Lasko to leave city

HURON — A top-ranking local government official will resign from his office. On Thursday, Huron city manager Matt Lasko informed his colleagues and the elected council members about stepping down from his post — a position he's served in since 2020. By April, Lasko intends to leave so he can take a new position with the Greater Sandusky Partnership, a regional chamber. He'll continue serving in his city manager role for, at least, the next few weeks. He'll become the partnership's chief development officer, a role aiming to fulfill the partnership's mission of "delivering comprehensive economic development services to create a thriving business climate and vibrant communities throughout the greater Sandusky Bay region." "I've spent my entire career doing place-based economic and community development whether that has been in Cleveland, Sandusky and, most recently, Huron," said Lasko, a Vermilion native, referring to place-based development as actual physical changes in areas. The new position allows Lasko to continue pursuing his professional passions. "An opportunity presented itself with the Greater Sandusky Partnership to continue place-based development in the area where I grew up but on a much broader scale and the larger region, which is very attractive to me," said Lasko, whose salary wasn't disclosed. With the partnership, Lasko will: • Spearhead efforts in housing, real estate and economic development • Work closely with developers and businesses to identify opportunities for sustainable growth in the region • Tackle projects related to business expansion along with employee attraction and retention • Focus on new initiatives in housing development alongside local governments and private developers • Oversee the Erie County Port Authority, which recently expanded and aims to complete projects across multiple counties outside of Erie, such as Huron and Ottawa counties This serves as a reunion, of sorts, between Lasko and Eric Wobser, the partnership's CEO. Both previously worked for Sandusky's government: Wobser as city manager and Lasko as his chief development officer. Together, with Sandusky's government, the pair worked on implementing economic and real estate development initiatives. They strive to continue this same work and more on a grander scale. "Matt's extensive experience and deep roots in community and economic development make him an invaluable asset to our professional team," Wobser said. "His leadership will help us accelerate critical projects in housing and real estate development while strengthening partnerships across the public and private sectors." Lakso looks forward to this new career opportunity. "I am thrilled to be joining the Greater Sandusky Partnership," Lasko said. "I look forward to building on the incredible work already underway and collaborating with community leaders, businesses and developers to drive sustainable growth that benefits everyone in the region." Much accomplished The city manager effectively acts as the government's CEO, which includes handling day-to-day responsibilities, hiring and managing staff, working on a budget and ensuring services get provided to residents. With a much smaller staff compared to other local governments, Lasko needed to take on a larger role with Huron, supervising basically every element of Huron's municipal operations. Among the more successful projects and initiatives during his four-plus-year with Huron tenure include: • Selecting a development team and executing a purchase agreement to pursue a long-awaited transformation residential-based project at the former ConAgra property • Undertaking a $3.5 million reconstruction effort on Sawmill Parkway to support the drive's growing commercial and industrial base; Most notably, this would involve a nearly $700 million investment by Ardagh Metal Beverage. • Overseeing a massive expansion to the city's water plant, which increased capacity, providing customers with greater reliability for their drinking water • Pursuing various upgrades to the parks and recreation department; This would consist of constructing a new fish cleaning station, reconstructing tennis courts and adding pickleball playing areas along with acquiring a new greenspace on Berlin Road. • Overhauling the police department, such as hiring a new chief, Terry Graham, reintroducing a K-9 program and instituting a body camera policy • Placing a higher emphasis on more transparency and public participation in all facets of city government "We have accomplished a tremendous amount in the four-plus years since I've been here, and I would envision the future will remain bright for the city of Huron," Lasko said. Lasko noted he's leaving while some important projects remain incomplete. This would include: • Bolstering South Main Street • Installing a new 2 million gallon elevated water tower on Sawmill Parkway • Building new sidewalks connecting Huron to a pair of Huron Township subdivisions: Eagle Crest and Huron Green He advanced Huron in many ways, according to the elected council members Lasko directly reports to. "We are grateful for the time Matt has dedicated to the city and truly appreciate his hard work, drive and commitment," Huron Mayor Monty Tapp said. Finding a replacement Regarding his upcoming vacant position in Huron, city officials intend to perform "an extensive search, effective immediately, with the goal of securing the best candidate for the position," according to a city statement. "The city of Huron is fortunate in that they have a motived administrative staff, dedicated employees and a cohesive council to maintain and provide for our great community during this time of transition," Tapp said. "We wish Matt continued success and the very best in his future endeavors." Lasko thanked council members for taking a chance on him a little more than four years ago. He hammered home the points Tapp stressed in regards to cohesion. "I really want people to know that I inherited a great team that was here before me, and we have only strengthened that over the years," Lasko said. "So the community, in the interim, is in very good hands not just from the expertise of our department heads but also our very collaborative council that, first and foremost, puts the needs of the community first and will continue to do so moving forward," he added. Whoever replaces him, Lasko offered up some advice to his unknown successor. "The person in this position needs to be someone who can work collaboratively with city council in developing a shared vision for this community, which should be based heavily on resident input and participation," he said. "We have a tremendous staff, from top to bottom, that needs to be supported in their positions but also should be given autonomy to do their jobs successfully and on behalf of the community," he added. And he finished with this thought: "The city has proven the ability to undertake major economic and infrastructure projects over the last three to four years, so certainly having someone that has a knowledge related to economic development tools and being able to find ways to creatively finance projects would be beneficial."