The vote was close, but, pending village council approval, Joe Frost will be the Oxford Downtown Development Authority’s new executive director.
On Monday night, the DDA board voted 5-3 to offer the position to Frost and authorize Chairman Pete Scholz to negotiate an employment contract with him.
Since November 2011, Frost has worked as a community preservation specialist for Indiana Landmarks Eastern Regional Office in Cambridge City, Indiana.
Indiana Landmarks is a nonprofit organization that fights ‘to defend architecturally unique, historically significant, and communally cherished properties,? according to www.indianalandmarks.org. The organization rescues and rehabilitates these properties and gives them ‘new purpose.?
As a community preservation specialist, Frost provided technical assistance and advocacy to municipalities, nonprofit organizations and individuals. He has experience with fund-raising, planning events, managing volunteers, handling administrative functions, administering a facade grant program, managing a website and social media, and establishing a newsletter.
‘All in all, I feel that I can offer a great foundation of experience and education to the Oxford community,? Frost told the DDA board. ‘Historic preservation is a tool for economic development and the core of any community, the downtown of any community, is really the foundation of that development.?
Frost has a master’s degree in historic preservation from Ball State University (2010) and a bachelor’s degree in geography from Michigan State University (2008).
Building relationships is a big thing to Frost. He told the board it’s ‘the key? to everything from securing sponsorships to interacting with volunteers to convincing people to invest, or reinvest, in the community.
‘Being able to connect a name to the face and being able to get out there (and) shake hands a little bit? is vital in Frost’s view.
He’s a founding member of the Cambridge City Main Street organization.
‘I’ve served as their secretary and treasurer for the last two years,? Frost said.
Most of Frost’s past work experience involves history.
From January to October 2011, he was site manager in Vincennes, Indiana for Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.
Prior to that, he was a park guide at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia from June to November 2010.
In addition to his passion for preserving history, Frost has served his community as a volunteer firefighter with the Cambridge City Volunteer Fire Department since January 2012.
Although he’s coming from the Hoosier State, Frost is no stranger to Michigan.
He grew up in Davison and left the state in 2008.
‘I was joking with my wife that I would support Oxford in everything except for when Davison and Oxford (compete in) football and wrestling,? he said.
It’s been his goal to return to Michigan ‘for some time.? His wife recently accepted a position at Henry Ford Hospital in West Bloomfield. He told the DDA board he, his wife and two young children plan to move to Oxford. ‘The schools here are great. The community’s great. We want to locate here,? he said.
Until then, he’ll be temporarily commuting here from his parents? home in Davison.
DDA officials felt Frost was the best candidate to fill the director’s position, which has been vacant since mid-May when Virginia Schomisch resigned after less than a year on the job.
‘I think he can hit the ground running,? said DDA board member and village President Sue Bossardet. ‘I think he has a lot of valuable experience. I think he has the enthusiasm that we need and the education.?
Dissenting votes to hire Frost came from DDA board members Ed Hunwick, Bill Dunn and Rod Charles.
‘My position in this whole thing is that I don’t know why we need to have a DDA director for the next couple years,? Hunwick said. ‘I personally feel we should just take the money (for the director’s salary and benefits), put it in the bank and put it towards the downtown.
‘We’re not doing anything spectacular at this point in time anyway and I think it would make more sense just to bank the money and try to make as (many) improvements as we can to the downtown area, physically, with the money we save . . . I think we would be better served putting all that money toward enhancing the physical presence of downtown. That’s my opinion.?
Bossardet ‘respectfully? disagreed.
‘There’s a lot on the table that needs to be done and we need somebody to do that,? she said. ‘I don’t see anybody on this board, including myself, that’s going to step up and take care of all this stuff.?
Dunn agreed with Hunwick, but noted he ‘will work with? the new director ‘to try to get them to do the best job they can.?
Hunwick expressed a similar sentiment.
‘I’m not even in favor of hiring a director, but if I were, (Frost) would be the guy,? he said.