Why is Erie port's Martin LaMar leaving executive director job after less than one year?

Martin LaMar's stay in Erie will turn out to be a short one.

LaMar, who has served as executive director of the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority since Feb. 6, announced Tuesday that he will step down from the $175,000 a year job to pursue another opportunity. He did not disclose details about his future plans.

His next job will be his fourth since 2019, when he was named chief economic development officer for the city of Pittsburgh.

Immediately before taking the port job in Erie, LaMar served for two years as senior vice president for economic development for Invest Atlanta.

A statement from the Port Authority issued Tuesday said that LaMar has notified the authority's board of directors that he will remain at the port until April 9.

“My time as the Port Authority’s Executive Director has permitted me to work with great people and advance the organization,” Lamar said in a statement. "Having had the opportunity to serve the Port Authority and be a partner to the City of Erie was an honor and I wish each the very best."

He had planned to stay

In an October interview with the Erie Times-News, LaMar brushed off suggestions that he might move quickly on to another job.

Asked if he saw Erie as a stepping stone, LaMar said, "I am here for the work and there is work to be done. We haven't even gotten started. I have work to do and no place to go."

LaMar, who lived in Pittsburgh and worked remotely while working in Atlanta, said the location of the job in Erie was one of the things that attracted him to the job.

"Pennsylvania is home," he said. "My family is here."

LaMar replaced Brenda Sandberg, who served eight years as the port's executive director. He was hired after a national search.

Former port leader: Erie port director Brenda Sandberg lands new high-profile position

A new structure

That process will begin again. The Port Authority said in a statement that a timeline and process for the search will be announced in the next few weeks.

“We appreciate Martin’s contributions to the Port Authority over the past year and wish him well in his future endeavors” Jeff Brinling, chairman of the Port Authority board, said in a statement. "During his time in Erie, Martin has helped the port build a strong team and improve our internal infrastructure."

That team included Julie Slomski, the former Erie County Clerk, who was hired in June when the authority's board of directors created a new role, naming her deputy executive director for the Port Authority.

"I'm very happy she is here," LaMar said of Slomski in October. "She has been a great historian of Erie, someone who can shed a lot of light on things."

Her presence "allows me to be visionary and let me think broadly," LaMar said. "It's great to have someone who says that one of my signature duties is to make sure that day to day operations happen."

Perhaps the Port Authority's most visible move over the past year was a decision, announced in November, to work with the Erie County Redevelopment Authority to acquire and clean up contamination at the former Erie Coke plant, located at the foot of East Avenue.

LaMar said in October that he was not involved in the planning of that project.

'He was the best candidate'

The Port Authority appeared to have high hopes for LaMar when he was hired.

Last year: Erie Port Authority names new director with a specialty in economic development

Banker Dave Zimmer, who served as the authority's chairman at the time, praised the work of the consulting firm that found LaMar.

"They did an excellent job," Zimmer said, noting LaMar's experience in economic development. "He was the best candidate and we thought the best person for the job."

LaMar's plans for Erie

In his October interview with the Erie Times-News, LaMar had said he hoped to see the port do a little more of everything, including more boat storage, expand activity on Erie's bayfront, more shipping and possibly the development of a cruise ship terminal.

More than anything, though, LaMar wanted the Port Authority to move forward on its 2018 master development and facilities plan.

That document called for the port to develop a signature attraction, most likely one based around Bicentennial Tower on Dobbins Landing.

LaMar said he wasn't ready to offer a firm suggestion on what form that development should take. He said it might be a bayfront Ferris wheel. Or it could be an aquarium or something else that drew visitors to the water's edge.

But more needs to be done to promote Erie's bayfront as a destination, he said.

"I think about things from a broad perspective," LaMar said. "The port is a place where things can happen. There needs to be a signature piece, something that draws people in that says, when you go to Erie you have to do this."

Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie PA port authority director LaMar to step down from post in April