James Doyle was Pawtucket’s longest serving mayor. He spent 13 years as the city’s chief executive but decided not to run again and stepped down in January. But don’t worry about the job prospects for the 72-year-old Doyle. He’s already been hired by Taunton-based Bristol County Savings Bank, which has a branch in Pawtucket, to serve as vice president of business development. Doyle recently answered five questions about the transition.
PBN: Has it been kind of a shock to be returning to a private-sector job working for someone else after being a high-profile, top executive of a major organization for so many years?
DOYLE: No, not really. I was in the business world for probably 25 years before becoming mayor of the city – it’s really like falling off a bike and getting back on. There are very similar circumstances in both jobs, like meeting people. It is a minor adjustment but not a shock.
Beyond Cash Donations: How New Forms of Giving Are Transforming Not-for-Profit Accounting
Evolving Funding Landscape for Not-for-Profits Not-for-profit organizations are being asked to do more with less,…
Learn More
PBN: What will you be called upon to do as a vice president of business development at Bristol County Savings Bank?
DOYLE: Bristol County Savings Bank has a history of being actively involved in the community, so I’ll still be serving the needs of the Pawtucket community … just from a different office. I will be working along with the rest of the bank’s Rhode Island banking team to help the bank fulfill its mission of providing community support and meeting the needs of the Pawtucket area.
PBN: What do you think you can apply from your time as mayor to your new position at Bristol County Savings Bank?
DOYLE: I think in the political field, in order to be successful, people have to get to know you – they have to like you, and they have to trust you. These were the parameters that I worked within in the public sector, and I believe the same will apply to this career that I’m undertaking with BCSB. Even though you go from the public to the private sector – things don’t change that much.
PBN: Is this a position you sought out? Or did someone approach you? Was retirement ever a possibility?
DOYLE: Four years ago, Dennis Kelly, the president of the bank, approached me after one of the Pawtucket Advisory Board meetings which I attended as a board member and asked me if I was going to run for mayor again. After my last term I decided not to run for mayor again, and Dennis Kelly and Pat Murray, the executive vice president and chief operating officer, met with me and offered me a job. We all agreed that working together would be a mutually beneficial arrangement.
In terms of retirement – I had talked with my wife, Joan, and in our discussions she said she was fine with whatever I wanted to do. I’m the type of guy that isn’t handy around the house, so the retirement option at this point in time wasn’t very appealing. When the bank offered me a job I was flattered that at the age of 72 years old, my skills and experience were wanted in the business world. I’m starting a new career and here we are today.
PBN: What will you miss most about being mayor? And the least?
DOYLE: Miss most – I’ll miss the daily interplay that existed in that office and dealing with the issues – it’s an exciting job and something different comes up every day – there’s a perception that the mayor’s job consists of major decisions every day but it’s the really small decisions that deal with people’s problems that to some people may seem small, but they’re very important to those people and therefore became important to me. I’ll especially miss the folks from my office.
What I will miss the least is the highs and lows of being a chief executive. In the public sector, you have to learn to not be too euphoric or too despairing. There are times when you cannot accomplish projects, such as the hotel [planned] on Division Street, because of the political world. Trying to make projects happen. It took a long time to go from step A to step B in these projects, and it is easy to lose sight of long-term goals and what is really important. In the public sector things don’t move as fast as they do in the private sector – and it was a part of the job that you had to accept.
