Gibbs issues official announcement on candidacy for North Smithfield town administrator

NORTH SMITHFIELD – Scott Gibbs has announced his candidacy for the position of North Smithfield town administrator, noting he brings to the role more than four decades of working with local and state governments, as well as nonprofit and private sectors, to identify and address economic and community development issues.

Gibbs is president of the Economic Development Foundation of Rhode Island and has lived in North Smithfield for more than 35 years.

His early career began in Chicopee, Mass. where he was hired by the mayor to design and manage the city’s inaugural economic development program, receiving a National Merit Award for Creative Public Private Partnerships from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

Gibbs was subsequently recruited in Rhode Island to serve as the executive director of the Woonsocket Industrial Development Corporation and as vice president of the Greater Woonsocket Chamber of Commerce. He was instrumental in strategizing and managing the merger of the Greater Woonsocket and Blackstone Valley Chambers into what is now known as the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, according to a release from the candidate. He also coordinated the merger of the Woonsocket Industrial Development Corporation and the Blackstone Valley Development Foundation into The Economic Development Foundation of Rhode Island.

He was at the helm in the development of Highland Industrial Park and its expansion into Cumberland as the Highland Corporate Parks, and developed the Highland Park Children’s Center, the first corporate-sponsored childcare center in Rhode Island.  

He has been selected by the City of Newport as the preferred developer for the Innovate Newport project, the $8 million rehabilitation and repurposing of the historic Sheffield School on Broadway into a technology center. Continuing his northern Rhode Island work, he authored redevelopment plans to facilitate reinvestment into two historic mill villages in Burrillville.

Gibbs holds a bachelor’s degree from Wabash College, where he major in political science, a master’s in regional planning from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst, a master’s in business administration from Suffolk University in Boston and received a doctorate degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix in 2017.

Gibbs stated that his purpose for running for the town administrator position is to, ” lead a culture of professionalism, responsiveness, and effectiveness in Town Hall.” He explained that he wants to create a statewide reputation of excellence for North Smithfield, which should be the expectation of all residents and taxpayers. He said he is committed to forging an open, collaborative relationship with the Town Council and the various boards and commissions to strategize the town’s future.

“The world is changing at an increasingly rapid rate and the town can either control change or be controlled by it,” Gibbs said. “My wife and I have raised three kids in the town’s school system and sports programs. We have fond feelings for North Smithfield, and we want the town to continue to prioritize a high quality of life, a diversified and strong fiscal base, and a community culture of kindness and civility.” 

If elected as North Smithfield’s town administrator, Gibbs pledged to lead by example.

All 2024 political candidates who declare the intent to run in Burrillville, North Smithfield and Glocester are invited to send information announcing their campaign with a headshot, as well as a total of three press releases/position statements leading up to the November election for publication to [email protected].