Nicolas Storellicastro is resigning from his role as Barre city manager to serve as deputy city manager in South Burlington, he told city officials Tuesday.
Storellicastro has served as Barre’s lead city employee for four years, which included one of the worst natural disasters in its centuries-long history: the 2023 flood event that devastated Barre homes and businesses.
Storellicastro said the new role was “a career move that I couldn’t say no to.” Yet he said he feels sad about the idea of leaving his team in Barre.
“It’s a place that gave me my first shot as a city manager,” he said. “They took a chance on me four years ago, for which I’ve been incredibly grateful every day that they did.”
Storellicastro handed in his resignation to the city council on Tuesday, after the annual city election results had been announced. He said his new role begins in August, so he’s most likely going to leave his current role in Barre sometime in July.
He said his four years as city manager “feels like eight.” But he added that he’s proud of everything he and his team has done, particularly in helping Barre recover from its 2023 and 2024 floods. Barre is still in the midst of some flood mitigation projects, like the tail end of federal buyouts and moving the public works garage out of a flood-prone area.
“Obviously we haven’t done all the things we want to do on flood mitigation, but that hasn’t been for lack of effort. We ran into funding barriers,” he said. The city recently lost an application for a federal grant to redevelop the North End neighborhood.
He listed projects like the $7.6 million bond for wastewater plant upgrades, the expansion of the Cow Pasture and the addition of turf to the recreation facility as his team’s accomplishments during his tenure.
Barre Mayor Thom Lauzon said he was disappointed with Storellicastro’s departure.
“I would have preferred to have him stay, but I understand I can’t begrudge anyone a career opportunity,” Lauzon said.
Lauzon has taken some initial steps toward filling the city manager position, he said. He asked City Councilor Amanda Gustin to chair a hiring committee and reached out to the Vermont League of Cities and Towns to help look for candidates.
Storellicastro had replaced Steve Mackenzie, who served 12 years as city manager before retiring. Lauzon floated Mackenzie’s name for a potential interim or permanent manager, along with two other local government officials in Vermont: Bill Fraser, who served as city manager to Montpelier for 30 years, and Dominic Cloud, the St. Albans city manager.
Lauzon hadn’t expected this challenge at the very start of his eighth term as mayor. But he noted, “You don’t get to pick and choose your priorities.”
“The last thing I said to Nicolas in the staff meeting was, ‘Nicolas, with all due respect, my goal is to find a city manager better than you are. That’s going to be a really tall task, but that’s my goal,’” Lauzon said. “And Nicolas said, ‘That’s what I want for Barre.’”
