GREENFIELD — After more than 18 years working for the city, Eric Twarog will retire from his position, as Ella Wise is brought in as the new planning and development director.
According to Mayor Ginny Desorgher, the city conducted a search for a new planning and development director to take over after Twarog retires on Dec. 19. Wise, who holds an undergraduate degree in environmental studies and a master’s degree in city planning from the University of California, Berkeley, has more than a decade of experience in planning and policy.
“Greenfield is a special place, with its historic downtown and walkable streets, flowing rivers and prime farmland, community college and hospital, and — more than anything —its engaged community,” Wise said in a statement. “I’m honored to join as its next planning and development director and am grateful for my predecessor Eric’s many years of service to this city.”
Twarog introduced Wise at last week’s Planning Board meeting, where she discussed her most recent role as Boston’s planning and development review coordination manager, as well as her previous work with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC).
“I joined when Mayor [Michelle] Wu was elected. My first position was more operational, implementing some of her priorities for the department … to make the department more transparent and reliable for developers,” Wise said to the board. “I’m so appreciative of Eric’s diligence, discipline, organization and generosity in this transition.”
Wise also explained that being from the small Hudson Valley town of Stone Ridge, New York, she wanted to move her family closer to home and return to working in a smaller community.
“[Stone Ridge] is where I first fell in love with planning and started thinking about relationship to place and how places can build community,” she said. “We wanted to be closer to family and I wanted to finally return to a smaller job.”
Planning Board Vice Chair George Touloumtzis thanked Twarog for his years of professionalism, strong work ethic and vast institutional knowledge. Touloumtzis also expressed gratitude that Wise would join the city’s Planning & Development Department, noting that it’s rare for smaller municipalities to have such an experienced and professional planner.
Desorgher echoed Touloumtzis’ remarks in a written statement announcing Wise’s hire on Monday.
“We are thankful for Eric’s many years of service to the city and community of Greenfield,” Desorgher said. “I am thrilled to welcome Ella Wise to the team. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge, and will play a pivotal role in pursuing Greenfield’s ambitious goals for housing development and affordability, sustainability and conservation.”
Twarog, when asked about the highs and lows of his career in an interview Wednesday, said he is most proud of his work toward developing the city’s 2014 Master Plan, replacing the then 40-year-old plan that had been in place prior. He added that he has enjoyed working with an “excellent” and “hardworking” city staff.
“The city was trying for many years to fund a master plan. … It was a very robust public input process for that. There was a lot of outreach, public informational meetings,” Twarog remarked. “I enjoyed my time working here and saw a lot of excellent, positive change in the city.”