BY TERRY FLYNN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEWPORT - This river city's new economic development director realizes she and other city officials face strong challenges in the next few years.
But Pat Wingo can't wait to get to work every morning.
"I really love my job, and I'm deeply involved in this city and its welfare," said the 44-year-old Ms. Wingo, who recently assumed the position held for several years by Laura Long.
Ms. Wingo, who has served as Newport's historic preservation officer for the past two years, believes she is particularly suited to her new job because she has been involved in so many facets of city operation.
"I've worked on a variety of projects in addition to historic preservation since I started with the city," she said. "I think this has been an easier transition that it might have been because of my familiarity with ongoing projects and those that have been completed."
She credited a close working relationship with Ms. Long, who is now executive director for the Cincinnati Business Committee, with preparing her to move into the role of economic development director.
"I've been involved in development and so many other things," Ms. Wingo said. "Laura encouraged me to pursue this job when she made the decision to leave. And I'm fortunate because I'm working a talented group of people in city staff and government."
A graduate of Summit Country Day School and the University of Cincinnati, where she received a history degree, Ms. Wingo grew up in Cincinnati and lives with her husband and two children in Hyde Park.
She said that, although she pursued a career in retailing after high school, she came to realize it was not the field where she would be happy to spend the rest of her working days.
"I loved history and historic buildings, and eventually I took a certificate program at UC in historic preservation," she said. "I did freelance preservation work for a while and then the position in Newport opened up two years ago. I knew immediately this was what I wanted to do."
With the city's riverfront development - including the aquarium, a 3-D IMAX theater and Newport on the Levee entertainment complex - well under way, Ms. Wingo is setting her sights on new priorities.
"I expect to work extensively with the Main Street program," she said. "We're going to concentrate on building the Monmouth Street corridor, bringing in new small business. It's a very important part of helping the city to grow again."
The other area that will receive a lot of Ms. Wingo's attention is the ongoing housing issue - specifically finding good, affordable rental property and housing for all of Newport's citizens.
The city is working as a partner with the Newport Housing Authority to move poor and low-income people from the Housing Authority project on Fourth Street to locations all over the city.
This is in keeping with a directive from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to end cluster housing for poor residents.
"We are trying to create stability in home ownership where possible," Ms. Wingo explained. "We want to create long-term commitments from residents, and in term demonstrate our long-term commitment."
She emphasized that Newport is a small city with limited resources. "We must take advantage of our resources, primarily the riverfront, and us that resource to generate funds for other programs," she said.
She and other members of the city staff are working constantly on grant applications that can provide some of the necessary funding for new housing and rehabilitation projects. That would include funds to assist low-income families with needed repairs to upgrade their property.
"None of this will happen overnight," Ms. Wingo said. "We are looking at five to seven years to accomplish what we want to do with housing in the city. But I am convinced we will succeed in all the areas where we are working.
"I have a deep feeling for this city, and I'll do everything I can to make it a better and more attractive place to live."
