Tallmadgeexpress.com - Carano hired as development chief

by Amanda Harnocz

Reporter

Tallmadge -- The increasing need for new retail business in the city has led the city to split the economic director into two positions, according to the mayor.

According to Mayor Christopher Grimm, current Economic Director Pat Sauner will take on the newly created position of community development manager, while resident Pat Carano will serve as the city's director of economic development.

Grimm said he decided to split the position because "we need to be more aggressive in getting businesses into the community," adding there have been "too many empty buildings in the city for multiple years."

City Council approved the creation of the community development manager position earlier this month.

Sauner's new position, which is considered a lateral move within the city, will pay $75,700. His salary as economic developer was the same amount.

Sauner has headed the city's economic development department for the past 23 years, according to Grimm.

Grimm said he proposed creating the new position to Council because Sauner's job responsibilities have multiplied over the years.

Sauner agreed.

"Seventy-five percent of my job has shifted to responsibilities other than bringing new business into town," Sauner said. "We need someone to focus on economic development full time."

Sauner's new focus will be grant writing, developing comprehensive plans for the city, expanding the Joint Economic Development District to include other communities and working closely with the Heritage Commission.

"I can focus on specific areas now," Sauner said. "Before, I was doing a little bit of everything."

Carano, who will start working for the city as economic developer July 7, will be paid $65,000 a year.

Grimm said the money to pay for Carano comes from the city's budget.

"There have been different positions over the years that we haven't replaced ... the road superintendent, garage superintendent, safety director, human resources director ... that's why we can pay for [Carano]," Grimm said.

His job will be to "aggressively search for new businesses in the city so we don't have empty store fronts," the mayor said.

Some of Carano's goals for his new position include "fostering a strong business climate for growth that can ultimately take the financial burden off residents by keeping taxes low, while generating a solid tax-base to maintain government services and to strengthen our school system."

He plans to do this by "assisting existing businesses in growing their companies and by creating a favorable business climate to attract new companies to the community."

According to Grimm, Carano attended both Kent State University and the University of Akron and has 22 years of experience in the economic development field with Summit County. Carano was formerly employed by the Summit County Port Authority.

While he said he enjoyed his former job, "I could not pass up the opportunity to work on economic development in the community my family and I love and the place we chose to plant our roots," Carano said.

E-mail: aharnocz@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-686-3911