Mayor Kenneth Hopkins faces some big personnel changes at the top of the new year.

At the last City Council meeting of the year on Monday, the mayor’s chief of staff, Anthony Moretti, announced that Fire Chief Robert Ryan has asked to be placed on the pension roll after 37 years of service.

And over at the Department of Parks and Recreation, a new director with Providence credentials and Cranston residency has signed on.

Chief Ryan will soon hit the age ceiling of the firefighter’s collective bargaining agreement. His retirement will be effective at the end of the day on Jan. 3, 2025.

Moretti said he believed that if not for the age limit, Ryan would have stayed on as fire chief.

In February, he was sworn in by the mayor as the 20^th fire chief in the department’s 100-year history. He succeeded James Warren, who retired last December.

“We had two outstanding fire chiefs, and they did have those skill sets, and both of them have a passion for the job and they have passion for the residents,” Moretti said. “Some of the last people you were going to see on scene would be each of those fire chiefs. When all the apparatus is gone and the damage is done, those chiefs were always found at the scene caring for the people that were affected most.”

Moretti described Ryan as someone with “impeccable character” and acknowledged that it will be a difficult choice for the mayor to find a successor.

“We regret that he will be leaving us as one of the finest persons and fire chiefs that served the city of Cranston,” Moretti said.”

As for plans on picking the new fire chief. Moretti said the mayor has three qualified candidates on the list and has interviews scheduled to identify who will best serve the city of Cranston.

“The mayor wants to make sure he's making the right decision in the best interests of the citizens of the city,” Moretti said. “It will not be a political decision whatsoever. It'll be based on qualifications and, unfortunately, all three candidates are extremely well qualified for the position.”

Saying hello

 In other council news, the council appointed a new director of Parks and Recreation.

Steven Piscopiello is a Cranston resident known for his work in building out and serving as the president of the Cranston Western Little League. Piscopiello has been pivotal in developing the Little League complex on Hope Road.

“The time has come for a change in my career after 30 years in Providence,” Piscopiello said. “It's no better place to do it than to do it at home, and I look forward to the opportunity.

During the special finance committee meeting, members expressed their support for Piscopiello as the new director.

“I've seen you work in Providence over the years, and your resume goes back far to when I was living in Providence,” Councilman Christopher Paplauskas said. “You've been hitting home runs for Providence for a long time. I look forward to seeing you bring all your expertise, your talent, welcome knowledge and experience” to bear in Cranston.

Councilman Robert Ferri also shared his support for Piscopiello but emphasized the importance of the new role as it pertains to the playgrounds, parks and other recreational facilities in the city.

“You know that we do a lot of improvements in many areas,” Ferri said. “And we've sat back and for a whole year we've been allocating money and trying to get things done and things kind of dragged out, so you know that we're looking for somebody to hit the ground running; [someone who’s] got a lot of heart that wants to get the job done. So, I think that you're the guy.”

Piscopiello will succeed Raymond Tessaglia, who will retire. Tessaglia has done the job since January 2021, when Hopkins first took office.

Under the 2024-2025 fiscal year budget, the starting salary for the Parks and Recreation director is $81,201.

Piscopiello’s targeted start date is Jan. 13, according to Moretti.

City Council celebrates the term 

With a historic City Council –four women on board, the first female pairing as council president and vice president, and election of the body’s first woman of color – the council will look different come the new year as a majority – five of nine seats – will turn over.

Paplauskas and Council Vice President Lammis Vargas will move up into the State House in their new roles as state representative in District 15 and senator in District 28, respectively.

Councilwoman Nicole Renzulli, Ferri and Councilman John Donegan will be leaving the council.

It was a night of celebration and acknowledgement among colleagues across the aisle. Each council member shared lessons, stories and memories made working with one another, and some even left advice for the remaining members ahead of the new council’s inauguration in the coming weeks.

“I think the number-one lesson that I hope to share that I learned is listening,” Donegan said. “To hear someone, you can do passively, but to listen, it’s something that is done consciously. It’s something that you do actively, and to listen to one another, I think, is a really important skill that we can all be better off by listening to one another more often.”

During her speech, Renzulli also shared some advice for the next council.

“For the good of Cranston, please be a willing partner to the administration,” Renzulli said. “Don’t waste your time building stumbling blocks, because their success is your success, and all of that success is Cranston’s success. The people of this city don’t care about your party, they care about results, and they’re watching. Don’t let them down.”

The inauguration of the new council is set for Jan. 6.