Former Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott hired as county economic development director

Former three-term Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott has been hired as the new director of the Erie County Economic Development Department.

Sinnott, 57, who most recently served as city administrator of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, will now head a department that's been described by the administration of Erie County Executive Brenton Davis as the county's "lead economic development voice."

"Joe is a welcomed addition to the Economic Development Department," Davis said in a news release Monday. "We look forward to all that he brings to the county, including his vast knowledge and relationships formed over a successful tenure at the city of Erie."

The Economic Development Department seeks to invest, leverage and maximize returns on American Rescue Plan funds. It works toward high impact regional projects, business attraction and small business development and municipal engagement through its fusion cell, according to the news release.

Erie County Council voted in May to fund the department's three positions for at least two years, using $280,000 in ARP funds and another $50,000 from a National Association of Counties grant. The department is staffed by Assistant Director Jon Whaley and office manager Jeffrey Cooper.

Sinnott will fill a vacancy left by Wayne Awald, who was hired as director in October and fired on March 3 due to a "personnel matter," according to the administration. Awald had been hired at an annual salary of $85,841.

“I am looking forward to joining County Executive Davis’ team as he works to create a better Erie County for all its citizens," Sinnott said in the news release. "I am very excited to be returning to Erie and working for my community again."

From January 2006 through December 2017, Sinnott served as Erie’s mayor, leaving office because of the city's three-term limit. Sinnott ran unsuccessfully for Erie County judge in 2019.

A Democrat, Sinnott is an Erie native, lawyer and a former member of Erie City Council. He graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland and had previously lived in the area.

Sinnott was hired by Cleveland Heights on March 21, 2022. He earned $128,000 annually, according to Cleveland Heights officials.

Sinnott told Cleveland Heights City Council members “he’d had no intention of leaving so early in his tenure and was not looking for another job, however ‘an opportunity in government back in Pennsylvania was too compelling to pass up,'" according to a Cleveland.com report.

Sinnott's salary has yet to be established or approved by Erie County Council.

He will begin his role with the county on April 10.

A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNRao.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Joe Sinnott: Former Erie mayor hired as economic development director