Scottville to consider hiring community development director. 

Scottville to consider hiring community development director. 

By Rob Alway

Editor’s note: Rob Alway is a Scottville city commissioner and editor-in-chief/owner of Mason County Press. This article serves as an op-ed, including some opinion as an elected official.

SCOTTVILLE — On Monday, July 25, the Scottville City Commission is going to consider creating a community development director position. This is something that Mayor Marcy Spencer, City Manager Jimmy Newkirk, and myself have worked diligently on over the past couple of months. This position will be a diverse position that will include grant writing, planning, zoning and code administration and enforcement, liaison to the business community, overseeing parks and recreation, and economic development. The city commission committing to creating this position will be another step towards its goal to turn Scottville around. 

About 15 years ago, the Scottville Downtown Development Authority became part of the Michigan Main Street program and hired a Main Street manager work with the downtown businesses. This job will feature some of the elements of the Main Street manager but will be much more and will serve the entire community. 

We have made a lot of progress in Scottville over the last six years. We have a city commission that is dedicated to seeing Scottville prosper again. We have dedicated individuals who serve on the planning commission, Downtown Development Authority, and parks and recreation committee who also are working to make Scottville be a better place to live. Our city manager has worked hard to make Scottville’s city government more efficient, saving the taxpayers money while, at the same time, assuring that the city’s property values increase. We have a city staff, including our clerk, treasurer, department of public works and police department, that all serve the community with dedication and professionalism. 

This new position will be a great investment for the residents and property owners of Scottville, especially with a high priority focused on grant writing and economic development. I am proud of our accomplishments so far and can’t wait to see what else will happen in the future. 

City commission meets at 6:30 p.m. at city hall, 105 N. Main St.

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