Rookie politician thinks he has the 'best job in the world’

When Steven Contente became Bristol town administrator a year ago, he had never been elected to anything, never been in “politics,” and never led an organization as varied and diverse as the Bristol town government. He had been a cop all his adult life.

A year later, he has been seen all over town, stepped willingly into notable controversies, created and heavily used a town administrator Facebook page to “talk” to the people, revitalized the public works department, and never been bashful to tell people what he thinks, or how much he loves this job.

After 12 months on the job, he sat down to reflect on what he’s done, what he’s learned, what he could do differently, and what he hopes to accomplish next year — and in the next 10 years. Following are excerpts from a wide-ranging conversation about his first year in office.

Q. Five things you’ve accomplished and are proud of?

1. Repairing the end of the Prudence Island Ferry dock. “That was a big deal … We got a commitment from Portsmouth to help with the cost, and we kept the ferry service in Bristol.”

2. Developing a plan for the Azevedo property, two dilapidated buildings on Thames Street’s waterfront next to the Ever-Ready Fire Company. “I’m really glad we got that worked out. We’re improving the economic conditions downtown, bringing in revenue, and improving property values in that area — while preserving public access along the water.”

3. Improving morale and “getting a lot more done with the same people” — especially in the public works department. Mr. Contente talked about:

• Trimming trees, proactively, throughout town — “It turns out we have two arborists at DPW … we’re being proactive, working with the tree warden, and we’re saving Bristol money. Plus, we’ve planted more than 30 new trees.”

• Repairing sidewalks, including crumbling sidewalks on state roads like Hope Street.

• Repairing municipal buildings. “Some of these buildings are so neglected. There were areas where we had rags stuffed into the brick walls … the vault where we keep our records had no heat … there were holes in Town Hall, animals were getting in and running around.” He said all those issues are getting fixed, mostly by in-house staff.

“We were on the verge of about a $1 million repair to Town Hall. I stopped that and said we’re going to get this done slowly, one repair at a time, and it’s working.”

Mr. Contente talked a lot about productivity and morale within the DPW. “I’ve built trust with them. I’m checking on them regularly, but I’m not surprising them … and I’m recognizing them when a job is well done. The employees at DPW want to do a good job. They want to have pride in what they’re doing, and they should be proud of what they’re accomplishing.”

4. Keeping tax rate increases modest. “The silent majority of Bristol cannot afford large tax increases … I’ve never said taxes won’t go up, but I’m committed to making sure there are no large increases. We went up .15 cents this year.”

5. Being responsive and being in touch with local businesses. “I don’t need to bother a business owner. They’re busy. But when they need our help, I have to be responsive to their needs.” Mr. Contente mentioned a recent example where a Broadcommon business needed electrical infrastructure upgrades, and he helped get National Grid on scene to install more transformers to help feed their facility.

Q. Four things you’ve learned in office?

1. “If you’ve got the right people, longevity means a lot.” Making comparisons to some of the town’s established businesses, many of which are in second- or third-generation ownership, and to the town’s police department, which has been under the command of only two chiefs in the past two decades, Mr. Contente said consistency is important in town government. The institutional memories are vital, he said.

2. “Take the time to listen to people.” He said, “Sometimes it’s hard. I can be so busy, but I learned I have to take a few minutes and listen … I have to keep the door to my office open as much as possible.”

3. “I’m not going to make everyone happy.” He said he’s learned that sometimes “doing the right thing” for the town, will make some folks unhappy. “But I have to do what’s right for the town in the long run.”

4. “There has to be one person in charge of every project.” He said he learned that lesson by confronting big, languishing projects and discovering that three different people were in charge of three different aspects, but no one was in charge of the whole thing.

Q. Goals for next year?

1. Get the former Walley School building open and operational. “We need to consolidate our buildings. We have too many, and they’re too expensive.” He mentioned the Town Hall complex, which actually operates in three separate buildings next to each other or across the street on Court Street. “We have three AC systems, three electrical bills, three buildings to clean and maintain.” He’d like to see them consolidated, and see Walley put to good use.

2. Continue the infrastructure improvements. “We rebuilt six roads this year, and the key is, we did it right. We didn’t just do top coats, we rebuilt the roads.” He wants the road and sidewalk improvements to continue — “This is a 10-year plan,” Mr. Contente said.

Q. Things you can do better?

A. “I wish I could do a better job getting my message out and communicating with people … I found out it’s really not easy. It’s a lot of work.” As an example, he mentioned a State Street property that nearly blew up by tenants who had a hashish lab inside. The property has been vacant and mired in legal wrangling. He and the town have been doing a lot to get the property repaired and habitable again, but to the casual observer, it looks like nothing is happening.

Mr. Contente hopes a new hire within town government — a new economic development coordinator — can play a small role in communicating and messaging on behalf of the town, including via social media.

Q. Work/life balance with a wife and three young children?

A. “I’ve learned that I can’t go to everything. I can’t be everywhere … I have to know when my family needs me, when I have to be there for them.” He said that, most of the time, if he tells someone, or some organization, that he can’t accept their invitation, people are understanding and appreciative. “I just have to be honest with them,” he said.

“If society wants well-balanced public officials, we have to allow them work/life balance.”

Q. Is he running for re-election?

A. “Absolutely yes. I love this job. Some mornings I come running in here, I can’t wait to get to work.”

He went on to explain how a 20-year career in the police department was ideal preparation for this job. “I got to know this town, to know the people, to know town employees,” he said. All those years on the beat taught him more about Bristol than he could have learned elsewhere. And though he moved on from police work, he urges others to consider it: “I say this often … This town, this country, needs great police officers … It’s really a great profession.”

Yet he loves being town administrator even more.

“This is my career. This is what I want to do for at least 10 years,” he said.

Mr. Contente said he often gets emotional during the ceremonial aspects of his job, when he’s presiding or attending functions as the leader of the town of Bristol.

“I was a police officer for many years, and I could be tough when I had to be, but there’s something about this job. I have to admit that, sometimes, something comes over me, and I get emotional … This is the best job in the world. It really is.”