Peter Garino, the chief operating officer at the state Department of Transportation, is leaving state employment after less than two years with RIDOT.
Garino was hired as Peter Alviti’s deputy in February 2015, one month after Governor Gina Raimondo took office.
As part of a restructuring of senior management in June 2016, Garino took on a newly created post as RIDOT’s $155,000 chief operating officer. At the time, the state said that he came with “24 years of public and private sector experience, including 16 years [with] New Jersey Transit. He will be responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations of the Department, and assists the Director with overall assistance and support with the planning, coordination and implementation of all departmental activities.
Garino said he hopes to land a private sector job on the West Coast after ending his tenure at RIDOT in January.
He said he doesn’t have anything lined up, although he believes the bipartisan focus on infrastructure makes it a good time to seek a new opportunity. Garino said he is avoiding seeking another job for now to avoid the perception of a conflict with his work for RIDOT.
Garino said he discussed working for an 18- to 24-month timeframe when he was hired by Governor Gina Raimondo, and that he has focused on tackling problems in different assignments throughout his career before moving on. “I know we’d made a lot of progress,” in Rhode Island, he said.
In a memo obtained by RIPR, Alviti disclosed Thursday that Garino “is leaving RIDOT to pursue new opportunities.” Alviti said the departure left him “with bittersweet emotions.”
“Thanks to Pete’s efforts, Rhode Island now has a project management and project accountability system, a reliable dedicated funding source to repair our crumbling infrastructure and 10-year plan approved by the federal government,” Alviti wrote in his memo.
“Pete played an integral role as the chief architect of Governor Raimondo’s RhodeWorks program, which will make our bridges safety and put thousands of Rhode Islanders,” Alviti continued. “He led RIDOT’s efforts on the 6/10 Interchange redesign, the redesign of the northbound Providence Viaduct, the Providence Transit Hub Public Private Partnership (P3) and the Providence to Newport Ferry. And he developed the funding plan for the Pawtucket Train Station, which was awarded a federal grant earlier this year.”
RhodeWorks has been the most contentious initiatives of the Raimondo administration. While the governor calls it an overdue measure to repair the state’s infrastructure, critics have expressed fears that truck tolls will have a negative effect and may be ultimately extended to cars.
Word that Garino would be exiting RIDOT have circulated in state government in recent months.
Alviti said Garino’s last work day is January 30, and that Loren Doyle, RIDOT’s CFO, will serve as COO until a permanent replacement is selected.
