Mayor Williams to name D'Avignon as planning official

The planning official would also oversee the CDA under the mayor's proposal.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mayor Jay Williams says he's finally found someone to replace him as the city's Community Development Agency director.
Williams resigned from the post in April 2005 to run for mayor. Mary June Tartan, a CDA employee for about nine years, has run the agency on an interim basis.
Williams said Wednesday he anticipates naming William D'Avignon, the city's deputy director of planning, as the CDA director shortly.
Williams wants to combine the CDA and the planning department with D'Avignon overseeing both. The mayor said he is still working out the logistics of combining the two departments.
There was talk about six years ago concerning the combination of the CDA and planning department, but no decision was made.
"One of my biggest concerns is I didn't want to create a hole in planning, and by combining the two departments that would take care of the concern," Williams said.
D'Avignon couldn't be reached Wednesday to comment, but previously said he'd be willing to take on the additional responsibilities.
D'Avignon, who earns $61,294 a year at his planning job, would be paid $66,611, the annual salary of the CDA director, Williams said.
If the two departments are combined, their physical location would either be at the city hall annex building on West Front Street or somewhere else other than city hall, Williams said.
The CDA is in the annex while planning is in city hall. There isn't enough room in city hall for CDA and its staff of about 15, Williams said. Space isn't an issue at the annex.
Qualifications
Williams said D'Avignon stood out among the candidates he interviewed for the CDA job. Williams worked closely with D'Avignon during his 4 1/2 years as CDA director, most notably on the Youngstown 2010 comprehensive land development plan.
Williams interviewed the top 10 finishers on the Oct. 1, 2005, civil service written test.
D'Avignon received a score of 98.4 on the test, the highest score on the examination.
Also receiving a 98.4 was Raymond DeCarlo, who works part time for the Youngstown planning department and the Cuyahoga Falls community development department, and serves as chairman of the Eastgate Council of Government's Citizens' Advisory Board.
skolnick@vindy.com