Mayor Sean Reardon is pleased to announce the Department of Public Services will have two new members in its leadership team. Jonathan Carey, the current Water Distribution Superintendent in the City’s Water Department, has accepted the position of Deputy Director of the Department of Public Services, and will begin his tenure on July 5. Thomas Watkins of Topsfield has accepted the position of DPS Business Manager and will start June 26.
Carey has served in the Department of Public Services since September 2020. He previously worked as a Crew Leader in the Town of Tewksbury’s Water and Sewer Division, and was an Assistant Distribution Foreman in the Water Department in Rowley before that. He also brings experience from the private sector in landscaping, machinist and electrical work, and carpentry from several positions, as well as eight years in the specialized corporate recruitment field. Carey has a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Hobart and William Smith College and resides in West Newbury.
“We are very excited for Jon to begin this new position and take on this leadership position within DPS,” said Mayor Reardon. “This is an excellent fit for his skillset and background, and his knowledge of the Department, and particularly the Water Division, will allow him to hit the ground running.”
Watkins currently serves as Director of Administration and Finance in the Department of Public Works in the City of Watertown. He previously served two stints as Purchasing Agent for the City of Salem, between which he worked in Andover as its Insurance Coordinator. His first position in government was as an aide in the Mayor’s Office in Salem. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Westfield State College and a Master’s in Public Administration from Suffolk University. He is a certified Public Purchasing Official and is a past president of the Massachusetts Association of Public Purchasing Officers.
“We are very lucky to be bringing Tom aboard, and I can’t wait to see how far he can take our practices and procedures in the business office,” Reardon said. “He has excelled in improving the organizational systems of the departments where he has worked before, and we can’t wait for him to get to work here.”
Wayne Amaral rejoined the City as Director of Public Services on May 1, and these two hires will round out the Department’s leadership team.
The Department of Public Services supports the maintenance and improvement of the City’s infrastructure, which includes roadways, sidewalks, drainage systems, trees, cemeteries and grounds, water quality, water distribution, sewer systems, fleet, and municipal buildings. Its goal is to maintain and improve infrastructure in a safe, cost effective and environmentally sensitive manner to foster sustainable options for the current and future benefit of the city and the environment.