Easton City Council Welcomes New Planning Director

By Christina Georgiou

George Kinney, Easton's new planning director, told
city council members, "It's great to be back in my home
state of Pennsylvania."

Easton's new planning department director has been on the job for just over a week, but most city council members met Easton's new planning director for the first time Wednesday night.

"It's great to be back in my home state of Pennsylvania," George Kinney told elected city officials.

Kinney, originally from the area, has spent most of his 20-year career as a certified planner out of state, most recently in Florida and in Maryland, though he served for about nine months as Palmer Township's planner in 2008.

Replacing Becky Bradley, who left late last year to head the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, Kinney was last the director of community development in St. Pete Beach, FL, beginning in April of 2012 where he was hired to work on the city's redevelopment plan, which included the development of local laws to foster affordable housing, public art, and the collection of improvement fees.

Before that, he was a member of the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, and served for about nine months as the head of planning for Palmer Township in 2008.

He was one of nine candidates the city considered for the job and was chosen by the city administrator with the approval of the mayor, in accordance with the city's Home Rule charter.

Kinney told city council members he will have an open door policy while running Easton's planning department and that he hopes to make progress in the coming weeks and months when it comes to furthering the city's goals.