Cranston City Council unanimously voted for the appointment of Richard Bernardo for the city’s position of Director of Department of Public Works on Monday. Bernardo will start the new position in four weeks. According to Chief of Staff Anthony Moretti, Bernardo wanted to make sure he received the appointment before leaving his position as the Senior Vice President of BETA Group, Inc.

Bernardo will also receive a salary increase as director of DPW. In a 6 to 3 vote, council members approved an ordinance that the administration proposed which would raise the director’s salary by $7,000. The original salary, which was $119,985.93 a year will now be $127,219.42.

Bernardo has worked in public service for over four decades – working at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation where he was responsible for design engineering. In the private sector, he was responsible for federal, state and municipal programs with expertise in civil, transportation and environmental engineering.