New Haven’s public works director, Michael Siciliano, plans to resign on Friday before taking on a new job as the director of public works in Woodbridge.
Background
Siciliano’s upcoming resignation was included in the city’s latest weekly personnel report, which was distributed by email on Saturday by city Personnel Director Susan Baldwin.
Siciliano first stepped into the role as the city’s director of parks and public works in January 2024. He previously worked as Hamden’s deputy public works director.
In a Monday afternoon phone interview, Siciliano said that he will be starting his new job as Woodbridge’s public works director on Aug. 17.
“That’s a smaller town, a little quieter, a slower pace,” he said about Woodbridge, a New Haven suburb that has a population of around 9,000 people, compared to New Haven’s roughly 140,000.
Challenges
Siciliano noted that he worked in Hamden for 26 years. That too was quite the busy job. He’s looking forward to leading a smaller department.
“For a large department, a big crew, there were some great employees here,” he said about his time leading New Haven’s public works department.
Siciliano said that the biggest challenges he faced during his New Haven tenure came during this year’s heavy snowstorms, when he realized “there was nowhere to put the snow.”
“I felt like the fall guy for it. That was a little turn off for me,” he said. “I don’t know if I want to deal with that much more.” He noted that removing large amounts of snow is quite difficult in New Haven, especially when residents clear their cars and throw snow in the street.
Recommendations
Any recommendations for future New Haven public works directors, around snow removal or anything else?
“I’d say just communication with the residents and the alders,” Siciliano said. He also said that the city is in the process of “possibly putting cameras on the plow trucks,” which could allow for better monitoring of their progress clearing streets during snow storms.
Siciliano also noted that he has spent the past two years renting an apartment on Lyon Street in Wooster Square to satisfy the city’s residency requirement for department heads. “That was also a burden,” he said. “I was getting ready to apply for the waiver” — that is, to request an exemption from the residency requirement, but then the Woodbridge job came through. He said he plans to move back to his hometown of Northford when he takes the new Woodbridge job.
“I really appreciate the opportunity and the mayor’s trust,” Siciliano concluded about his time in New Haven. “I did my best for the city. I think I did a good job.”
Siciliano is the third city department head to step down from their post in roughly a month.
Original reporting: New Haven Independent — read the source article.
