Name: Donald Grebien
Title: Mayor
Company: City of Pawtucket
Location: Rhode Island
Birthplace: Providence, RI
Family: Wife, Lauren (LeBlanc), director of human resources, Gregg's Restaurants Inc.; children Alexa, 13; Connor, 11; both in Pawtucket public schools
College: AS, Business Administration, Community College of Rhode Island
First (previous) job unrelated to your current field: American Insulated Wire, Pawtucket, R.I., corporate transportation supply chain manager (2008-2010). Worked at AIW, including also in facilities operations and distribution (1998-2010)
First job in current field: Pawtucket City Councilor-at-large, 1997-2008
What your city does now and its plans for the future? When my administration came into office in January 2011, we inherited a current year shortfall of more than $12 million on the city's annual budget of more than $180 million. Ever since, our challenge has been to reduce spending, find creative ways to grow revenue, and live within our means to avoid the kind of bankruptcy oversight intervention that has befallen some of our neighboring communities. A next major item on our agenda is initiating municipal shared services with other communities.
Hobbies: Travel, golf
Favorite novel: "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" (the graphic novel)
Favorite film: "In the Heat of the Night"
Keys to success: Determination and persistence, persistence, persistence.
Person you admire most (outside of family): Fr. Joseph Paquette, pastor of St. Theresa Church. His inspiring ability to bring help and comfort to everyone and do everything with a warm smile makes me grateful he's not a candidate for mayor.
If you had to choose a different profession, what would it be? Even with all the challenges facing cities and towns today, being mayor of my city is what I've always wanted to do and it's a responsibility I hope to retain for the foreseeable future.