T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Martins Ferry Service Director Andy Sutak, left, speaks with Councilman Robert Hunker during Wednesday’s meeting. Sutak has taken on the position starting this year and will focus on seeking funding for the city.

MARTINS FERRY — The city is welcoming a new service director and a change in department administration.

Andy Sutak has taken up the job, with reduced salary from the prior position and a shift in the direction of the office.

Sutak attended his first meeting as serve director Feb. 5.

Mayor John Davies said after his election, Sutak approached him and offered assistance in grant writing or other financial capacities. He said Sutak’s experience and dedication to the city recommended him.

“I’ve known Mr. Sutak for a lot of years. I’ve been involved in city government. He’d been involved in city and county government,” Davies said. “My original thought was to put him into a grant-writing position.”

Davies said he and prior service director Scott Porter did not mesh in terms of their view of city operations.

“We mutually decided to part ways,” Davies said.

He said the range of duties for the service director would be changing and department heads will have greater autonomy.

“We are changing the service director position from someone who tells our department heads what to do … to have more time to go for grants, to meet with commissioners, to meet with state funding agencies and such,” he said. “Andy’s main job is going to be finding funding for the city. … We don’t need to micromanage our department heads because we have 100 percent confidence in their ability to do their job.”

Sutak will be doing the job for a salary of $40,000 compared to the prior director’s $55,000.

“Mr. Sutak was offered more than that. That’s what he wanted to do for the city,” Davies said.

“When the new mayor took over, I talked to him,” Sutak said. “This is my hometown. I was born and live here, and I don’t want to leave here.

“I talked to the mayor, and he’s got some great ideas.”

He said he looks forward to working with the mayor and council members.

“We want to make this city better. We want to make it grow again,” Sutak said. “We’ve got a lot of options, and I think with all our ideas and everyone that cares, we’ve got a good chance to put us back where we used to be 40, 50, 60 years ago when they used to call us the pride of the valley.”

Sutak said he is encouraged by the response and enthusiasm he has seen after being on the job less for a short time.

“We had a meeting with the city employees to let them know we’re here for them,” he said. “We want a good rapport with everybody.”

“I’m going to be a multi-multi-multitask individual. I’m going to look for funding. I’m going to look for grants. I’m going to keep up with finances and report to the mayor and council. We’re going to work with businesses together to bring businesses back to Ferry,” Sutak said.

“I have a major background in finance,” he said.

Sutak previously served as city auditor and Belmont County auditor and as a city councilman.

“I’ve seen a lot of things happen. I’ve seen a lot of development. I got friends and resources we can touch base and maybe get some help with, because that’s what you need. When you’re a small entity like us, we need to reach out and try to get help from the state, the federal government, county government and so on,” he said.

He said there is potential for future economic development and that many have high hopes that an ethane cracker plant might come to Dilles Bottom.

“We’ve got gas and oil coming back. Hopefully it’ll go big. Hopefully the cracker plant comes. We’ve got some great property on the riverfront that might want to expand and grow bigger,” he said. “We’re going to clean the city up and make it presentable for people to want to come and live here, and the people who live here to be proud to live here in Martins Ferry.”