The search for a new leader of the North Central Pennsylvania
Regional Planning and Development Commission in Ridgway has netted
close to 60 applicants.

On Tuesday, Beth Zimmer, the director of search and recruitment
for J.L. Nick Associates Inc., of Erie, the firm hired to help in
the search process, said “somewhere between 50 and 60
(applications)” have come in.

“We’re still going through all the applicants,” Zimmer said,
adding the applications have come from across the country. She
added the amount of applications the agency received is typical of
this type of search.

Officials have been searching for a replacement to former
executive director Ron Kuleck, who resigned last December after
being placed on administrative leave on Nov. 28, 2005.

There was never an official word given on exactly why Kuleck was
placed on administrative leave. Until a replacement is found, the
director’s role is being filled by deputy directors Howard
Glessner, Mike Lawrence and Don Masisak.

Zimmer said the firm’s first meeting with a selection committee
organized for the North Central search will likely take place
sometime within six to eight weeks.

“We’ll be talking to the candidates and doing an intensive
screen, which takes the bulk of the time,” Zimmer said.

North Central’s executive board – comprised of county
commissioners from across the region, including McKean County
Commissioner Chairman John Egbert – is ultimately responsible for
choosing Kuleck’s replacement. Officials with that panel have said
previously they don’t want to hire somebody they are not
comfortable with or is political in any way.

Elk County Commissioner Christine Gavazzi, who sits on the
executive board, said J.L. Nick originally indicated the search
could take six months.

“We told them that can’t be,” Gavazzi said, “that we needed to
have an executive director in place as soon as we could.”

According to Gavazzi, the executive board and North Central
employees were interviewed by J.L. Nick, which compiled a consensus
into what each was looking for in an executive director.

“While we want to get somebody in place, we also want to find a
qualified person,” Gavazzi said. “We don’t want to rush through
this.”

Gavazzi said the search will ultimately be narrowed down to
three to five candidates, at which time the executive committee
will attempt to make a decision.

“Everybody needs a leader, but some things you have to put off
until you have the right director that will be here for a long
time,” Gavazzi said.

According to a copy of an advertisement placed in The Era by
J.L. Nick, officials are looking for ” … a dynamic, high profile
leader” to collaborate with and support regional businesses,
instill development insights and provide value added services for
the area.

The individual will also be responsible for the planning and
development of economic, community, workforce and tourism programs
in the region North Central serves, including McKean, Cameron, Elk,
Potter, Clearfield and Jefferson counties.

Kuleck was at the center of a controversy two years ago when
10-year contracts were approved for high-level administration at
the commission. County governments objected, saying the length of
the contracts would take away the supervisory ability of the county
commissioners.

Under pressure from the board and media, including The Era, and
at the persuasion of state Sen. Joe Scarnati, R-Brockway, and state
Rep. Dan Surra, D-Kersey, Kuleck eventually relented, cutting the
length of the contracts and revealing the salaries of high-ranking
officials.

During the height of the employee contract controversy, Kuleck
openly, and at time bitterly, lashed out at U.S. Rep. John
Peterson, R-Pa., who he cited as leading the charge against the
agency with his request to open the non-profit organization’s
financial information for public perusal.

In response, Peterson crafted legislation requiring all economic
development agencies receiving federal funding to make their
audited statements, annual budgets and minutes of meetings
available to the public upon request or risk losing out on federal
funding.