Cordoni is interim economic development manager

Local Realtor Patty Cordoni will fill the economic development manager's slot left open by Mac Hay's early departure from the half-time position that he has held for the last two years.

On a 3-1 vote, the Sisters City Council appointed Cordoni to the interim position.

Cordoni has worked on economic development as a volunteer with Hay for the past four years. She has also served as president of the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors where she was instrumental in the hiring of current executive director Erin Borla and in creating a new face for the chamber in the community.

"I have developed working relationships with land and building owners, developers and storefront owners and have supported these various entities over the years," said Cordoni. "My goal is to keep Sisters on the map and create new programs to attract and retain businesses."

Cordoni's appointment will expire on December 31. She will be paid $2,500 per month for her efforts. The council has stated an intent to have a job description for a new, permanent position by the end of December.

If that position is for a part-time economic development manager, three of the councilors have indicated their desire to have an updated, streamlined scope of work and job description in place when interviewing to fill the permanent position. Mayor Kellstrom and councilor Thompson indicated that they do not see a need for an updated job description or scope of work.

Councilor Wendy Holzman cast the lone dissenting vote for the interim appointment. She said, "I'm concerned about rushing into this appointment when we don't have an agreed-upon scope of work or job description. We all agreed that when Mac was doing the job it was too much.

"I am also concerned that the interim position should not be filled by anyone that is interested in the permanent position," continued Holzman. "My real concern is that we need to have an open and transparent process. I'm concerned that by moving forward with this appointment we might be causing the appearance that we have already selected who should move forward in that position."

Kellstrom responded, "What if that means we are giving up the best person?"

The mayor asserted that, "We have always said that we would go out (advertise) for the permanent position. If we could find a second Mac Hay, he would be hired."

Holzman stressed that her concerns had nothing to do with Cordoni personally.

In support of his vote to place Cordoni in the interim position, councilor Pat Thompson said, "I think that since we started with Mac Hay, we have put Sisters Country on the map. We have put the open sign on the outside of city hall. I think we have made great strides."

Thompson continued, "I'm perfectly OK with this person (Cordoni) because this person has not only filled in for Mac, but this person has been very active in everything that is going on. I think Patty has all those qualifications. I have complete confidence that she is going to do the job."

Councilor David Asson expressed his concern about the need for a revised scope of work and job description in place before the permanent hire is made.

"I propose that we get a task force of interested civic leaders in place to go over these things ... (they can) get back to us in a few weeks, before this (the interim job) is done, and that (the revised documents) becomes part of the interview process. I would be glad to help and go find these people and to get a strong scope of work that can be done by a part-time person with the budget that we have."

Councilor Weed was absent. She has spoken out in earlier meetings about the need for a revised scope of work and job description for the economic development manager's job as well as the need for a more comprehensive approach to the economic development process.