PROVIDENCE – James J. Lombardi III, treasurer for the City of Providence and longtime senior adviser to the City Council, announced on Monday that he will leave city government effective May 5.
Lombardi, 57, who is a CPA, attorney and former IRS agent, is stepping down to join Skypath Security Inc., a cybersecurity firm in East Greenwich.
“I’m friendly with the CEO and he said ‘I want you on in whatever capacity.’ I was honored,” Lombardi said. “It’s a great group of people and cybersecurity is a subject I’ve been interested in for a long time.“
Current Deputy Treasurer Lance Cardillo will fill Lombardi’s role for 90 days. Lombardi said he will assist in the transition to the next treasurer.
Lombardi was appointed internal auditor for the city of Providence in 1999, a position he held for 12 years. He was appointed city treasurer in 2011.
“I called it straight down the line,” Lombardi said in recalling his 24 years in city government. “I wasn’t influenced by politics. That’s what I hope people remember.”
During his time with the city, he worked with eight council presidents and 48 council members. His tenure also spanned the terms of six Providence mayors, and he served as the chief of staff for two former council presidents and was most recently a senior adviser to the council.
Early in his career, Lombardi was an agent for the IRS. But when that job ended, he spotted a posting for an internal auditor position with the city.
“They wanted someone who was not political and who could give independent advice,” said Lombardi. “I was intrigued. Since then, I’ve been an appointed by the council for all those years. First three times as auditor, the next three times as treasurer.”
Lombardi had initially planned on leaving City Hall in January, but he was persuaded to return and was sworn in for his seventh four-year term with the City Council on Jan. 5.
“That was my plan. Then I was asked by a former councilperson to reconsider. So I reconsidered,” he said. “There’s no negatives. No one asked me to go. I just felt it was time.”
Having three teenage children who will be in college during the next few years also was a big factor in his decision, Lombardi said.
“It’ll likely be another decade until my youngest is out of school,” he said.
In addition to the cybersecurity position, Lombardi also will continue practicing criminal and civil law before the U.S. Tax Court and U.S. District Court, representing people with tax disputes, he said.
“Treasurer Lombardi is a wealth of knowledge, having worked for more than two decades to make government more responsible and efficient for taxpayers,” said Council President Rachel Miller. “We asked Treasurer Lombardi to help with the transition after his retirement, and he readily accepted.”
Lombardi has also served as chairman of the Providence Retirement Board and vice chairman of the Board of Investments. He currently sits on the board of directors for the Rhode Island Oral Health Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides free dental care to the uninsured, underinsured and those who cannot access dental care.
“I have known Jim for many years now and respect the fact that he gets things done in the highest ethical manner,” said Council Majority Leader James Taylor. “Look no further than a resolution that was passed unanimously by the council in 2011 and signed by the mayor, which stated ‘James J. Lombardi, III, served with distinction, fortitude, and integrity…and consistently performed his duties and responsibilities on behalf of the people of Providence with the highest level of acumen and professionalism.’”
(Update: clarifies councilperson in 11th paragraph)
Sam Wood is a staff writer at PBN. Contact him at Wood@PBN.com
Best wishes to Mr. Lombardi in his new career.