New Official Would Be 'Proactive' Toward Economic Development

Hiring an economic development coordinator will help the town be more proactive about bringing in new businesses, a town administration official told the Town Council this week.

Most of the Town Council members agreed, voting 10 to 2 to transfer $20,000 into a salary account and formally creating a municipal employee position. The Town Council included the funds in the 2011-12 town budget.

Director of Town Affairs Paul Hongo told the council members he hopes to hire someone with experience in municipal economic development. He said he received one resume from a former economic development official from a nearby town.

The part-time position will pay $20 per hour for a 19-hour workweek and will not include health insurance or other fringe benefits. Hongo said he has already received resumes and plans to interview the top candidates on June 19.

Before the vote, the council members discussed the pros and cons of having a town official to oversee economic development duties for the town.

Hongo said the job description would include promoting economic development in East Haven, seeking out businesses to move into vacant commercial property in town, and to coordinate the town’s efforts with the Council of Governments and other outside agencies.

"I’m trying to determine if this is something the town really needs," said Donna Richo of Charns Drive, a conservative critic of the administration. She said she doubted the town should be hiring new employees in the middle of a financial problem.

But Hongo said there is no other employee in the town government who can devote the necessary time to promoting East Haven economic development.

"This is an excellent opportunity to be proactive rather than reactive," Hongo said.

He said town officials typically wait for businesses to contact them and then offer to help them move into town. This official would proactively seek out companies instead of waiting for them to come to him, Hongo said.

Richo disagreed. "It is not the business of the town to be in business," she said.

But several council members felt differently. Paul Cofrancesco (D-3) said the town is struggling with an unfavorable tax base. He favored spending "a small amount of money to try something new," and said if it doesn’t work the council could always discontinue the employee position.

"You have to spend money to make money," he said.

Council member Vincent Camera (D-1), who is chairman of the council’s Economic Development Subcommittee, said it was very frustrating to sit in on the town’s Economic Development Commission meetings and hear about opportunities the town has lost because it did not have a coordinator to pursue them.

Camera is the chief advocate on the Town Council for hiring an economic development coordinator.