EAST CHICAGO — The city has a new redevelopment director with the promotion of lifelong East Chicago resident Frank Rivera, 58.
Rivera had worked in the department for almost two years and moved into the top spot after former Director Maria Becerra's contract expired Dec. 31 and was not renewed.
Emiliano Perez, Mayor Anthony Copeland's chief of staff, said Becerra had been working on a contract basis and was not a city employee.
"She filled a gap while we had it until we prepared someone from within, and that's what we did," Perez said.
Perez said Becerra was instrumental in the improvements made to the lakefront and the North Harbor area.
He said the decision to not renew her contract was not a cost-saving measure, but rather a move made in conjunction with Copeland's desire that department heads be residents of the city.
"If you look across the city, most of the people that are working for us that do not live in town serve in a contract capacity," Perez said.
He said he recommended Rivera for the position with an annual salary of $80,000 and called him "extremely qualified."
He said one of Rivera's jobs will be to administer a blight elimination program grant received from the state.
Rivera earned master's degrees in public administration and criminal justice from Indiana University Northwest, where he also minored in political science.