COLONIE — Supervisor Paula Mahan tapped Sean Maguire as the next Planning and Economic Development Department director.
Also, Mahan will ask the Town Board to confirm her nomination of former Town Board member Paul Rosano to fill a vacancy on the Planning Board.
Maguire is currently working at Schenectady County Community College as vice president of workforce development and community education. He oversees “the college’s portfolio of continuing education courses including professional and career development, business education and training, community education/personal enrichment offerings, healthcare training, online offerings and is the main contact for the START-UP NY program,” according to the college website.
Prior to joining the college in November, 2018 he was the senior economic development planner for Albany County, the regional project manager at the state Department of State and the director of economic development for the Capital District Regional Planning commission.
Maguire attended UAlbany where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in geography and urban studies and master’s degrees in regional planning and public administration. He is a Certified Economic Developer, a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and teaches upper-level courses in economic development and comprehensive planning at UAlbany.
He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute and the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Tech Valley. He is also member of the 2017 Albany Business Review’s “40 Under 40.”
In 2017, he was one of five candidates running for three seats on the Guilderland Board of Education and he finished a close fourth by some 20 votes. He is still a member of the Guilderland Industrial Development Agency’s Board of Directors.
Supervisor Paula Mahan said Colonie is “fortunate to be hiring someone with Sean’s experience.”
“Sean’s obvious passion and vision in this field are going to be a great asset to Colonie as we move forward to accomplish our goals in community and economic development,” she said in a statement.
Maguire’s nomination will need to be approved by the Town Board at its next meeting on Thursday, Feb. 6.
The position became open when Joe LaCivita, who came in as executive director of the PEDD when Mahan took office in 2008, opted to take a position as city manager in the City of Watervliet.
If approved by the Town Board, as expected, Maguire will take the helm at a time of change at the PEDD. Last month, for the first time in recent memory, the Planning Board began holding its meetings in Town Hall, rather than the Operations Center, so it could take advantage of the Town Board chambers live streaming capabilities.
Also, an update to the 2005 Comprehensive Plan was approved last year and the many short and long term goals outlined in the document still have to be implemented. In addition, the broad recommendations for zoning and land use contained in the document will need to be narrowed, analyzed and eventually turned into black and white law.
The department is one of the busiest in town and oversees applications made by developers and tries to mitigate the impact projects have on the existing neighborhoods. It often comes under fire for the perception it focuses more energy and effort on the former than the latter.
LaCivita was paid $105,089 but Maguire’s salary is not known at this time.
Rosano
Paul Rosano lost a re-election bid to the Town Board in November, 2019 and, if approved, will serve basically a three-year term on the Planning Board.
The vacancy was created when Brian Austin, who served for some 10 years on the Planning and Zoning boards opted to resign his seat due to family health issues.
Rosano served on the Planning Board from 2011 to 2013, said Colonie spokesman Tom Breslin, and was on the Town Board from 2013-2019 where is served as liaison to the Planning Board. He attended nearly every twice-monthly Planning Board meeting and would report back to the Town Board or other agencies in Town Hall.
The position pays $3,639 a year.
