Edc
HARLINGEN ? The Harlingen Economic Development Corpora-tion Board of Directors voted to accept EDC CEO Bill Martin?s resignation Tuesday and approved a search committee to find his replacement.
Martin is leaving to become president of Quad Cities First, the economic development branch of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce in Iowa and Illinois.
A five-person search committee, consisting of City commissioner Jerry Prepejchal, City Manager Carlos Yerena, City Attorney Roxann Cotroneo and EDC board members Terry Gray and Desi Martinez was appointed to find Martin?s successor.
?One of the things we didn?t want to do is rush,? Silva said. ?It?s a very important position in the community. Economic development is the driving engine of any economy. It encompasses so much including industrial, retail, hotels, medical and so we want to make sure we get someone who is well-rounded and likes the area.?
The candidate ?And to be able to work with the business community, work with the mayor, understand the political environment and that?s why we want to take our time to find the right person,? he said.
?Part of the reason we had this lunch meeting is because we didn?t want to go another two weeks until we had our board meeting,? Silva said. ?We felt it was critical that we take action immediately so that we could start with the committee putting together the qualifications, to start advertising and to try to get someone in here because we cannot stop and make sure we take care of this and move forward.?
During the time that Martin leaves and someone is hired to replace him, the board will oversee operations of EDC staff and its office.
?The board will oversee the operations and make sure everything goes according to plan,? Silva said. ?There was no sense in putting in an interim for a month. Paperwork-wise, it would be a nightmare for human resources. The staff all knows their job duties and they do them well.?
Martin recently told the Valley Morning Star he was happy to have worked in Harlingen and added that it is full of opportunity. He has been EDC CEO since September 2007.
Silva said Martin didn?t have to agree to be on call for that extra month and that he thought it was honorable that he agreed to be on call.
?We need to make sure that none of the projects we are working on fall through the cracks,? Silva said. ?We want to make sure we take care of that over the next couple of months. That?s crucial. We can?t stop and wait for a new director.?