Rome D’Angelo, the town’s director of operations for a little more than a year, says he is taking one more step in his career before retirement — this time, heading back to Hamilton, where he worked in operations for much of his 30 years in municipal leadership.
“I see it as a great chance to get back to my home town with my track record in operations, and add value to the Police Services Board,” where he will once again be working in the area of fleet and facilities management, as he was for the City of Hamilton, he told The Local.
At the age of 60, he added, “this is the closing chapter in my career. It was just one of those situations where I had the opportunity to retire from the City of Hamilton, but I wasn’t ready to retire in my career. That’s why I came to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Now I’m going back to my wheelhouse.” And he can do that without the daily commute to NOTL.
The fact that town CAO Marnie Cluckie announced her retirement just shortly before D’Angelo, and both are on their way to take on new opportunities in Hamilton, is not connected, he says.
“Looking at the timing, it seems like we were moving in parallel, but it was really just coincidence. We will be working for two separate organizations.”
Although he can be credited with several initiatives during his 14 months in NOTL, the approach he took with staff, an approach that has guided his whole career, he says, may have had the greatest influence.
It is based on what he calls “emotional intelligence,” which he describes as understanding what staff need, emotionally as well as practically, and giving them the necessary resources to do their jobs correctly.
“Emotional intelligence allows you to empathize, to understand the relationships of others, and to really develop a solid relationship with staff. My real work is to support my staff.”
The most important part of communication is listening, he adds, and listening not only shows a level of respect for others, it helps produce great work from staff.
His experience of working in NOTL was with people who have a strong sense of community, pride in their town, and work together “in a respectful way.” From his perspective, to maintain that environment, “listening and providing feedback is critical.”
As he leaves NOTL, he knows he has made progress in the Dock Area, but also acknowledges there is more work to be done, including the addition of a pumping station that will eliminate the need for portable pumps to prevent flooding.
He has overseen a $6.5 million grant application that if successful, will fund the project — the town is still waiting for a response. “It’s work that needs to be done,” he says. “It’s just a matter of funding.”
He has also recommended a berm to prevent water from the marina from crossing Melville Street to River Beach Drive and Ricardo Streets.
Ron Simkus, Dock Area resident who worked extensively with Cluckie and D’Angelo on Dock Area improvements, referred to their departure in one of his recent email blasts, and of the need to set the bar high for candidates to replace them.
He congratulated D’Angelo on his new job, he said, “with sadness in my heart,” and spoke highly of the operations director, his skills, competency and his “ability to speak to the public, and also deal with conflict resolution, balancing complex council politics and the core needs of the town.”
In addition to Dock Area advancements, D’Angelo says of his accomplishments in NOTL, “in 2023, we heard loud and clear from council and residents that we need programming for families at the community centre, and we’ve done that, with programs that will keep kids active in a fun and safe environment.”
He also mentions a pickleball program for youth, and says enrolment for all the family and youth programs so far “has been excellent. It’s great to see the number of people engaged in those programs.”
If approved by council and included in the 2024 budget, there is also a plan for a mobile unit that moves from park to park, community to community, as part of a summer recreational program, he notes, increasing the use of public parks.
Also at top of mind, and something he hopes will occur in the future, is a focus on a functional parking study, with a “holistic review,” and critical, he adds, is an urban and rural road safety audit.
There are foundations in place for these future initiatives, he says, that can be handled collaboratively.
Leaving behind the community of people he has come to know “will be bittersweet. It will be sad to leave. I’m all about people and relationships, and working in this small community, driving to work every day on concessions that go through beautiful vineyards — I’ll miss that. It’s a great town, and I’ll be back to visit for sure. I will always remember NOTL and all it has to offer.”