City Council Interviews East Providence Manager Candidate in Public

The East Providence City Council held its first public interview for City Manager late Friday afternoon. The meeting took place in the Council Chambers, during which finalist Peter Graczykowski took the seat reserved for the city manager to answer questions shoulder-to-shoulder amid a largely amicable council.

Mayor Bruce Rogers opened the interview by addressing the to hold the final selection portion of the processes in public. Until Friday, the process had been in executive session with sealed minutes.

"When we first began discussions on this topic, neither the clerk, nor the Human Resources director, were able to find an example in the city of East Providence by the State of Rhode Island where public interviews for city manager were utilized," said Rogers, who went on to cite the privacy and employment cirumstances of candidates as a primary reason reason for having a closed selection process.

In his third appearance before the council and first public appearance, Graczykowski spoke of his extensive credentials during his introduction before the council and publicly well-attended interview. Graczykowski has been the assistant town administrator and human resources director for the town of Vernon, CT, since 2009.

In 2005, Graczykowski began work as the administrative services director and project manager for the City of Springfiled, MA. He also spent 12 years working in "various administrative responsible positions" in Chickpea, MA. 

Graczykowski holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting from now Westfield State University and an MBA and law degree from now Western New England University.

Graczykowski said his strengths include "budget development and collective bargaining." He also went on to say that after reviewing the state of the city, his "immediate goals" for East Providence are "eliminating the shortfall in the school budget, making sure that the fiscal year coincides with the tax collection year," focusing on economic development and resolving issues surrounding the TLA/Pond View permit.

When asked by Rogers on the specifics of taxes relating to the school department's deficit, Graczykowski said the city should be aware of the difficulty residents would experience when raising taxes, citing the poor economic climate.

He went on to say that he favors efficiency in the school department, including consolidation of services, something he noted has been done by the department and something he hopes will continue to be done.

When asked by Rogers of his stance on negotiating with TLA/Pond View as it relates to outstanding litigation in the city, Graczykowski offered a direct answer.

"The problem with waiting for the legal solution usually is that one side's going to be very happy and the other side's not going to be happy at all," Graczykowski said. "So yes, you do want to continue to negotiate, you do want to continue to talk and find out whether the issues are real that are being brought out and to what extent they can be addressed."

Graczykowski said he considers the city manager position to be one of the "key positions involved in [the TLA/Pond View] process." Graczykowski added that "there has to be an agreement negotiated with TLA to make sure they can stay here as a business. Obviously it's a vital business for this community. It's a taxpayer."

Graczykowski added the caveat that he would factor in the concerns of residents, later proposing an "open door" policy he would have in dealing with residents in response to a question posed by Councilwoman Katie Kleyla.

Besides a focus on negotiating, budget tackling and economic development, Graczykowski talked in length about the city's need for a better financial records keeping system as a way to eventually create savings in the way of efficiency.

Graczykowski said he does not view the chance to become East Providence's next city manager as a "stepping stone," but rather as a "capstone," saying he would move to East Providence if given the opportunity to serve.

Rogers encouraged Graczykowski to stay after the interview had adjourned, encouraging him to field questions from community members and the press. 

The next interview with a finalist for city manager will be held in open session Thursday, Sept. 8, at 6 pm.