After 28 years with the city of Cambridge, deputy city manager Owen O’Riordan said he plans to retire July 5, according a letter to city officials.
“It has been a deeply rewarding experience. While I have never lived in the city, the city has lived in me for the 28 years and has been my constant companion from first thing in the morning until I go to bed each night,” O’Riordan said in a Wednesday letter, expressing gratitude for being part of a team “able to accomplish so much.”
Kathy Watkins, now commissioner of Public Works, will be appointed deputy city manager, said city manager Yi-An Huang honored O’Riordan in a letter Thursday. It’s the same leadership path O’Riordan followed.
Watkins has been with city government for nearly 28 years across both the Community Development Department and Department of Public Works. She has been DPW commissioner for the past three years. “Kathy has been a central leader in the expansion of our Five-Year Street and Sidewalk Plan and our 10-Year Utility Plan,” Huang said. “She established the city’s traffic calming program and has led with a strong commitment to community engagement – ensuring all voices are heard and respected.”
It was just December that assistant city manager Iram Farooq announced she would leave after 25 years with the city to become managing director of campus planning at Harvard University. Farooq’s last day in the office was Jan. 24.
Huang honored O’Riordan in his letter Thursday.
“Owen has served the city with deep integrity and unwavering commitment,” Huang said. “His leadership has been instrumental in transforming the city’s approach to infrastructure planning and investment, moving us from reactive responses to a thoughtful, long-term strategy that serves our residents and businesses for decades to come … Beyond the plans and programs, Owen has set the bar for public service – always placing residents first and stepping up when needed. Many will recall his memorable 2 a.m. snowstorm emails, especially during Snowmaggedon in 2015! His thoughtful leadership, technical skill and commitment to Cambridge have left a profound mark.”
On a more personal note, Huang added, “I’m especially grateful for Owen’s partnership. He welcomed me when I was new, helped me understand how the city runs a complex day-to-day operation, and has been so much part of how I have tried to build on everything that we do well while finding areas to improve.”
Finding a home
O’Riordan arrived on city staff in 1997. Before being appointed deputy city manager Dec. 13, 2022, he served as commissioner of Public Works for eight years and as acting city manager from July through September 2022, according to city biographical information. He has degrees in engineering, civil engineering and engineering hydrology from the University of Galway, Ireland, while his wife, Nora, attended University College in Dublin, then got scholarships to the University of California at Berkeley and another to Boston College.
“I didn’t know where Harvard University was when Nora and I came on vacation here when I was 25 or 26 years of age,” O’Riordan said Thursday by phone. “To find myself working in the city for as long as I have and having a fulfilling career here, is something that I would never have guessed.” Liking the city – and being in a place that was more liberal and safer than Ireland at the time for him, his wife and first child, Molly, he applied for a sewer supervisor job and got it.
“When we left Ireland, I was really frightened that I wouldn’t have a fulfilling career as an engineer or as a professional,” O’Riordan said. “And as I leave, I feel I actually have had a great career, and done things I never imagined I would have been able to do. I have so many people that I should be thankful to – city managers; finance directors; [former deputy city manager] Lisa Peterson was a hugely important person. I’m just so grateful to so many people in the city. I mean, it’s just a wonderful, wonderful city to have worked in. I couldn’t have imagined that I would have been so blessed.”
Work over three decades
O’Riordan said he was proud of the improvements he’s brought about over decades in helping Cambridge handle its flooding and creating a wetlands at Alewife – no surprise for a hydrologist who had some rue for leaving DPW for the City Manager’s Office – though a restructuring by Huang meant O’Riordan kept oversight of his former department. “I love operations. I love dealing with water systems,” O’Riordan said.
The biggest items in his city managerial portfolio being handed off to Watkins are the ongoing overhaul of the city’s schools and the need to build up an emergency communications team. The Water Department too will face challenges, he said.
One unattained goal over the years: finding a larger property for the Department of Public Works. “I have regrets that we didn’t get to purchase something more suitable when perhaps there was more property available,” O’Riordan said.
O’Riordan said his retirement follows that of his wife last year. “We are looking forward to being able to spend more time together,” O’Riordan said. He expects to travel more over the coming years, but keep his home in Norwell and stay in Massachusetts. “I love going home and I love going to Europe, but I genuinely love Massachusetts and feel very fortunate to live in Massachusetts,” he said. “We have three American children – there’s no part of them that’s Irish at this point – and so they’re perfectly at home here and we’re happy to remain in Massachusetts and travel back and forth to Ireland on a very frequent basis.”
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