Interim finance director named in Coventry after director leaves | Kent County Daily Times

COVENTRY — On the heels of the town finance director’s resignation, and in the midst of an investigation into the city manager’s managing of municipal finances, an interim finance director has been named in Coventry.

Ed Warzycha, who has at the time once again stepped in as Coventry’s interim town manager, has tapped Robert Civetti for the posture, powerful today. 

“He’s heading to be able to bounce in and get started from working day a single,” Warzycha said final 7 days, “and that is what we need.” 

Warzycha, who labored as the town’s IT director and then as its administrative officer before retiring, also served for approximately three years as interim town manager till Benjamin Marchant was employed in the spring of 2021. 

Following voting very last thirty day period to suspend Marchant — amid other points, he was accused of failing to submit finish reporting of town finances, not faithfully executing all city charter provisions, and failing to retain the town council effectively advised on the town’s economic ailment — the council termed on Warzycha to fill in though the town solicitor investigates people allegations. 

On Dec. 21, the working day following Marchant’s suspension, Lisa Mills still left her function as Coventry’s finance director following two many years on the position. Brian Hartnett, the town’s deputy finance director, also resigned. 

Calling him “very qualified” to deal with Coventry’s present-day predicament, Warzycha mentioned he chose Civetti, a licensed community accountant primarily based in Johnston, owing to his fiscal practical experience, as nicely as his familiarity with the economical software package that Coventry works by using. 

“I necessary to get someone in listed here appropriate away who is a pretty certified person,” he said of Civetti, who was hired to do the job with the town as an independent contractor.

Bringing in a everlasting finance director promptly would be hard, Warzycha added, due to the fact “there’s not a ton out there.”

“The finance directors through the state are all rather substantially spoken for,” he reported, “so we’re forced to do what we’re executing.”

While the employing of division directors is component of the town manager’s purview, a resolution authorized by the town council for the duration of a meeting very last Thursday served in part as an acknowledgment by the council of Civetti’s appointment.

“These are unusual moments for the city,” city solicitor Stephen Angell reported. “In the desire of getting entirely clear, I feel it’s important that the council be informed of this in a really official way in a public location.” 

The resolution also granted Warzycha authorization to consider the helm of the finance department until eventually Civetti’s Jan. 4 commence date— anything for which the council “must give [the town manager] convey authority” to do, the town solicitor said — and ratified the actions he’d had to get up till Thursday’s meeting. 

“He’s had to seize economic command of this town and run the economical apparatus of this town,” Angell reported. “No city manager, interim or duly appointed… has the authority to seize manage of the finance director’s place. The charter’s pretty distinct on that.”

Warzycha needed to choose on duties associated to issues like banking interactions, payroll and interior finance office computer software. Experienced he not stepped in, Angell stated, “the finance function of this town would have ceased.”

Warzycha, who’d been appointed to the interim city manager purpose just around a 7 days prior, added Thursday that he “did what [he] had to do” throughout that time in get to retain the town managing.

“You’re blessing it after the simple fact,” he stated to councilors in advance of their vote on the resolution. “I was not seeking to do this to acquire regulate it was to get completed what wanted to get performed.”

The council voted 4- to Ok the resolution, with councilor Jonathan Pascua absent.