By Taylor J. Hale
Special to the Gazette

PLOVER — The Plover Village Board selected Ryan J. Kernosky, MPA, as the new Community Development Manager on Dec. 3 during the town’s board meeting.

Village Administrator Dan Mahoney has taken command of the duties for the position while the committee searched for a qualified applicant. He is thrilled to welcome Kernosky aboard.

“We had 26 candidates that applied for the position,” Mahoney said. “Of those, nine moved on to phase two. They had to complete a questionnaire, after which, six finalists where interviewed. They then narrowed it down to two candidates and decided Ryan was the best fit.”

Kernosky is a UW-Stevens Point alumni who grew up in the Portage County area. He later moved to Minnesota to help with economic development work in the city of Isanti. Mahoney feels that Kernosky’s understanding of tax increment financing and development agreements will help progress local growth.

“The qualifications we were looking for involved very strong planning experience and economic development,” Mahoney said. “He has the background that we are looking for, and we strongly feel that he is a good fit.”

The board expects that Kernosky will be ready to start as soon as January. Mahoney believes that Kernosky has the leadership and communicative abilities required for the demanding position.

“A key component of the position is communication skills,” Mahoney explained. “You have to be able to communicate well with the village board, the public and with the businesses. There are so many responsibilities that go with the position. You really have to have a good handle on planning.”

Kernosky has served in government since 2013, where he worked as an administrative intern for Plover. He has a thorough understanding of the area and recognizes the role he will play in the community. That’s important considering the current economic situation of the region.

“Right now we are going through the comprehensive planning update process,” Mahoney said. “So for the new person to come in, write chapters and play a very active role right away in planning is critical. We have a lot of economic growth going on in the city of Plover right now. And having someone to help with that is key.”

The village also took prior environmental planning experience into consideration. Board members wanted a candidate that could handle the extensive corpus of projects the city has in this regard. They feel that Kernosky can manage.

“It got down to the devil in the details. But I strongly believe we made the right choice,” Mahoney said.

Mahoney and his peers welcome Kernosky. They look forward to the growth he will help bring. For more info on the Plover Village Board visit www.ploverwi.gov/vboard.htm.