Jul. 15—NEW LONDON — Wanted: An empathetic, multilingual individual versed in public administration and landlord-tenant issues who's prepared to serve, in many cases, as the city's public face to the community.
Officials are in the final stages of hiring a new neighborhood coordinator who will operate as a conduit between various municipal departments and the residents and community groups they serve.
The new liaison will replace former coordinator Keishla Moro-Santos and continue to work for Felix Reyes, director of the city's office of development and planning, and Housing and Community Outreach Coordinator Judi Cox.
A recruiting announcement for the job laid out several examples of work expected be handled to be the incoming coordinator, including the receipt of citizen concerns and communication of city resources, programs and services to residents; assisting staff in developing project "action plans"; helping coordinate eviction and re-ocation services; and assisting with the solicitation and distribution of grant funding.
"But that's just part of it," Reyes said. "We want someone who will build relationships with residents and neighborhood leaders and advocate for the changes and improvements they want."
In addition to carrying residents' concerns to city officials, the coordinator will also pass on relevant programming and project updates to citizens.
"That could include information on neighborhood clean-ups or coordinating discussions on specific issues to a neighborhood," Reyes said, who noted the job comes with a steep learning curve. "They're going to be out on the road and going to a lot of meet-and-greet events with neighborhood leadership.
The new hire should be prepared to adjust on the fly, especially with the vast differences in residents' needs even from one city block to the next.
"And some neighborhoods are more organized than others," Reyes said.
Nine applications for the job, which listed an annual salary of between $67,828 and $78,632, were received by the city's personnel department before a June 26 deadline.
Reyes, who will make the final call on a hire with feedback from others, called the applicant pool a diverse group of candidates that included locals and out-of-state residents. He said a hiring panel made up of "in-house and outside" members will begin interviewing candidates soon.
"My hope is to make that hire before school starts up again," Reyes said.
Kathleen Barrett, longtime member of the Freedom Trail Neighborhood Association, which represents more than a dozen streets in the Hempstead Street area of the city, said her group has successfully worked with the neighborhood coordinator in the past.