New London — New Information Technology Director Richard Genovese joins the city during what Mayor Michael Passero said is a pivotal time.

The city had been without an IT director since the retirement of Robert Pia in 2016 and during that time has approved spending $1.2 million in citywide upgrades to its aging IT infrastructure.

The State Bond Commission in June additionally approved $758,133 for upgrades to the city police department’s software system to help jumpstart a stalled plan to consolidate its emergency dispatch services with Waterford.

“We’ve sorely needed this position,” Passero said. “He’s coming on at just the right time to lead this upgrade of our IT infrastructure and the initiatives like the dispatch.”

Passero said he expects Genovese to provide a “fresh set of eyes” on citywide IT needs and help put together an overall strategic plan.

Genovese also will play some yet-to-be-determined role in the rollout of a new financial software system that will link the city government with the school district finances. That process is now underway.

Passero announced Genovese’s hiring Monday to the City Council. The council had budgeted $120,000 for the position and Genovese was hired with a $105,000 annual salary. He was expected to start on Sept. 24.

Genovese lives in Wallingford and is a former project manager at ESPN in Bristol, where he worked between 1997 and 2016 and was responsible for hardware and infrastructure at remote events held worldwide, according to his job application with the city.

He was laid off from ESPN and started his own project management consulting business that ended when a co-owner left the business earlier this year. He was working as the IT manager at Hartley & Parker Limited in Stratford, a wine and spirit distribution company, before he accepted the position in New London.

New London Personnel Administrator Tina Collins said Finance Director Don Gray used the professional recruitment service of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities to obtain applicants for the IT director position. Four people were interviewed for the position by Passero and Gray, Collins said.

Genovese was offered the job and appointed by Passero after a standard background check was completed.

New London police Chief Peter Reichard said he expects Genovese eventually will become an integral part of the switch-over to the department’s new software system, which will allow New London police, fire and EMS services to access shared information with Waterford.

The new TriTech software coming to New London already is used in Waterford and will set the stage for future negotiations on a consolidated dispatch system. It will take one year to 16 months before the software system is in place and training is completed.

Reichard said the software system will act as the “backbone” for the regionalization initiative. The department also is suffering from outdated equipment and Reichard said Genovese will help provide direction and set priorities for future upgrades and modernization efforts.

g.smith@theday.com