Lacey ready to tackle new challenges in role as town manager | Westerly

WESTERLY — As he settles into his role as town manager, Shawn Lacey says he welcomes the challenge of a new occupation and plans to tap many of the skills and leadership approaches he developed during a decades-long career with the Westerly Police Department.

During a recent interview in the conference room outside his new office in Town Hall, Lacey reflected on his three-plus decades with the police department, discussed the differences and similarities between his former job and his current one, and talked about his new duties and responsibilities as town manager. The Town Council, in late February, gave Lacey the job after he served in an interim capacity for about five months.

“My job in these positions is to establish relationships with the citizenry — everyone in the town — and to foster a positive relationship where they feel they are getting the services they need,” Lacey said.

Community roots

Lacey grew up in the town and raised his three daughters, all now adults, here with his wife, Darlene. He started working for the police department on a part-time basis as a reserve officer in 1986 while he was in college. At the time he was studying construction engineering. He later returned to college to obtain a degree in criminal justice and went back to school once more to get a master’s degree in criminal justice.

After the stint as a reserve officer, he was hired to be a patrol officer and moved through the ranks over the course of a 35-year career that culminated with three years as chief of the department. He retired to become town manager.

“I looked at it as another leadership position that I became interested in. I see it as a progression — the next step,” Lacey said.

During the early part of his police career, when he usually worked second or third shift, he also ran a woodworking and interior construction business and later partnered with fellow officer Stano Trombino on buying houses, fixing them up, and then selling them. With a young family at the time, Lacey said, he needed both jobs to gain financial stability.

“I used to do building all day and then go in for second shift,” Lacey said.

Trombino and Lacey eventually expanded their business to include commercial property and currently own two commercial lots, one in Westerly and one in Johnston. Lacey said most of his real estate and building efforts have been on hold since 2011 when he was appointed captain of the police department.

A self-described “family guy,” Lacey said he enjoys traveling with family members or going to visit his two daughters, who live out of state. One of his three daughters lives in Westerly and works as a teacher at Dunn’s Corners Elementary School.

He works out and walks the family’s two dalmations every day. He also enjoys skiing and the beach. He rarely drinks and it is rarer still, he said, to catch a glimpse of him with a drink in his hand in public.

“I don’t want to be half in the bag and get judged on that. Instead, I’m going to display myself in a way I expect other people to act,” Lacey said.

Fighting to stay

In 2018, Lacey found himself in the awkward position of having to take legal action against the town in an effort to continue his police career. The case involved a state law that requires Westerly police officers to retire after 30 years of service. As his 30-year work anniversary neared, Lacey was informed that the town would not renew his contract and that he was expected to retire.

Not wanting to leave at 52 years old, Lacey conferred with lawyers and filed a lawsuit. A judge issued an injunction that required the town to keep Lacey on until the case was sorted out. Lacey was eventually appointed chief of the department before the case was decided and he withdrew the lawsuit before it was resolved. His lawyers told him they were confident he would have won because the law was propping up a form of age discrimination.

“I regret having had to take that course of action because that’s not me, that’s not my makeup, but unfortunately that is the only action I could take,” Lacey said.

Lacey called the episode “heartbreaking,” but said he was forced to fight for a job he loved. The lawsuit followed a difficult period during which Lacey was passed over for the chief’s job in favor of an outside candidate — Richard Silva, former chief of police in Warwick.

Throughout the tense time, Lacey said, he tried to remain respectful toward Silva and Derrik M. Kennedy, the town manager at the time. Kennedy appointed Silva over Lacey.

“I attended Richard Silva’s swearing in and was the only member of the police department there,” Lacey said.

‘We are all equal’

Members of the council, after they appointed Lacey to the position of town manager, described his calm demeanor, knowledge of the town, its people, and challenges, as attributes. He was also praised for seemingly simple things that not all previous town managers did, such as returning telephone calls. “No one is turned away. There’s no one I wouldn’t talk to and I’ve learned it means a lot when you call people back,” Lacey said.

He attributes his ability to remain calm to a few factors, including his work in law enforcement, which often exposes officers to individuals who are dealing with raw emotions and tragic events. When he is working with those he manages, Lacey said, he advises waiting before responding to difficult e-mails or phone calls.

“People are going to judge you more on how you react to situations than on what the overall situation is,” Lacey said.

Lacey acknowledged a tension that sometimes arises between property owners who live in the coastal sections of the town and those who do not. On a professional level, Lacey said, he enjoyed a good relationship with the coastal fire districts, which act as small governmental bodies. He said expects to maintain the same footing as town manager.

“We are all equal, it doesn’t matter if you live on Pond Street (in the town’s North End) or on Bluff Avenue (in Watch Hill),” Lacey said.

Town workers should use the same approach, Lacey said.

“As the town, we are here to service Watch Hill and Weekapaug as much as any other part of the town,” Lacey said.

Moving things forward

In this, his first year as town manager, Lacey said he is engaged in both learning and trying to move the town forward. He is about to start his first municipal budget review with the Town Council, having released his proposed spending plan for 2022-23 earlier this week. Unlike his recent predecessors, Lacey had his budget proposal posted to the municipal website immediately and made the budget book available to The Sun prior to the Board of Finance starting its review process, which serves as the first official round of the process.

“I’m a big proponent of transparency. You might not agree with it, but I’m going to throw it out there. There’s nothing wrong with the citizenry knowing what my proposed budget is,” Lacey said. “I never want to be accused of holding something back or not being truthful or sincere.”

The learning process, Lacey said, involves recognizing the differences between managing the police department, where officers form a tight-knit group in a paramilitary environment with clear roles and lines of command, and municipal government’s multiple departments.

“Each department has its own makeup. Trying to keep track of every little thing going on in every department is definitely a challenge,” Lacey said.

As he meets with town staff, Lacey said, he puts a premium on listening and is especially interested to hear opposing points of view.

“I’m laid back to some extent, and I listen to people. I’m not authoritarian or looking to make a lot of changes, but everyone is accountable and I want to know the steps in the process,” Lacey said.

Whether he is meeting with subordinates or talking with residents about problems or concerns, Lacey said, he tries to consider all perspectives.

“I think if you try to do what’s right, if you are fair, and you have compassion and are willing to work with everyone, then I think people are accepting,” he said.