New Haven Independent

In a proposal sent to the Board of Aldermen Thursday night, the mayor called for creating a new job: “special counsel for economic development.”

John Ward (pictured), the city’s acting corporation counsel, is expected to take the job, if aldermen approve the transfer. In his prior role as deputy corporation counsel, he focused on development issues.

The $110,000 position would be paid for by eliminating a vacant assistant corporation counsel position, as well as lowering the amount the city has to pay for hiring outside counsel on development projects. Click here to read a letter from the city’s human resources chief, Emmet Hibson, explaining the move.

The changeup comes as the city looks to foster development in a time of economic tumult.

“We have lots and lots of projects on the line,” said Sean Matteson, the mayor’s chief of staff. To name a few, he cited the Coliseum site; the Shartenberg/360 State St. project; and major plans to remake the Route 34 corridor.

“As our city continues to battle the financial crisis affecting the nation, we know that we must encourage growth and facilitate investment swiftly yet thoroughly,” Hibson’s letter reads.

To attract the best development teams to build in the city, “we must demonstrate an ability to promptly negotiate and approve solid development projects,” Hibson continues.

Matteson said fostering commercial growth would also help shift the city’s tax burden away from residential taxpayers.

The proposal also calls for transferring a legal secretary from the office of corporation counsel to economic development, to assist the new position. The secretary is currently being funded by Community Development Block Grant money; those funds would follow the person to the new position. If Ward is transferred, the city would seek to hire a new corporation counsel.

Aldermen likely won’t vote on the transfer for at least another month.

Aldermanic President Carl Goldfield said he welcomes the move.

“John’s been an outstanding development attorney,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of development going on, and he’s a good guy for it.”