New Castle council appoints department leaders

NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- City council appointed three department heads at a meeting last week.
Tammi Gibson was named business administrator and community development director. She will be paid $45,000 per year for the business administrator position and $18,000 annually for community development.
Gibson was named acting business administrator in January after longtime administrator John DiMuccio left. DiMuccio will remain on as a consultant, according to Mayor Wayne Alexander. In January, council hired DiMuccio at $1,500 per month to acclimate Gibson into her new job.
Alexander said DiMuccio is needed because the city is going for its second round of state funding for downtown improvements. The city received a $5 million grant to pay for improvements to streets, utilities and sidewalks. Additional money is needed to complete the project, the mayor said.
Michael Rooney, the city's former director of parks and recreation, was appointed director of public works. He will receive $44,000 annually. He replaces Bob Natale, who retired earlier this month.
Jason DiMuccio was hired as director of parks and recreation at a yearly salary of $32,000. DiMuccio had previously held the position, but he was laid off last year because of budget cuts.