Framingham Funds Three Key City Jobs As First Act In 2022

FRAMINGHAM, MA — One of the first acts of the Framingham City Council in 2022 was to undo decisions the Council made in 2021.

At the request of Mayor Charlie Sisitsky, the Council on Tuesday voted to transfer about $110,000 from city reserves to fund the human resources director and Planning and Community Development director roles. Each job pays $125,000 annually, but the city only needs $55,000 for each role to last through the remainder of the fiscal year.

In June, the Council effectively fired former Planning and Community Development director Kevin Shea by eliminating funding for his salary during the 2022 budget process. The Council also halved 2021 funding for the HR director job, leading to the resignation of Dolores Hamilton in September.

The Council voted unanimously to transfer the money for the two jobs, but District 9 Councilor Tracey Bryant insinuated that she felt the defunding in 2021 was done for political gain. District 4 Councilor Michael Cannon responded that former mayor Yvonne Spicer was supposed to present plans to Council for the future of the jobs to get the funding back.

The Council on Tuesday also approved a $9,400 increase in pay for the chief financial officer job. Sisitsky has hired Wayland Town Manager Louise Miller for the job at a rate of $180,000 per year. She is expected to start in the CFO job by the end of January.