Jeannette poised to create city manager's post

Jeannette council members are expected to approve an ordinance on Thursday creating a manager position and they may appoint the city clerk/chief fiscal officer to the post.

Mayor Curtis Antoniak said council didn’t seek applicants for the position “because we already have our man.” Solicitor Tim Witt said it’s likely Ethan Keedy will take on the role running the city.

Councilwoman Robin Mozley praised Keedy’s work over the last couple years since he was hired as chief fiscal officer. He took on city clerk duties in July in addition to his role overseeing finances, and Mozley said Keedy, 30, of Connellsville, has done a good job of keeping council abreast of operations in departments they oversee.

“He is actually phenomenal,” she said.

The salary for the city manager position was not available. Keedy currently makes about $75,000 as chief fiscal officer plus $10,000 as city clerk. In August, he was paid $29,500 as a 2% commission for his work on grants the city received.

The city manager position will have more responsibilities than that of city clerk. Under the proposed ordinance, the city manager is expected to direct and supervise all departments and act as a liaison between departments and council members, in addition to preparing an annual budget and meeting agendas, among numerous other duties.

“I think council’s whole goal … is to streamline operations and make it more efficient,” Witt said.

With a central person in control of city operations, the proposed ordinance will bring Jeannette in line with other municipalities that are run by one person, Antoniak said.

“Things won’t slip through the cracks instead of having two people,” he said.

The city is hiring an administrative assistant that will pay $17.50 per hour. Applications and resumes are due by Sept. 18. More details and an application are available at cityofjeannette.com.