New City Manager Announcement Expected Wednesday
The announcement of a new Rye City Manager is expected this Wednesday at City Council. In early December, current City Manager Greg Usry announced his retirement effective Friday, March 28th. Usry has served in the position since 2019.
Interim Manager Expected
It took the City Council well into the new year before hiring an executive search firm. Because of the compressed time period and Usry’s impending departure, it is expected there will be an interim manager before a permanent manager is named. In fact, City Hall posted the agenda for Wednesday’s Council meeting late Friday, and while not offering any details, it says clearly “announcement of the Interim City Manager” (italics added).
Who Will It Be?
Officials are mum on who might be selected–interim or permanent. Whispers include a number of sitting city staff members. The City Manager is essentially the CEO of the city, and given the public profile, the demanding nature of many of Rye’s constituencies and the high tensions between various camps on City Council in recent years this may give pause to potential recruits, especially outsiders.
Here are some of the staff members that are considered to be on a short list (alphabetical):
Ryan Coyne, Rye City Engineer and Head of the Department of Public Works
- Oversees the City’s largest department (DPW)
- 15 years of service with the City of Rye
- Reserved and affable
- Credited with saving funds by utilizing DPW staff and skills versus outsourcing – a primary example being the renovation of Rye Recreation including the new amphitheater.
- Good at reading children’s books.
(PHOTO: Lou Vetrone, first deputy commissioner of the Westchester County’s Department of Environmental Facilities (DEF) and Vince Kopicki, the commissioner of the DEF, with the City of Rye’s Assistant City Manager Brian Shea, who accepted the 2024 Eco Award for the City’s high recycling rate in 2023 on Thursday, April 18, 2024.)
Brian Shea, Assistant City Manager
- Joined in 2021 from the City of Albany where he was the chief of city operations.
- His background in intergovernmental affairs and familiarity with the working of the State capital has helped Rye plug into State programs and funding to tap funding for climate smart community programs and flood mitigation.
- A #2 to City Manager Usry. A quiet role but he is prolific on social media.
Kristen Wilson, Corporation Counsel
- She has been of counsel to the City since 2007 – switching between staff and outside counsel.
- A legal background in government, land use, environmental and civil rights matters.
- She acted as a deputy to Kevin Plunkett in Rye before he left to work with then County Executive Rob Astorino.
- An accomplished triathlete.
