year 2026, which begins this July 1, the salary will depend on the individual.

“Salary will be considered based on relevant experience and years of experience,” Moretti said.

On top of the salary issue, Moretti says, the director role is a complex job that requires more than just engineering work.

What territory does the job cover?

The DPW director oversees a $17.1-million operating budget, manages 71 employees and serves as a voting member of the City’s Planning Commission.

The Department of Public Works oversees the control, care and maintenance of all phases of public works infrastructure, projects and facilities, including rodent control, waste management and storm water drainage.

As a director, you’re taking care of the engineering department, dealing with highway, fleet and building maintenance to trash collection and traffic safety. You must also manage people and deal with members of the public and City Council.

“It's multifaceted and there's multifaceted challenges,” Moretti said. “That does make it a very difficult position to fill, in a very important role for the city because it affects so many individuals.”

The result has been that Cranston has fallen into a cycle of acting directors without the continuity of a permanent director in place.  

When the mayor took office for his first term, in 2021, Ken Mason was the director. He retired in March 2022, which left the position open.

A month later, Richard Bernardo was appointed to be the next DPW director after the City Council approved an ordinance to raise the position’s salary from $119,986 a year to $127,219.

Bernardo had said he would not be able to take the position unless he received the increase.

Pulling double duty

Bernardo had the job until November 2023, when he retired, leaving the position open once more.

After Bernardo’s departure, Mateus, the city’s engineer at the time, filled the director’s role – essentially working both jobs at the same time.

Mateus stayed on as the director and city engineer until recently, when he retired in November 2024 to focus on family considerations, according to Moretti.

Now, Frank Corrao, who previously retired from the state Department of Transportation, is the part-time acting director of the Department of Public Works.

According to Moretti, Corrao began the role in November 2024 and is happily retired but is filling a gap as the administration looks for a permanent director.

“Frank's enjoying retirement, doing other things, and there are pension considerations,” Moretti said. “So, he doesn't want to take on a full-time role in the city – but is extremely qualified to do so and he's kind of doing us a favor.”

Corrao is not the only one helping to fill a gap in the department. Mason is still working about 10 hours a week, according to Moretti, helping with sewer and drainage projects. Bernardo was also helping but is now completely removed for family and health reasons.

But while the gap left by a missing permanent director at the department is being held together by a cycle of retired yet qualified individuals, there is yet another open position. The chief engineer position that was filled by Mateus is also open.

For Moretti, a lot of this boils down to the pay of administrative personnel.

COLAs in administrative jobs an issue

“Fundamentally, over the years, the compensation for administrative personnel were given cost of living adjustments [COLA],” Moretti said. “Then in some years when there were budget challenges, there were several years when no increases, no [COLA] were even made. As a result, compensation for certain administrative personnel fell behind the competitive rates that are given in other communities, and throughout the state and in private industry.”

Moretti said that although this rings true for virtually all administrative positions in the city, the roles with technical requirements are ones of particular concern.

“Certainly, the chief engineer and the Department of Public Works director, both positions, fall in that category.”

With Corrao as the part-time acting director, the administration will have to find a new director in a permanent capacity and a new city engineer.

“The city is fully intended in recruiting a new permanent director,” Moretti said. “The DPW director is required to possess a Professional Engineer (PE) credential along with several years of related experience. Given those requirements, the process will take as long as necessary in order to recruit a successful candidate in light of a very competitive workforce marketplace.”

According to the job posting provided to the Herald, applications must be received by Feb. 8.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here