Above: Deb Gregory, recently retired from her executive assistant position at the EGPD. Courtesy of EGPD

Vaccine clinic organizers with Rep. Jim Langevin in 2022, from left, EMA Assistant Director Jim Fogell, Town Manager Andy Nota, Rep. Langevin, EMA Director Fred Gomes, and vaccine clinic director Dr. Hub Brennan.

Editor’s note: The final two paragraphs were mistakenly omitted when this story was originally posted.

Highway Superintendent Jim Fogell was the guy you would see in the middle of the night, managing a small army of DPW workers in a carefully choreographed operation to remove snow from the sidewalks of Main Street. He was the guy who marshaled his troops to clean up after a hurricane. He was the one who would deal with a flooded street. As EMA assistant director, Fogell was an essential part of the town’s vaccine clinic campaign that ended up getting shots in more than 8,000 arms. 

But not anymore. After a career with the town that spanned 40 years, Fogell retired during the spring.

“Jim Fogell was a great guy. I liked him from the moment I met him,” said former Director of Public Works Joe Duarte. They worked together for 22 years. “He was very dedicated to his job. Cared about his guys and especially the community. He was never ‘off-the-clock.’ We spent many hours, early morning or late night preparing for the storms and special projects. He always wanted to find and correct the road and drainage problems before it became a problem for the residents. No matter what we had to do, he was able to get it done, on time and within the budget. Qualities you seldom see anymore.”

Another long-time employee who retired in recent months was Deborah Gregory, special assistant to Police Chief Steven Brown. Gregory had worked for the town for 35 years. 

“Debbie enjoys a special place in the town’s workforce having assisted not only those within the police department, but every other town department and many other town employees. She has worked tirelessly for this department and is widely known and regarded as the go-to person within our administration,” wrote Chief Brown on Facebook. 

Also retired this year were John Counts (plumbing/mechanical inspector) and Kenneth Saccoccia (electrical inspector). Asst. Planner Bruce Lofgren left in March for a new job as did Patrolman Daniel Pickering. June 30 was Building Official Ernie Marinaro’s last day; he joined the town in 2017. He will be doing some part-time work for the town starting in August, according to Town Manager Andy Nota.

Among the town’s new hires are Ernesto Polo, assistant town engineer; John Studley, assistant town planner; John Parker, harbormaster; and Sarah McDonough, special assistant to the chief of police. Studley hails from Coventry and worked in the Coventry Planning Department before joining the EG Planning Department.

A new highway superintendent, Mike DiCicco, will be starting Monday, July 10. He comes to the town having spent the majority of his career in Narragansett, working there in roles including laborer, truck driver, foreman, superintendent, and director.

There are also three recent graduates from the police academy who are now working for the town: Abbey Ann Coble, Anthony Pescarino and Nicholas Snowling. Coble is only the fourth woman police officer in the history of the department.

Chief Brown and Deputy Chief Siple with new officers Abbey Ann Coble and Anthony Pescarino. 

New recruit Nicholas Snowling with EGPD Chief Steven Brown.