Around Town

George Proakis Appointed Watertown’s Next City Manager

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Watertown Cable Access TVCity Manager Finalist George Proakis. The City Council unanimously voted to appoint George Proakis as Watertown’s next City Manager on Tuesday night. He will succeed Michael Driscoll, who retired in January after 29 years in the position. The selection of Proakis was no surprise, with a majority of the Councilors indicated they favored him over the two other finalists after interviewing them on May 12. Proakis will be coming from the City of Somerville, where he has been the Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development for the past 3.5 years, and was the director of Planning and Zoning for nearly 9 years.

Government

City Council Tips Hat Toward Who Will be the Next City Manager

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City Manager Finalist George Proakis. The decision is not official, but a majority of members of the City Council said that they would choose George Proakis to be the next Watertown City Manager after interviewing the three finalists on Thursday night. The official vote will be made at a future meeting. Proakis, who is Somerville’s Executive Director of Somerville’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development, has not been the manager of a city or town, but Councilors said they liked his vision. Councilor Caroline Bays said that all three candidates appealed to her, and said if all three were combined they would have a “miracle manager.”

City Manager

City Manager Finalists Discuss Police, Libraries and the Senior Center

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During Monday’s City Manager Finalist community forum the three candidates shared their thoughts on a number of items, including hiring the next Police Chief, libraries, and the Senior Center and senior services. The three City Manager finalists are: George Proakis (Executive Director of Somerville’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development), Norman Khumalo (Hopkinton Town Manager), and John Curran (Billerica Town Manager). Read more about the Finalists here. Police

One of the first duties of the next Watertown City Manager will be to hire a new Police Chief, with Michael Lawn announcing his retirement effective June 3. Curran hired a new police chief in Billerica in December, and said the qualities he would like to see in the next chief are: “They need to know what Police Reform is, they need to know the (Massachusetts) POST (Peace Officer Standards & Training) Commission, they need to be someone who is of the guardian philosophy, and they need to be also someone up to speed in being able to do community policing and getting out into the community.” 

Curran said he believes in the “guardian philosophy” of policing where police are “here to help you, work with you, and get to know you.” Developing relationships with different groups in town is key, he added.

City Council

City Manager Finalists Discuss Why They Want to Come to Watertown

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Watertown City Hall

The three finalists for Watertown City Manager met with the public, and answered questions on Monday night. They shared some of their philosophies and approach to leadership, as well as why they want to become the City’s chief executive. Each of the finalists, John Curran, Norman Khumalo and George Proakis, spent an hour fielding questions from the public. Proakis, the Executive Director of Somerville’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development, has worked in Somerville for 12 years, and before that he worked in Lowell for seven years. He said that Watertown is a unique and excellent place.

Government

See How to Participate in the City Manager Finalist Public Forum

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

The three finalists for Watertown City Manager will appear at a Community Forum Monday night, and the public will have the chance to ask them questions. The forum will be held in the Council Chamber in Watertown City Hall, 149 Main St., on May 9, 2022 at 6 p.m.

Each of the candidates will be interviewed for an hour. The finalists are: Norman Khumalo (Hopkinton Town Manager), John Curran (Billerica Town Manager), and George Proakis (Executive Director of Somerville’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development). Read more about the Finalists here. The meeting will be hybrid so members of the public can attend in-person or join remotely. Those participating by Zoom will be able to hear from the candidates and ask questions.

Government

Watertown City Manager Finalists to Appear at 2 or More Public Meetings

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The three finalists for Watertown City Manager will appear at public meetings at least twice in early May before the City Council makes its final decision. Wednesday evening the names of the three City Manager finalists were announced: George Proakis (Executive Director of Somerville’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development), Norman Khumalo (Hopkinton Town Manager), and John Curran (Billerica Town Manager). Read more about the Finalists here. City Council President Mark Sideris said a public forum and public interviews by the Council have been planned. The public forum will be held on May 9 at 6 p.m., and the Council interviews have been scheduled for May 12 at 6 p.m. Both meetings will be held in the Council Chamber in City Hall (149 Main St.), and also will be live on Zoom.

City Council

Three Finalists Named for Watertown City Manager Job

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The City Council was presented with the names of the three finalists for the City Manager position on Wednesday evening, none of whom are internal candidates. The finalists are: John Curran, Norman Khumalo, and George Proakis. The three will appear at a community forum on May 9 at 6 p.m. and interviewed by the City Council on May 12 at 6 p.m.

Curran currently works as the Town Manager of Billerica, and previously worked as Town Administrator of Maynard and as the mayor of Woburn. He also worked in the private sector as a senior systems analyst and before that as a senior fund analyst at Investors Bank & Trust. Khumalo’s position now is Town Manager in Hopkinton.

Government

Finalists for Watertown City Manager Will be Announced This Week

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The City Council will hold a special meeting where the finalists for the Watertown City Manager position will be announced. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 27 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall. During the meeting, the three finalists will be announced by Bernie Lynch of Community Paradigm Associates, the City’s manager search consultant. Lynch will also discuss the next steps in the process of hiring Watertown’s next City Manager.