Council confirms Michael Kwiatek as Lynndirector of information technology after debate over posting and salary range
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Summary
The council voted to confirm Michael Kwiatek as the city's first director of information technology. Personnel director Drew Russo summarized a competitive in‑house search and the CFO said the hire will fill a position established in the charter; councilors asked questions about posting, anonymous complaints, and salary range rules.
The Lynn City Council voted March 25 to confirm Michael Kwiatek as the city's first director of information technology, a chartered post that city personnel officials said was created to modernize municipal systems.
Why it matters: the position is intended to centralize IT leadership for a city that has recently expanded its technology needs; officials said filling the role is urgent after the retirement of a longtime network specialist and recent outages.
Recruitment, candidate background Drew Russo, the city personnel director, told the council the vacancy was advertised in mid‑December and received 21 applications. Five candidates were interviewed and two were advanced to a second round that included the mayor. Russo said the chief financial officer is the appointing authority and recommended Kwiatek. Russo said Kwiatek is a lifelong Lynn resident with 25+ years in IT, including long service at the Boston Globe and work as an IT director at DMB Financial. Kwiatek described his career path and said he hoped to bring private‑sector operational and security experience to the city.
Concerns raised during subcommittee and public hearing Councilors at the personnel subcommittee and at the full council asked why the mayor and CFO prioritized candidates who applied before an internal review date and why an anonymous letter raised questions about equity and the posting. Personnel director Russo and CFO Michael Bertino said the position posting included education requirements but explicitly permitted substantial progressive leadership or equivalent experience to qualify, and that the final salary offer would remain within the posted range. Councilors asked for clarity on whether prior posting practices discouraged otherwise qualified candidates; officials said the city would review hiring and salary practices more broadly as part of future ordinance and pay‑structure work.
Vote and next steps The personnel subcommittee recommended confirmation, and the full council confirmed Kwiatek by roll call vote on March 25. Councilors acknowledged the need for a broader review of salary and incentive structures across department head positions and said that work would be pursued separately through collective‑bargaining and ordinance review processes.
Ending Kwiatek was recommended to the Committee of the Whole as the council's confirmation recommendation; the council voted to confirm him, and officials said he will begin work with a charge to prioritize cyber defenses, disaster recovery plans and operational improvements.
