Neighbor Spotlight: New Cranberry manager no stranger to township's vision for a 'world-class community'

Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would like to nominate someone as a Neighbor Spotlight, email Neighborhood News Network editor Katie Green at kgreen@triblive.com.

When Dan Santoro was hired as an assistant in Cranberry’s planning and zoning department in 1991, he quickly realized that the person who could provide a clear understanding of how best to serve the community was working in the same building.

“I tried to be tied to (manager) Jerry Andree’s hip whenever I could,” said Santoro, 55, who recently was appointed as Andree’s successor as the township’s chief administrator. “He created the blueprints for success and I believe it sets the stage for many great days ahead for Cranberry.”

Andree wrapped up a 30-year career when he retired on Jan. 4.

“I was fortunate enough to have worked side-by-side with him for many years,” Santoro said. “But Jerry leaves some pretty big shoes to fill.”

Santoro is a native of Monessen in Westmoreland County. The long-time Cranberry resident earned a bachelor’s degree in regional planning from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and has a master’s degree in public management from Carnegie Mellon University.

Santoro was promoted to director of Cranberry’s code administration department in 1993 and eventually served as the assistant township manager until 2006, when he left for a job in the private sector.

He returned to work for the township in 2017 as the assistant manager and most recently served as the deputy manager.

He believes the years he spent working as a consultant have provided him with additional tools to help steer Cranberry into the future.

“I was a consultant for two firms that focused on local government services, so I was still deeply involved in government issues,” he said. “Those positions provided me with the opportunity to see a variety of different communities, from distressed towns in the Mon Valley to growing communities like Cranberry.”

Santoro said while he enjoyed working in the private sector, something was wanting.

“When you do consulting, you provide a municipality with a plan and then move on,” he said. “But I came to realize that I missed being able to follow through with a plan. I like to get involved with its implementation and to be able to get my hands dirty until the job is done. That’s the satisfying piece of working in local government that I really missed.”

The new manager said Andree and the township’s board of supervisors responded to the growth occurring in the township during the late 1980s and early ’90s by “casting a vision of Cranberry as a world-class community.”

And while achieving that goal can often be complex, it has been guided by a simple principle: “If you make this a great place to live, everything else will take care of achieving that vision.”

That vision includes a focus on providing residents with amenities such as good parks and other recreational facilities along with delivering a high level of service that affects the quality of life.

Dick Hadley, chairman of the township’s board of supervisors, said Santoro is well prepared for the challenge of maintaining and improving the services the municipality offers.

“Dan’s resume speaks for itself, but it’s his understanding of the way the township functions and the goals for the future that make him the ideal candidate,” Hadley said. “The board is excited to continue working with him to make Cranberry great.”

Over the past several decades, Cranberry also has transformed from a predominately “bedroom” community from which residents must travel for work, to a regional hub, Santoro said.

“The Census shows that we now have more people commuting into Cranberry each day to work than people leaving,” he said.

While growing residential and commercial sectors helps create a strong tax base for the community, it also can have a negative impact if left unchecked.

“Growth can be a double-edged sword,” Santoro said. “While it’s mostly positive, growth can create problems. Traffic is the main thing we hear about, so we are working on several projects to address that. We had a record level of development last year and the residential market is hot. So we’ll have to continue to focus on keeping our infrastructure up to date.”

The gradual shift from traditional retail to online shopping also must be addressed if the township hopes to avoid placing a greater burden on taxpayers if the trend continues, he said.

“Things are shifting in the economy and the way people shop is changing,” he said. “While retail isn’t going away any time soon, we have to be prepared if the demand for retail space changes as a result of these shifts.”

The first steps in addressing such a shift likely would be changing the regulations that guide commercial development, which in the past were often aimed at creating distance between businesses and residential areas.

He said the focus in the future likely will be on so-called mixed-use developments where people are able to shop, eat and even work within walking distance of their homes.

Whatever the future holds for Santoro, his predecessor believes he is up to the job.

“I have total confidence that Dan will continue to guide Cranberry Township along the path to prosperity,” Andree said. “His knowledge of the township spans decades, and his understanding of both the major and minor details that make Cranberry great is unmatched.”