By Steven Hoffman

Staff Writer

Brant Kucera is stepping down as borough manager of Kennett Square to become the city manager of Cannon Beach, a popular tourist destination in Oregon.

Kucera said during a telephone interview on Tuesday that his last day with the borough is expected to be October 31. He is leaving after six years with Kennett Square.

A published report in Oregon said that Kucera was selected over three other finalists for the Cannon Beach position, with 47 candidates from across the U.S. initially applying for the job.

Kucera said that he has enjoyed his time in Kennett Square, and will miss the community and the people that he worked with.

“I definitely felt sad when I thought about leaving,” he said. “I really enjoy my job here, but I'm looking to pursue a new challenge.”

Cannon Beach is a resort town near Portland, Oregon with approximately 1700 residents. The city holds a sand castle-building competition each June and has a well-known landmark, Haystack Rock. The city is a popular destination for Portland residents and attracts more than 500,000 residents per year.

Kucera said that even though Cannon Beach has fewer residents, its annual budget is approximately the same as Kennett Square's, and the staff at Cannon Beach will be approximately the same as Kennett Square's. The new job also offers him an opportunity to move back out west, which was something he has wanted to do. Kucera has 15 years of experience working in municipal governments in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Idaho.

He said that he is proud of the strides that Kennett Square has made in the last few years.

“When I arrived here, fiscally there were a lot of areas to be addressed,” Kucera said, explaining that some of the funds in the budget, such as the water fund and sewer fund, had been under-funded. Working with borough council, Kucera helped establish a budgeting process that included setting aside money for these funds and for capital improvements.

“I'm proud that we turned things around fiscally,” Kucera said.

In the weeks that remain before he departs, one of things that Kucera will be working on with staff  is finalizing as much of the 2015 budget as possible before he leaves.

During his time in Kennett Square, Kucera has repeatedly praised the work of the borough's employees.

“The employees of the Borough of Kennett Square are the most professional and dedicated people that I've ever worked with,” he said. “The Borough of Kennett Square is a fantastic place.”

Kennett Square is expected to launch a search for a new borough manager once Kucera's resignation is formally accepted. Borough council will meet again on Monday, Oct. 6.

 

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email [email protected].