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Post by admin on Jul 10, 2008 5:26:07 GMT -5
www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080710/COMMUNITY/807100367/1285/LOCAL09FREEHOLD — An area man with county, state and local contacts has been hired to improve the economic and business climate in downtown Freehold. The Freehold Center Partnership, which focuses on economic development in the borough's downtown area, recently hired Richard Gatto, a Freehold Township resident, to work part time on business and economic development, partnership chairman Michael Page said. Gatto is a certified public accountant, Page said, and also serves on the Freehold Township Planning Board and the Monmouth County Improvement Authority. He also has been active in the Monmouth Council of Girl Scouts (now the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore), where he served on the board of directors and as chairman for the executive and finance committee, according to his improvement authority biography. "I've been really impressed with his connections, his experience level," Page said. Gatto took over as chief executive officer of the partnership on July 1. He is expected to work on a part-time basis, though he does not have set hours, Page said. He declined to give Gatto's salary, saying the contract has not been finalized yet. Gatto's job description still is being determined, but partnership representatives have said in the past that the economic development specialist should be able to provide an understanding of state financing, apply for grants, work with state agencies and bring county and local policy makers together. While Page said Gatto has no traditional economic development experience, he was confident that he was a good fit for the job. Gatto is good at developing consensus and acting quickly on problem resolution. He also is very organized and directed, Page said. As Gatto takes over the reins, a consultant who has been working with the partnership will exit at the end of this month, Page said. Don Smartt, a consultant who helps revitalize downtowns, has been assisting the partnership as it restructures to focus more on economic and business development, Page said. He worked on the restructuring for about a year, Page said.
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Post by novillero on Jul 10, 2008 10:32:40 GMT -5
www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080710/COMMUNITY/807100367/1285/LOCAL09FREEHOLD — An area man with county, state and local contacts has been hired to improve the economic and business climate in downtown Freehold. The Freehold Center Partnership, which focuses on economic development in the borough's downtown area, recently hired Richard Gatto, a Freehold Township resident, to work part time on business and economic development, partnership chairman Michael Page said. Gatto is a certified public accountant, Page said, and also serves on the Freehold Township Planning Board and the Monmouth County Improvement Authority. He also has been active in the Monmouth Council of Girl Scouts (now the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore), where he served on the board of directors and as chairman for the executive and finance committee, according to his improvement authority biography. "I've been really impressed with his connections, his experience level," Page said. Gatto took over as chief executive officer of the partnership on July 1. He is expected to work on a part-time basis, though he does not have set hours, Page said. He declined to give Gatto's salary, saying the contract has not been finalized yet. Gatto's job description still is being determined, but partnership representatives have said in the past that the economic development specialist should be able to provide an understanding of state financing, apply for grants, work with state agencies and bring county and local policy makers together. While Page said Gatto has no traditional economic development experience, he was confident that he was a good fit for the job. Gatto is good at developing consensus and acting quickly on problem resolution. He also is very organized and directed, Page said. As Gatto takes over the reins, a consultant who has been working with the partnership will exit at the end of this month, Page said. Don Smartt, a consultant who helps revitalize downtowns, has been assisting the partnership as it restructures to focus more on economic and business development, Page said. He worked on the restructuring for about a year, Page said. Just taking a step back, here is how I read this article: The FCP fires a "professional" consultant who has been working on the problem for "about a year" (and has also worked with the FCP numerous times in the past), and the FCP has replaced him with a part timer with admittedly no experience - and hired him for a position that hasn't even been created yet? The FCP seems to be putting the cart before the horse, amking decisions without a game plan and betting on a person whose resume consists of political appointments and the girl scouts. I guess I am a cynic at heart. Some stories should not be press released. Good luck Mr. Gatto, I hope the learning curve is short lived and that you exceed expectations. Perhaps a non-professional is exactly what we need. Goodness knows that we do need some sort of shot in the arm for the downtown. |
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Post by lisas84 on Jul 10, 2008 13:31:35 GMT -5
Novillero, where did you get the idea that Smartt was "fired" from reading the article? Or did you assume that?
