Austin Ramirez will serve as Lane County’s New Community & Economic Development analyst, as an advocate for rural communities. Today (Monday) was his first day. KLCC’s Briana Friden reports.
Sarah Means is Ramirez’s supervisor. Ramirez, who is bilingual in Spanish, was hired after a national search and spent his first day in the field.
“He literally has hit the ground running! He’s already out training with some of our community members at the McKenzie River!”
A two year old rural prosperity initiative outlines what smaller communities in Lane County need. Ramirez’s focus is to further implement this initiative.
Means says that Ramirez offers a fresh perspective.
“The opportunity to look at our program in new ways, a fresh set of eyes, and see if we can improve on how we do business or how we serve our rural communities.”
She says Ramirez will focus on improving transportation and broadband infrastructure in rural Lane County.