Council Names Liese Town Administrator
By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA
December 17th 2025
RICHMOND – Members of the Town Council voted at Tuesday’s meeting to appoint Erin Liese Town Administrator.
Liese, who has been serving as Town Clerk since 2021, had also been serving as Interim Town Administrator since the retirement of Karen Pinch last June.
The Search is Over
The search for a new Town Administrator began several months ago. The town received a surprisingly high number of applicants, 95, and members of the Search Committee, including the liaison, councilor Jim Palmisciano, interviewed the top candidates.
“We tracked over 29 hours of work together reviewing, vetting, interviewing,” he said.
After the council vote, Liese was sworn in by Town Solicitor, Chris Zangari.
As her family, and Karen Pinch, looked on, Liese thanked the search committee, and council members, for their support.
“You know how much this means to me,” she said. “I am deeply honored to be selected as Richmond’s next Town Administrator. As a lifelong member of this community, and Town Clerk, this opportunity is especially meaningful to me, and I am truly touched by everyone who has shown up today.”
Reached Wednesday, Liese, who started her new job immediately following her swearing-in, said,
“I hope the residents can see my hard work, and I’ll continue that hard work, improving transparency in some areas, including the budget and to those that may not be familiar with me, I hope that I can show them that in my upcoming time in my service here. I’m very excited about the change and the opportunity.”
Council President Samantha Wilcox said Wednesday,
“She’s been an amazing asset to the town, through both her time as a Clerk and her work during this interim position. … You have a Richmond lifelong resident who really, truly cares about our town and worked really hard to get this.”
The search will now begin for a Town Clerk.
Liese said she would recommend that Deputy Town Clerk Kendra Tanguay be appointed Acting Town Clerk.
“Then, we’ll begin the posting for the job and go through a hiring process as we do for department heads,” she said.
Transfer Station
A public hearing on amendments to the transfer station ordinance concluded with the council continuing the discussion of fees and hours of operation to the Jan. 6 meeting.
Councilors said they wanted more data on the quantities and types of certain materials, such as tires and air conditioners, that the transfer station is receiving from Richmond residents and from residents of Hopkinton, who also use the Richmond facility.
Hopkinton pays Richmond $75,000 per year to use the transfer station, but it is not clear whether that is sufficient, or whether Hopkinton should also contribute to capital improvements at the facility.
The council also discussed ordinance amendments that would change the house of operation at the transfer station.
The facility is currently open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. If the council approves the amendment, it would be closed on Tuesdays and open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Councilor Dan Madnick suggested that the transfer station might extend its Wednesday hours from a 4 p.m. closing to 6 p.m. during daylight saving time.
The council will revisit the matter at the Jan. 6 meeting.
Brownfields Program
Town Planner Talia Jalette briefed the council on a program offered by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management that provides free assessments of possibly contaminates sites, or brownfields.
Jalette explained that the “targeted brownfield assessments,” or TBAs, conducted by an Environmental Protection Agency contractor, provide communities with the information on the types of contaminants at sites.
The funds would be used for assessments and not for remediation.
Jalette explained that the town would have to notify RIDEM of its interest in participating in the program.
“If RIDEM receives the funding, they’ll be notified of that fact in Spring of 2026,” Jalette said. “Funding would not be available until at least October 2026.”
To participate in the program, the town must identify areas that would benefit from TBAs. Those might include the downtown Wyoming corridor, the Exit 3 area, and the former industrial villages of Shannock, Alton, Kenyon and Wood River Junction.
The council approved a motion, made by Madnick, to ask Jalette to submit an application to the TBA program.
Cleaning
Erin Liese told the council that the town had solicited bids for custodial services at the Town Hall, police station and senior center above the police station, but that the bids had come in too high.
After discussions with staff, Liese said she had decided to advertise for the position, which would be part time and seasonal.
“We are looking at a different approach, and I think advertising for a position that someone is doing, we’re going to get a better response than someone being appointed to that position because they were the next low man on the totem pole,” she said.
The position, which would run from January to April, would pay $22 per hour, for up to 18 hours per week.
Palmisciano made a motion, which the council approved, to authorize Liese to advertise for the position.
The Budget
Finance Director Danielle Andrews presented, and the council approved, the dates for the upcoming town budget process.
Budget workshops will take place on March 17 and March 31. Public hearings on the budget will be on April 13 and May 5, and the all-day budget referendum will be on June 2, with voting at the Town Hall from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Heat at the Pound
The council approved a request from Police Chief Elwood Johnson to award the bid for heating at the town’s animal control pound to Boss Heating and Cooling for $10,400.
Electrical Savings
The council heard a presentation from James Grasso, of Kilowant ai, on how residents could lower their electric bills by opting in to a program that uses artificial intelligence to constantly search for the lowest rates.
Grasso asked the council to consider endorsing the program, and councilors said they would need more time to study the proposal.
