Toledo hires River East exec to spur development

2/2/2007

Donald Monroe, the longtime executive director of the River East Economic Revitalization Corp., has been hired as a full-time development specialist for the city of Toledo.

Mr. Monroe, 63, fills a position that was vacated by a resignation last year.

Mr. Monroe will be paid about $54,000 a year, said Brian Schwartz, Mayor Carty Finkbeiner's public information officer.

Mr. Monroe already has been working for Mr. Finkbeiner as a contract employee on a part-time basis 32 hours a week on economic projects, especially the Marina District and the Erie Street Market.

Richard Scheich, a lawyer and member of River East's executive board, said Mr. Monroe was signing his city check over to River East and was continuing to collect his pay as River East executive director, which was about $72,000 a year.

Mr. Scheich said that even though Mr. Monroe was devoting most of his time to the city, the organization was willing to keep him on because of the importance to River East of the Marina District.

The 125-acre commercial, residential, and waterfront project is on the east side of the Maumee River between Main Street and I-280.

As head of the East Toledo nonprofit economic development corporation, Mr. Monroe was a key figure in developing the Docks restaurant complex in East Toledo. He headed the organization for 27 years.

Mr. Scheich said River East was convening a search committee to find a replacement.