Bartow CRA Set to Hire New Executive Director
The Community Redevelopment Agency board in Bartow has agreed to offer its executive director’s job to Patrick Brett, the interim director of the agency since June.
Board Chairwoman Joanne Stidham said the board was impressed with his credentials and knowledge of the area.
“He also has worked hard as interim director and has put forth the effort to make connections with people in the community who can work with the CRA,” she said. “He has experience working with CRAs, and that was a plus.”
The board interviewed one other candidate, she said.
“Patrick has experience writing a CRA plan, and ours has to be updated this year,” she said. “The other candidate mentioned hiring a consultant, but they’re expensive and money is tight for us right now.”
Brett, 43, holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Florida International University and he is completing his master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Florida Atlantic University. He most recently spent four years with the Bartow-based Central Florida Regional Planning Council as a senior planner and manager of technology, but he was laid off during budget cuts a year ago.
He replaces Jim Duane, who retired in June after seven years with the CRA. He was the agency’s first full-time director.
Brett and the agency’s board still have to negotiate a contract to finalize the process. He’s being paid $5,000 a month as interim, which mirrors the amount included in the CRA’s budget for a permanent director.
He said he’s looking forward to working with the agency.
“This is the job I’ve been working to achieve for years,” he said. “What attracted me to government in the first place was CRAs. I’m ready to get started and get some things done.”