Needham advisory panel welcomes economic development director, new building commissioner; plans leadership rotation

Heidi Frey announced that the Town has hired an economic development director, John Sisson, who is scheduled to begin on March 3 and is expected to attend the council’s next meeting.

Frey said the town also appointed Jim Sullivan as the building commissioner, with his start date set for Feb. 23, and that Sullivan’s initial responsibilities will include efforts to streamline the building-permit process. "We have hired an economic development director, which is super exciting. John Sisson is gonna be starting on March 3," Frey said during the meeting.

Members said the two hires could work well together because both have experience in nearby communities. The council discussed how Sisson’s experience in Newton and Dedham might help with downtown revitalization and with reducing friction in the permitting process that small retailers sometimes face.

The council also discussed rotating leadership positions. Frey said she expects to step off the committee after the select board’s change to make the select-board seat 'select board member or designee' and encouraged a rotation of chair and vice-chair roles to keep ideas fresh and broaden participation. Several members expressed interest in serving in leadership roles and in having shorter, rotating terms so new members and town staff have more opportunities to engage.

Next steps: Sisson was invited to the March meeting so the council can share its work to date and prioritize early initiatives that could benefit from his office’s involvement, including business outreach and permit-streamlining efforts.