Tiverton town administrator resigns

Chris Cotta was hired on temporary basis four years ago

By Ted Hayes
Posted 10/17/24

Tiverton Town Administrator Christopher Cotta tendered his resignation earlier this week, capping off a four-year stint as the town’s top executive. His last day will be Tuesday, Dec. 3.

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Tiverton town administrator resigns

Chris Cotta was hired on temporary basis four years ago

Posted

Tiverton Town Administrator Christopher Cotta tendered his resignation earlier this week, capping off a four-year stint as the town’s top executive. His last day will be Tuesday, Dec. 3.

“I think I’ve been a fairly decent steward for the town,” he said Thursday afternoon. “I love the town of Tiverton — I lived there 30 years,” he said. “But it’s time.”

Cotta, who now lives in Little Compton, was hired on an interim basis following the departure of former administrator Jan Reitsma on April 1, 2020. It was supposed to be a temporary assignment — “I was retired when they pulled me out of retirement,” he joked.

When Reitsma resigned unexpectedly, town council president Denise deMedeiros knew she had to find an interim administrator quickly. So she reached out to Cotta, who was the budget committee chairman, “because I had worked with him and I knew he knew how to write a budget.”

Cotta took deMedeioros’ call in Florida, and started when he returned to Rhode Island.

Councilors accepted his resignation Monday evening and will advertise the position.

“I think he did a fantastic job,” deMedeiros said. “Overall, he was excellent and we made a lot of positive changes while he was here.”

Hiring and getting Cotta’s successor up to speed quickly could be a daunting task, deMedeiros said. His last day will coincide closely with the swearing in date for the new council. And with budget season approaching, she said, it’s incumbent on the current council to conduct an efficient search.

Prospective candidates will be screened and interviewed by the personnel board. When they are done, members will forward a list of their preferred candidates to the council, which will hold public interviews before making its choice. deMedeiros hopes the work will be done by December, but “realistically I think we will need an interim.”

Cotta earned $111,000 per year, far below the $180,000 to $195,000 his counterparts in nearby towns earn, and deMedeiros said the salary offered will be negotiable.

Cotta said he hopes the town is able to find a replacement quickly, and said he might stay on after Dec. 3 if needed, but that’s to be determined.

If not?

“Fishing, golf, spending time with grandkids. Traveling. It’s time for a change but I wish the town well.”

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.