Tarentum has a new borough manager.
Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to hire Jeannette's city manager, Michael Nestico, 35, of Jeannette, at a salary of $65,000.
Borough officials had been looking for a new manager since September, when council approved a severance agreement with Mike Gutonski, who held the position since May 2015.
Nestico will begin working in Tarentum on Jan. 2. His contract with Jeannette expires at the end of the month.
“I'm very much excited,” Nestico said. “I think that this is a great opportunity.“
Nestico has a background in law and municipal management.
He was hired as Jeannette's city manager in June 2015 , and he made $56,000 annually. Before that, he served as Jeannette's treasurer, from July 2013 to June 2015, when he was appointed to fill a vacancy.
An attorney since October 2009, Nestico's area of practice includes labor and employment law, municipal law and debt recovery law.
“I do have my law practice, but I deviated into the municipal management side,” Nestico said. “I very much enjoy it.”
Council president Eric Carter said Nestico has all the skills and attributes borough officials are looking for.
Vice President Erika Josefoski said Nestico's law and financial background will benefit the borough. She likes that he's proficient with technology.
“We had several great candidates — he seemed to stand out,” she said.
Since Nestico was hired as manager in Jeannette, the city has undertaken several tactics to address blight, including an acquisition and demolition project and a mechanism on the city's website for residents to submit complaints.
In addition, employee pension funding levels have increased, a public information database has been added to the city's website and a government managerial organizational structure was established.
Nestico said he has no specific goals heading into the position but vowed to make himself available to community and council members.
“In Jeannette, one of the big things coming in was a lot of transparency issues, information to the public,” he said. “That's something I'm very big on.
“I'm kind of always at your disposal.”
Madasyn Czebiniak is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Staff writer Renatta Signorini contributed.
