Providence's Director of Public Works to retire

by MATT HUGHES
J-E Editor
After 27 years of working for the city of Providence, David May is ready to give up the title of Director of Public Works and move on to something different.

May, 45, has been the Public Works Director since 2004, but the city has been his primary employer for his entire adult life.


“I started working full time for the city right after I graduated from Providence High School in 1989,” said May. “I started on the Tuesday after Memorial Day. I did a lot of weed eating and mowing at the city park.”

May actually started working for the city part-time in 1988 while still enrolled at PHS, doing pretty much the same job. After six months of full-time employment he became a meter reader.

Although May has spent his entire career with the city of Providence, that was never his goal.

“I was planning on going to work in the coal mines,” he said.

But the longer he stayed with the city, the harder he came to leave. He moved from meter reader to the gas department, and then eventually to the electrical department. Soon he had worked his way up far enough that it became hard to leave, especially when he looked at the pension plan that was going to allow him to retire at 45.

“The city’s been good to me,” May said. “Not many people can say that the only days they’ve missed work have been by choice. In 27 years I’ve never been laid off and I’ve never missed a paycheck.”

May said the city has not announced his replacement yet, although he expects them to promote from within.

“I’d really like to thank the mayor and the council for letting me fill this position,” he said. “It has been my pleasure to serve the citizens of Providence.”

Retirement for May wont mean frequent fishing trips or an easychair. He said he already has his immediate future mapped out, which will mean going right back to work.

“It’ll be something different than what I’ve been doing,” he said. “I’ll still be working with the public, but it’ll be different. I just can’t say right now what it’ll be.”
May’s last work day with the city will be June 30, 2015.