Mayor Makes Appointments to Key City Positions
NEW BEDFORD – Mayor Jon Mitchell has made two appointments to lead key departments at City Hall, naming Quillan Lowney the City Auditor and Sherie Pinzino the Administrative Assistant to the Board of Assessors.
Additionally, Mayor Mitchell has made new appointments to the Licensing Board, GNB Regional Vocational Technical High School District Committee and Community Preservation Committee.
Lowney has more than 15 years of experience in managing public, private and government accounting operations. He has been the Acting City Auditor for the past eight months and oversaw the reporting to close out fiscal 2024 in which the City submitted its documents to the state Department of Revenue in record time.
Prior to joining the Auditor’s Office, Lowney was Interim City Treasurer/Collector and Deputy Treasurer/Collector in the Treasurer’s Office in which he managed borrowing and debt management and oversaw treasury, collection, tax title and payroll divisions.
“Mr. Lowney’s expert knowledge and experience of accounting, both in the private and public sector, makes him the idea candidate to lead the Department,” Mayor Mitchell wrote in his appointment letter to the City Council.
Pinzino brought almost 10 years of experience in banking, auditing, and management in the private sector to City Hall when she joined the Treasurer’s Office in 2014. Over the last decade, she has managed the tax lien and regulatory requirement environments, implemented strategies to recover outstanding tax liabilities, and collaborated with residents and attorneys to resolve issues as the Assistant Collector/Tax Title.
As Administrative Assistant to the elected Board of Assessors, Pinzino will lead the City Hall assessing staff and work hand-in-hand with the Board.
“Ms. Pinzino’s history of strong collaboration with other City department staffs and her commitment to strengthening her professional expertise when new opportunities are presented to her give me strong confidence in her ability to lead the Assessor’s office going forward,” Mayor Mitchell wrote.
Retired firefighter Richard McCue has been appointed to the Licensing Board, which grants licenses to local businesses and plays an important role in ensuring the safety of patrons and neighborhood residents. McCue spent 32 years with the New Bedford Fire Department and has extensive training and experience in risk assessment, fire mitigation and emergency planning.
McCue was one of four NBFD members honored in 2021 for meritorious conduct after saving a girl from a structure fire at a multifamily dwelling, and was honored again in 2022 for helping a mother and her non-verbal child escape a fire in their apartment building.
Longtime City resident Jimmy Dee has also been appointed to the Licensing Board. Dee spent nearly three decades in the video department for the New England Patriots and has filmed more than 600 games for the team, including 10 Super Bowls. The team’s former Video Director worked for coaches Bill Parcells, Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick before retiring in 2024 after earning six Super Bowl rings.
Longtime educator Karen Treadup has been appointed to the GNB Voc-Tech District Committee. Most recently in her 35-plus years with New Bedford Public Schools, she served as Deputy Superintendent, the role second in authority to a school district of 13,000 students, working directly with principals on matters of curriculum, operations, and supporting all students.
She also served as Principal of the William H. Carney Academy for eight years, and was a special education teacher at several City schools before that. She retired from the NBPS in 2023 and is currently an adjunct professor of education at Roger Williams University.
“Ms. Treadup is also personally invested in the success of GNBRVTHS as the mother of a Voc-Tech graduate,” Mayor Mitchell wrote in her appointment letter to the City Council. “As a parent and educator, she will bring an important perspective and considerable experience to the committee.”
Brian Ayotte has been appointed to the Community Preservation Committee, which oversees the implementation of the Community Preservation Act throughout the City. The Committee assesses the City’s needs, develops and maintains the community preservation plan, prepares the annual budget and makes project recommendations to the City Council.
Ayotte is a professor at UMass Dartmouth with a doctorate degree in Life Span Developmental Psychology with a background in research, statistics, and environmental carriers to health and well-being.
All appointments are subject to City Council approval.