Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy named John Krol chief of staff effective Feb. 1. Krol replaces Jamie Cerulli, who has accepted a position as Inspectional Services Division coordinator.
“It’s going to be really hard to replace somebody as talented as Jamie,” Kennedy said, “but I think we have found a very good candidate in John. I’m confident he will pick up all the nuances of the job quickly.”
Cerulli had worked in the mayor’s office since 2010 and took over as chief of staff in November 2011.
Krol has never held a job in government but has been active in the local political scene starting with working on Kennedy’s campaign for city council in 2001. He ran for School Committee in 2005 and 2007.
“This is a dream job for me,” said Krol, who was appointed to the License Commission by Kennedy in 2012. “The mayor is a good friend whom I believe in 100 percent of the time. I’m thrilled to have a chance to work for her and the city.”
Krol had worked as an accounts manager for a Wakefield technology company since 2012. Prior to that he was a customer sales representative for Verizon for nine years. He serves on the board of directors of the Friends of Lynn Woods.
A lifelong resident of Lynn, Krol graduated from Lynn Vocational Technical Institute in 1997 and attended North Shore Community College.