City Council to Advertise for Top Job Again

The East Providence City Council has, once again, slowly started a move to name a permanent City Manager. At its' April meeting the council authorized Human Resources Director Kathleen Waterbury to again formulate a job description and then advertise for the position. Paul Lemont, a two-time former City Manager is currently serving as Acting City Manager. Paul Lemont was brought back as interim because another former manager Peter Graczykowski was fired after a short tenure as city manager. Graczykowski, hired by a prior city council in September of 2011, was never given a binding employment contract. Graczykowski was hired after another former manager, Peter Brown was not retained as the city's chief executive.

Lemont was not retained by a former city council in 2003 who refused to renew his contract at that time. After Lemont was hired as an interim leader he made it clear that he would like the job back on a permanent basis. "Yes, I would like to stay on as permanent city manager," Lemont told the Reporter in a prior interview. Ward 2 councilman Helder Cunha, had introduced a resolution to have Graczykowski suspended and then fired after Graczykowski had raised some eyebrows with a couple of controversial decisions and became embroiled in a growing controversy between the police union and its embattled police chief at the time, Joseph Tavares. After Graczykowski was fired, Lemont was brought back to the city in November of 2013 as interim city manager.

About this time the state appointed budget commission was finishing its' work in East Providence, although a financial overseer, Paul Luber, still remains in the city. "I look forward to coming back," said Lemont at the time. "I think I can help bring back our city. When I was here I knew where every penny was spent. I will do that again," he stated. Lemont also dealt with the police controversy in the city and eventually brokered a deal in which Joseph Tavares left and Chris Parella was named Police Chief. "When I left in 2003, we were at an all-time high. We had been nominated for All America City status 3 times in 14 years, our Police and Fire Pension Plan was fully funded, we were on the verge of having the state see our waterfront recovery, and we had the lowest tax rate of any City in the state. There were many other accolades that put us "first" or "on top" and while the bloom has been off that rose for the past few years, we are once again poised to regain our former status. The nightmare of running out of money or of having to have outsiders determine our destiny is over. With few restrictions, we are once again in the driver's seat of directing our future," Lemont told city councilors and taxpayers at a budget hearing, when he returned.

Lemont has made it very clear that he thought it was a big mistake for the state to send a Budget Commission here to run the city recently. "The state screwed up. They thought having state people run a city government is the same. It's not, they were wrong," he added. "The quality of life was in question for our city. The Budget Commission cost of thousands of dollars in unneeded overtime costs by not filling needed police, fire and other critical positions," Lemont continued. Since Lemont has returned to office he has filled some 16 vacancies in the fire department and 6 to 7 officers are in the police academy. "Our forces were working too long with platoon systems using overtime and they became stressed out. It's not the right way to run a city," said Lemont. Lemont said that the Budget Commission and others failed badly in the recent fire department construction delay. "... but I'm glad to say that we now have finished (fire station constructions) and staffing levels are almost back, and we had no tax increase," he added. "I know this city, I have the experience. I left this city in great shape and I would like to get us back up there," said Lemont. Paul Lemont spent almost 20 years as a top manager at the former Providence Gas Company before becoming East Providence's City Manager.

Since Lemont has returned as an interim, the city has appeared to run smoothly and he has the support of city department heads in City Hall. The long standing city deficit has been eliminated according to state watchdog, Paul Luber and needed repairs have occurred throughout the school department which had seen city school infrastructure neglected for years. However at times there have been some tense council meetings with some members pushing for the manager's job to be advertised. Mayor Tom Rose, while lavishing praise upon Paul Lemont, initiated a move last month to have the city finally advertise and hire a permanent City Manager. "I hope he (Lemont) applies, we are pleased with him," said Rose.

In the past, Ward 2 councilman Helder Cunha has pushed for the job to be advertised widely, "so we can get the best candidate to run our city." Personnel Director Waterbury responded to the council that a previous attempt to seek qualified candidates for the job failed to produce enough good candidates. Waterbury cited a low salary range for the position at that time. Waterbury will report back to the council in early May with a new salary range commensurate with top jobs elsewhere. Lemont didn't comment last month but if his prior public comments are still holding true, he will apply for his old and current job again.