The city finance director’s post has been vacant since Tim Russo’s departure in January. The city is accepting applications from qualified candidates until March 2.

Mayor John Lombardi III said he hopes to fill the position soon, adding that Russo was a valued employee.

“When he left, it punched a huge hole in my administration,” Lombardi said. “Right now, Alderman John Craig is the finance committee’s chair and he’s looking at the finances, but we need a financial director.”

The city finance director performs duties including creating budgets. Knowledge of municipal accounting is required.

Currently the job is being advertised, and interested individuals have been sending their resumes, Personnel Director Mary Pat Filbert said. Thus far no interviews have been conducted.

While Russo was in the job, Filbert said she had been working with him to place the finance director’s post in the non-competitive class of civil service, which applies to positions for which exams are not given but the hired person’s qualifications meet civil service standards and the employee obtains rights after five years on the job. Filbert said this was because a finance director is often reporting confidential and important material that affects the entire city and the person who does that job should be assured of some job security. Currently the post is classified as “at will.”

Russo, whose resignation took effect Jan. 4, stated in his resignation letter that his at-will status was not secure enough. In a follow-up interview with the Union-Sun & Journal, Russo said his family is growing and he needed more “stable” employment.

Russo was appointed to the finance director’s post in April 2020, by then-mayor Michelle Roman, after serving as a volunteer on the city audit committee.

Before he left, Lombardi said, Russo showed him a binder containing a listing of actions to be taken by the finance director. It’s a very comprehensive listing, Lombardi said, and whoever succeeds Russo should be able to follow along as they settle into the job.

In the interim, Craig, 1st Ward alderman and chair of the Common Council finance committee, said he is providing financial oversight and “taking care of the bills.”

Two independent auditors are closing the city’s 2023 books now and are due to report to the council soon, Craig added.