NORTHAMPTON — Highway Superintendent Richard Parasiliti, a 37-year city employee, has been promoted to lead the Department of Public Works.
Parasiliti will take over for outgoing Director Donna LaScaleia, who led the department for more than a decade. He takes the helm on Tuesday, but his appointment by Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra is subject to City Council approval.
“Rich brings unparalleled knowledge about Northampton and Public Works, but what impressed me most was his vision for the next chapter of the DPW,” said Sciarra, explaining why she appointed him to the job. “[For] over 37 years, he has brought sound judgment and creative problem-solving to the department’s work. He embraced sustainable management of our public spaces and led Northampton’s effort to restore and protect our urban forest.”
Parasiliti, who will make $155,000 a year in the new role, began his career with the city of Northampton in 1989, serving as grounds manager for the Recreation Commission. He joined the DPW the following year and has since worked as the general foreman, highway superintendent, superintendent of forestry, parks and cemeteries, and tree warden.
The DPW veteran also spearheaded the creation of the department’s Forestry, Parks and Cemeteries Division in 2018, bringing staff from multiple divisions into a unified operation.
In his new position, Parasiliti told the Gazette Friday, he hopes to maintain the department’s current staffing of nearly 100 people and bring on new hires in an effort to bolster the DPW’s current scope of services.
“Maintaining the appropriate staffing levels, supporting the existing staff, bringing on new staff, so we can continue to provide the quality services that we have — that’s really what’s most important for me at the moment,” he said. “There’s a multitude of critical services that we provide, and in order to do those effectively, we have to be at staffing capacity.”
Having overseen the city’s transition to organic management of municipal parks as tree warden and chair of the Urban Forestry Commission, Sciarra described Parasiliti as having been a “driving force” behind Northampton’s efforts to restore and expand its urban forest.
Parasiliti holds an associate degree in Plant and Soil Sciences, an undergraduate certificate in arboriculture and urban forestry and a supervisory leadership certificate, all from the University of Massachusetts. He is an ISA board-certified master arborist and Massachusetts-qualified tree warden.
“I am honored and humbled that the mayor has selected me as the next director of public works for the City of Northampton,” Parasiliti said in the statement released by the mayor. “My personal and professional ties to the city, the department, and the residents we serve run deep. I look forward to working with Public Works staff, the administration, City Councilors and residents to help keep Northampton full of vitality and a vibrant place to live.”
In 2019, Parasiliti received the 18th annual Seth H. Swift Tree Warden of the Year award from the Massachusetts Tree Wardens’ and Foresters’ Association.
“With his passion for sustainability and extensive expertise, I am confident that Rich is the right choice to build on the strong foundation of the last decade and lead Public Works forward,” Sciarra added.