Just curious.
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Post by richardkelsey on Jul 10, 2008 14:17:07 GMT -5
Is he at least familiar with the Borough Downtown issues? (Like is he an accountant working here in town?)
The good news is -- the Girl Scouts have the greatest business model ever. They get millions of cute little girls to work hours selling crappy, over-priced cookies, door to door. For which the girls are paid zero!
Maybe this fellow can work some Girl Scout Magic. At a minimum, perhaps he can can convince members of the town to stop suing each other over business development.
Unfortunately -- business development in Freehold is now in the hands of the dem machine in the State. (Good thing we have all those well-connected dems on council working hard to exploit there relationships on behalf of the People of Freehold)
Freehold needs commuter rail -- period. The state needs it, and the time wasted on it is absurd. The communities fighting it don't even realize it's value -- particularly with skyrocketing fuel costs.
Commuter rail is the golden ticket to economic redevelopment, and to attracting new business, new investment, and new opportunities.
Every elected official in the Borough should be spending all their time working on this issue. The Borough should have a comprehensive economic plan in place that contemplates rail -- so that if ever approved --that planning process can be merely updated -- rather than started.
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Post by misterpr1981 on Jul 10, 2008 16:49:11 GMT -5
Hi all,
So, after pondering it over for a few months, and then reading some interesting posts on the site, I've decided to re-join the FV. Okay, let the applause die down...... ::cough cough:: :Clap: ::cough cough::
Separately, I found this a very interesting post. I won't comment on the Doubting Thomas in this thread. However, Rich is right. The commuter rail IS the golden ticket. It's not the only component, but it is a very important springboard to economic redevelopment
As you know by now, I relocated to Los Angeles. The actual area I live in is the NOHO Arts District--or North Hollywood. I think Freehold Boro can learn something vis-a-vis with North Hollywood. North Hollywood used to be not such a great area, but is undergoing a major revitalization with shops, boutiques and cafes. AND a burgeoning art scene with some small theaters. To explain a bit more, North Hollywood is in what is considered "The Valley" and sits between the San Gabriel and Santa Monica Mountains (Hollywood Hills). Once I cross over the Hollywood Hills (about 5 mins), I'm in downtown Hollywood or West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, etc etc. However, on this side, it's more of the suburbs, and it connects with Sherman Oaks, Burbank, Toluca Lake, Studio City, etc.
This area is very similar to Freehold in that there is shopping competition a few minutes away in Hollywood/WeHo, a medium-to-large Mexican population, bodegas right next to fancy restaurants, and Blue Collar/Middle Class residents. However, if you go to the next town over, it's mostly affluent people, who work at the major studios and such.
What they used to change North Hollywood to NoHo was their metro park, which is only a minute or two down the road from me on Lankershim (major road) and Chandler Blvds. From there, you can catch the bus service AND metro rail service (subway), which can take you to Universal City, downtown Hollywood, downtown LA, and out to Long Beach and Redondo Beach. Once they had this locked in, they built a nice little shopping center with lofts above it, and from there on out, the town kept being revitalized and that is continuing to spread outwards.
Now NOHO is seen as a thriving but up and coming arts district, and people who normally would stay on the other side of the hill, such as Lindsay Lohan and other celebrities, have been looking for houses or condos right around the corner from me here. And every day there are new cafes and boutiques being put in along Magnolia Blvd and some other streets.
The same thing can be done with Freehold, and it will take time, but once the commuter rail is set up (hopefully), it should move pretty quickly. It's a magnet.
Steve
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Post by admin on Jul 10, 2008 17:19:50 GMT -5
Whoa! Steve! I thought we lost you to California. I guess that is the beauty of the internet, you can stay very connected with the borough. You now join Rich, Phyllis and Pete DeFonzo and a few others who like to join us here on the Freehold Voice to see what is happening in their home town.
Good luck and stay in touch, I am sure you are in a very exiting part of your life.
Brian
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