City Council moves to axe PR post
Officials want to cut position of business outreach and public relations coordinator
WOONSOCKET – After less than a year on the job, Blake Collins’ $49,000-a-year position as the city’s business outreach and public relations coordinator is on the chopping block because most members of the City Council think the city isn’t getting enough bang for the buck.
Five of the council’s seven members are behind the proposal to eliminate funding for the job, effective April 28, up for a vote at Monday night’s council meeting.
“I just don’t think it’s a good use of limited resources,” said Councilman James Cournoyer. “He’s sending out press releases to tell us trash is getting picked up tomorrow or there’s going to be a parking ban. I’m not sure we needed a dedicated person for that.”
“As far as business development goes,” added Cournoyer, “I guess the mayor’s handling that.”
Council President Dan Gendron said the move to defund the position is not meant to impugn Collins’ abilities or performance. Gendron said he appears to be doing what Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt tells him to do – which is something different that what she told the council he would be doing when she proposed creating the position last year.
“In my mind I expected the business outreach portion to be 90 percent of the job,” said Gendron. “I don’t think we’ve seen that.”
Said Vice President Jon Brien, “The position was approved by a prior council. This council shares different views about fiscal responsibility and we don’t believe that the city is getting a return on value from this position…it’s largely viewed in a political way to serve the interests of the administration rather than the city and the taxpayers at large.”
While the mayor couldn’t be reached for comment, other councilors who oppose the cut say Collins is just collateral damage in a continuing war the majority is waging against Baldelli-Hunt by depriving her of resources.
“Now it’s a trend,” said Councilwoman Melissa Murray.
A few weeks ago, the council stripped the tax assessor’s division of money that was being used to pay former Tax Assessor Arthur Bouchard, a retiree who had returned to work to assist the new tax assessor. A previously tabled move to cut the human services department of funding for an assistant – a position that’s never been filled – is back on the agenda for Monday, too, said Murray.
“I certainly hope it’s not personal, but it certainly seems to be a trend to systematically defund certain departments in City Hall, quite frankly, without even speaking to the department heads,” said Murray. “I was certainly surprised to see it on the docket. If we’re seeing an uptick of business coming into the city, it’s crucial that they have a person to navigate them in the right direction if they need help.”
Collins has won defenders in the private sector as well.
“When we needed to talk to the governor, when we needed to talk to the powers that be at (U.S. Rep. David) Cicilline’s office, at (U.S. Sen. Sheldon) Whitehouse’s office and (U.S. Sen.) Jack Reed’s, Blake, he’s the one that pushed that,” said Vincent Bono, president of the Boston Surface Railroad Company. “The mayor’s very popular in government circles, but you need someone to make sure that people call you back. He really did.”
Bono’s company, headquartered in One Depot Square, proposes a Worcester- WoonsocketProvidence commuter rail loop, bringing passenger trains back to the city for the first time in decades.
Reached for comment about the situation, Collins did not seem surprised. He said a member of the council had tipped him to the proposed cut before the council docket was issued on Thursday afternoon.
“Obviously I’m not happy about it,” he said. “Who would be?”
A native of Rehoboth, Mass., Collins, 28, worked for Mayor James Diossa in Central Falls before coming to work for Baldelli-Hunt last year. He held a similar title in Central Falls. His resume also includes a stint in political communications with Rep. Cicilline.
Behind the scenes, Collins was still fighting to keep his job on Friday. Members of the city council said he sent them a lengthy e-mail summarizing his job duties and accomplishments.
In it, Collins says he has improved internal communi- cations at City Hall and handled relations with several business which had opened recently, or are about to, including Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Brickhouse Pub, Original House of Pizza and the Aroma Espresso Bar. He said he was also the point of contact for the city and multiple civic, news, nonprofit and religious organizations, including The Call.
“Personally, I bring a unique skill set shaped by past experience to this position,” the e-mail says. “I have served in multiple official government offices and entities on the federal, state, and municipal level. My skill set has been shaped by serving in positions as a data system manager, legislative analyst, outreach coordinator, and communications professional - all prior to my employment in the City of Woonsocket.” Follow Russ Olivo on Twitter @russolivo