Weeks after the job posting went online, the director role at the Department of Public Works has yet to receive a single applicant for the position, leaving the city with an increasingly difficult task on its hands.

Anthony Moretti, the mayor’s chief of staff, said it’s very disappointing that they haven’t been able to get any respondents and calls it concerning because they are also not receiving applications for the open city engineer position.

He says he understands the difficulties and challenges of recruiting for this position – compensation and an involved approval process among them.

Moretti said the approval process for the director is very public – a new DPW director must be presented to the City Council for their approval of the nomination. He says because of this, he understands it may be a significant drawback for anyone who is looking for a new role on a confidential basis.

A few months ago, Moretti said the salary for the DPW director needs to be more competitive with those in private industry.

The maximum salary range for the job in Cranston is $136,722, according to a record of municipal salaries from The League.

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

For fiscal year 2025, which began July 1, 2024, the salary for the director of the Department of Public Works is $33,252.

The salary was budgeted at that amount because of the time it would have taken to fill the job permanently, which was assumed to be by April 1, 2025. No salary is listed on the job posting; instead, it says salary will be commensurate with experience.

“Because we do understand that we may have to adjust our budget to draw someone in competitively,” Moretti explained.

Municipalities struggle to fill jobs

Randy Rossi is the executive director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns. Before that job, he had worked in municipal government more than 21 years.

He says municipalities are struggling to hire for any position.

“It’s unfortunate because they’re such crucial roles in the communities,” Rossi said. “And if we can't fill the positions, that's what gets hurt, the services that the residents pay for.”

One way the league is trying to help municipalities resolve this issue is through a study it is finishing up that will be a tool to help realign the pay structure and make municipalities more competitive.

Rossi notes that this study does not aim to siphon employees from other municipal jobs, as that just moves the problem around. Instead, he said, it’s trying to draw from a different pool, primarily the private sector.

Another major challenge Rossi said he’s been noticing is the doubt about government jobs and the lack of knowledge of what they entail.

“Now, it is just that disconnect,” Rossi said. “A lot of times people [are] like, oh, the

government, the government, the government.’ And the thing is, it's a job that everyone needs to think is important, know that is important, in order to be able to provide the services that the people pay for.”

With a job fair approaching at CCRI, the league will set up tables for municipalities and introduce themselves and available jobs to students and alumni.

How important are Cranston’s DPW director and city engineer? Rossi says they’re both crucial specialty positions.

Recognizing Cranston’s requirement that the DPW director must be a certified Professional Engineer with several years of experience, Rossi said it is a niche that goes deeper than just putting asphalt on the road.

“The warmer weather is the project season for those type of departments,” Rossi said. “And not having someone at the helm makes it more and more difficult and overtax the rest of the members.”

The job postings for DPW director and city engineer have been active for almost three months.

"Certainly, the city welcomes all qualified applicants to have an extremely rewarding employment experience of serving the community, Moretti says. “The person will have the authority to make a difference for the residents of the city of Cranston and can be surrounded in a very positive work environment."