I have been a municipal planner for 30 years.
Upon graduation from Geneseo I took a management trainee position in retail, then quickly discovered that wasn’t going to be my future. I found a graduate program in Urban Studies and ran from there. One of my grad classes even used the same book as an undergrad class I enjoyed had, so I knew I was headed down the correct path!
I relocated to Connecticut and secured an entry level Planner position with the City of Bridgeport while I completed my Masters Degree. My work consisted of coordinating with community and business groups, writing redevelopment plans, and overseeing capital improvement projects (e.g. new streetscapes). I also wrote grant applications and managed contractors on multi-million dollar projects.
Over time I was promoted through the ranks, ultimately becoming the Director of Planning. In that capacity I set department goals, coordinated with other City departments, and supervised staff. We ensured the City complied with various State Statutes, but at the same time strove to improve processes and procedures to be more transparent and reflective of the needs of the community. I describe the work of a City Planner as making certain all of the policies and procedures necessary for economic development are in place. If the community isn’t involved in creating the plans and setting goals for how the city grows and changes then there will be no support for projects as they occur.
The most challenging project I undertook was to completely rewrite the zoning regulations, transitioning from Euclidean to Form Based code. The new code was unanimously approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission because of the extensive outreach and education that we undertook while the code was drafted. Property developers, architects, engineers, and land use attorneys commend the new zoning code for.
