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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us September 29, 2005 Residents invited to weigh in on new planning director By Robert Plain Ashland Daily Tidings Ashland is on the hunt for a new director of its Community Development Department, and tonight is an opportunity for residents to help the city find the right one. “Besides voting for city council, this is probably the best chance to have an influence on the city government,” said Mark Knox, a planner from the private sector, of the meeting tonight. At 5:30 in the Ashland Civic Center city council chambers, the city is hosting a public forum at which the citizenry is invited to share what it would like Ashland to look for in a new planning and community development director. “As a stakeholder in the Ashland community, we invite you to share your input with the city,” says the city Web site about the meeting. “As we search for a successor community development director, it is critical that we have a clear understanding of what qualities the community values in its top community development professional.” Mayor John Morrison said the city is looking for someone who has experience being a planner in a community not unlike Ashland. “We want someone who is coming from a situation comparable to Ashland,” he said, “where the quality of life is equivalent to what we have here.” Morrison noted that the city’s community development department is one of the larger ones in local government. Because of this, he feels it is important that the city find a natural leader who can convey the vision of the city in a clear and focused manner. “We need someone who can communicate well with the council, the staff and the citizens of Ashland,” he said. City Administrator Gino Grimaldi said he is of the opinion that the Ashland should “look for a person who can connect with the community needs.” When asked if the new planning director would need to come with a certain set of political beliefs, Grimaldi said, “I wouldn’t frame it as politics, but we’d like someone who has worked in a similar climate to Ashland.” Grimaldi said because the residents of Ashland like to be actively involved in the planning process that a new director should be ready to deal with members of the public. Both Grimaldi and Morrison said that a new director should be ready to tackle Ashland’s growing need for more affordable housing. Even though some of Ashland’s current leadership already has an outline of what they would like to see in a new community development director, some said they would be willing to readjust their ideas based on what the community wants. “Planning is extremely crucial,” Morrison said. “You know the old saying, ‘If we don’t plan well we’ll end up with something we didn’t plan on.’” Staff writer Robert Plain can be reached at 482-3456 x 3040 or [email protected]. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Online Pharmacy Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations Hammocks Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams