NORTH SMITHFIELD – He’s had a hand in some of largest economic development projects in northern Rhode Island and now, he plans to put his skills and experience to work leading town government.
Scott Gibbs has won his campaign for North Smithfield Town Administrator, beating out opponent Beth Newberry by just 71 votes.
And he says that building trust with staff, volunteers and larger community will be his priority on day one.
Gibbs has served as president of the private, non-profit Economic Development Foundation of Rhode Island for the past four decades. The organization has had several names, but the goal, he notes, has remained the same: to promote and retain jobs, and increase the tax base in the state. Through both direct involvement, and consulting and advising services, Gibbs has worked on a variety of successful projects in Woonsocket, Burrillville, Newport and more with help of a single staff member, while outsourcing any other needed work.
On Thursday, he told NRI NOW he will resign from the role as he takes on the new job at Town Hall.
Gibbs watched results come in with friends and supporters at Gator’s Pub Tuesday night, but with mail ballots still uncounted as of 10 p.m., the gathering fell short of a celebration. The lead was far from decisive, and the results of more than 600 votes unknown.
He was optimistic but uncertain, and it was not until Thursday that the 69-year-old administrator-elect was confident in discussing his win. The tight race, he noted, was not necessarily a bad thing.
“I was really invigorated by the level of voter participation,” he said.
Gibbs said he was pleased with the level of voter engagement and would be proud of his campaign regardless of the results.
“It isn’t about winning,” Gibbs said. “It’s about doing the right thing. I ran a campaign that was authentic to who we are and I’m proud of that. We decided to do this by staying very true to our values.”
Once it appeared Gibbs had indeed secured a win with just more than half of town voters, Newberry expressed similar sentiments.
“I feel as though we gave voters an option and I think that was one of the most important things: that we gave voters a choice,” Newberry said. “I think now is the time for the town to give Mr. Gibbs a chance to rebuild trust, and I think he’s ready to do that. I know that’s his goal, and I believe in him and wish him the best.”
In the type of encounter one can only find in small town politics, with the dust still settling, the political opponents ran into each other early Wednesday morning.
“I congratulated her on her hard work,” said Gibbs. “Beth Newberry worked incredibly hard. She needs to be recognized for that.”
“He said ‘I hope you stay involved,'” said Newberry, noting she does plan to somehow remain involved in North Smithfield. “I don’t know in what capacity. I feel like the boards and commissions are underutilized in town. I feel like there’s a place for me somewhere.”
Even as she gracefully conceded, Newberry admitted it was too early to take the possibility of a recount totally off the table in a race decided by less than 100 votes.
“It’s been a very bittersweet thing,” she said. “I am so grateful to have run the race that I have, and to have met so many people and made new friends. Winning was the end goal, but the journey was just as important.”
“I hope the people who have supported me can embrace Mr. Gibbs,” Newberry added.
For his part, Gibbs said he now has a lot of work to do.
“The minute I walk into that building, building trust is number one,” he said of priorities.
Lack of civility and the sense that people in North Smithfield were not working together, Gibbs said, were topics that came up frequently during his time on the campaign trail.
“The overwhelming issue people were mentioning to me was the divide in town,” said Gibbs, noting he now plans to lead by example. “In the end, it begins with me. I have to exemplify the kind of behavior I want others to have.”
After building trust, Gibbs said he then hopes to focus on operational issues and putting new systems in place at Town Hall. The intent, as promised during his campaign, is to make 83 Green St. the “most responsive, most friendly, most accountable, most effective,” Town Hall in Rhode Island.
“I think we can do that,” he said.
Gibbs said he also plans to have an open door policy for those who want to share their ideas or concerns.
“I’m more than happy to engage with anyone,” he said. “I’m just really very grateful and honored that the voters of this town elected me to be their new Town Administrator.
I think NS may be in for some large debt infrastructure projects with Mr. Gibbs as the administrator. Hold on to your wallet!
You went out of your way to make “investments into the future” sound bad.
Yes because the “investments” will have zero return in the future unless you call higher taxes a return on investment.
You need to bring in new business or let business expand….one way, incentives. Otherwise yes, you will be paying much more in taxes to support all of the NS government expenses. Small town, less grant abilities, higher debt. A given with small towns. If no businesses want to locate there, what then? Stay small, pay higher taxes…..or move away. Let’s see what he has as a vision to save money and make NS prosper. Don’t knock the man down before he even has begun.