Covington settling in with first-ever Community Development Director

Jackson Kinney officially got started as the Director of Covington's newly created Community Development Department.  With academic roots in Ohio and professional experience from the Midwest and West Coast, Kinney was seen as a particularly ideal candidate for the job overseeing 12 to 15 full- and part-time staffers.

"Mr. Kinney has a strong and diverse background in community development working for large municipalities. The knowledge, experience, and planning background that he brings to this position will propel Covington's economic and housing development efforts to new heights." stated Larry Klein, Covington City Manager.

Kinney has a Journalism degree from Ohio University, and a Masters of Urban Planning from the University of Akron. He served as the Director of Community Development in Oshkosh, WI for close to 26 years, and during that time oversaw planning, economic development, housing, and downtown revitalization efforts for the city's nearly 63,000 residents. He has also served in a number of planning positions throughout several communities in the Midwest and California prior to his service in Oshkosh, WI.

Kinney started his new role in Covington on Monday, July 19th and has been reviewing what has already been accomplished in terms of comprehensive and economic development planning.  He hopes to use that knowledge to work with stakeholders and develop a comprehensive program that wraps all of the existing work into one clear approach.

"There is lots of energy and we just need to pull it together to create a unifying plan and strategy for the downtown area,"  said Kinney.  "The goal is to create a vibrant area that has more jobs and more housing opportunities."

Kinney hopes to strengthen public-private partnerships that can enhance six key areas including community planning, land use regulations, economic development, housing, historic preservation, and public infrastructure programming.

"The real secret to success is creating strong framework to support public-private partnerships," Kinney stated.  "I really love this opportunity in Covington because of all this potential that just needs to be tapped.  There is a great riverfront to work with, historic architecture, and very distinctive neighborhoods."

Writer: Randy A. Simes
Photography by Scott Beseler
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