Planning commission appoints three-member subcommittee to hire new planning director; councilman urges stronger department

The Cranston City Planning Commission on a voice vote appointed Commissioners Renzulli, Coop and Lamphere to a three-member subcommittee charged with recruiting and interviewing candidates for the vacant planning director position after Director Pizzullo resigned.

The subcommittee appointment followed brief procedural discussion about open meetings requirements and a motion from Commissioner Renzulli, seconded by Commissioner Correo, that was approved by the commission. The commission chair noted a five-person subcommittee would run afoul of open-meeting rules and limited the appointment to three members.

During public comment, Councilman Steven Stikos (37 Ferncrest Avenue) told the commission the hiring decision is “probably the most important thing” the commission will do, arguing the planning department has been less effective in recent years at pursuing open-space acquisition, affordable-housing grants and other initiatives. Stikos told commissioners the city needs “somebody who’s going to give it straight,” with both professional credentials and a record of proposing and advancing initiatives.

Commissioners and staff stated the subcommittee will conduct interviews in an open-meeting format and return recommendations to the full commission for any formal action or referral to the city council as required by ordinance.

The commission did not set a public deadline for applications at the meeting; staff said the director position has been publicly posted and additional procedural details will be provided on the Planning Department webpage.