Lacey sworn in as acting town manager; Rooney recalls his time fondly

WESTERLY — Outgoing Town Manager J. Mark Rooney says he will have fond memories of his time in Westerly, a more than three-year-long chapter that ended with his resignation to pursue what town officials said was a career opportunity closer to his Chicago-area residence.

During a meeting of the Town Council on Monday, Rooney spoke highly of the town's traditions, such as Vesta Bakery cupcakes served during Town Council receptions, including the one organized to say goodbye to Rooney and to recognize his work for the town. After accepting a commendation signed by the council, Rooney made brief remarks.

"I really appreciate the honor and privilege to have served with so many good department heads," Rooney said.

Rooney praised the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce, calling it the strongest chamber he has seen in his more than three decades in public service. Similarly, he said, he had never had as close a relationship with a local police department as the one he had in Westerly or seen a town with a more responsive federal legislative delegate than U.S. Sen Jack Reed, D-R.I., and his office.

Town Council President Sharon Ahern wished Rooney well.

"As sad as we are to see you go, I'm sure your family is just as happy that you are going to be accepting a position close to home," Ahern said.

Westerly Police Chief Shawn Lacey was sworn in to serve as interim town manager by Town Clerk Donna Giordano. Lacey will serve in both roles and use his time as the acting manager to help determine whether he is interested in retiring from the police department and taking the town manager role on permanently. The council is expected to evaluate whether Lacey is a good fit for the job on a permanent basis.

In other business, the council picked through the confusing wording of proposed amendments to the municipal parking ordinance, smoothed out the language, and approved aspects of the proposed changes. Approved by a 6-1 vote was an amendment to establish a three-hour parking limit for 14 parking spaces on Spray Rock Road in the area of a controversial right of way to the shoreline once known as Spring Avenue. The right of way is being studied by the state Coastal Resources Management Council.

The council decided against a proposal to prohibit parking on the east side of Canal Street after several business owners expressed concerns about how a potential lack of parking would hurt their livelihoods.

Councilor Brian McCuin voted against the parking ordinance amendments, saying he would have preferred the council rewrite the proposed changes for clarity and then consider each proposed change individually. The amendments, both in their proposed and approved forms, did not involve or affect parking at the scenic overlook on Spray Rock Road, contrary to prolonged conversations on Facebook. Councilors Ahern, Caswell Cooke Jr., Suzanne Giorno, Philip Overton, Christopher Duhamel, and Karen Cioffi voted in favor.

The council voted unanimously to approve the expenditure of $400,000 to be used toward the cost of demolishing the Potter Hill Mill. Under the council's plan, the money would be paid back to the town under the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a COVID-21 recovery effort. The expenditure would be contingent upon a Superior Court judge placing an administrative lien on the property to give the town a chance to recover funds it spends on the demolition.