Carbondale will use a $300,000 grant to create a new economic development director position intended to oversee the city’s long-term revitalization, bringing a NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania leader into City Hall.
The city received the funds through the Appalachian Regional Commission, or ARC, to improve public infrastructure in its downtown business district to meet the needs of businesses, workers, visitors and residents, according to an announcement Tuesday from Mayor Michele Bannon.
To achieve that, Carbonale will use the $300,000 to establish a new economic development director position by hiring Scranton resident Todd Pousley, who has 15 years of experience in affordable housing and community development, most recently serving as the director of community development at NeighborWorks, which works closely with Carbondale. Pousley is also the chairman of the Scranton Planning Commission.
In addition to his role with the city, he will serve as executive director of the nonprofit Greater Carbondale Community Development Corporation.
Todd Pousley, a candidate in the May 20, 2025 Democratic primary election for a nomination to Scranton City Council. (PHOTO PROVIDED / COURTESY OF TODD POUSLEY)
Pousley will begin at City Hall on March 16. He will earn $70,000 annually for his role as economic development director, plus $15,000 for serving as the development corporation’s executive director, Bannon said, adding that the $15,000 comes from a different fund.
It is a three-year position, and the grant includes equipment and training, she said.
“We are grateful to the Appalachian Regional Commission for recognizing the importance of investing in the people who power local government,” Bannon said in her announcement. “Todd will be an excellent addition to our team. He brings a wealth of expertise to this new role, along with intimate knowledge of recent community engagement and planning efforts, which he led at NeighborWorks, a strong partner to the City of Carbondale.”
The grant funding came from more than $11.6 million awarded to 47 projects across 12 Appalachian states through ARC’s READY Grants to Grow initiative, which is designed to help Appalachian organizations obtain the skills, knowledge and resources necessary to strength their local economies, according to a program description from Bannon.
Pousley’s role will be to advance initiatives supporting Carbondale’s long-term revitalization, including recommendations from the city’s recently completed Outdoor Towns and Community Heart & Soul action plans. Outdoor Towns was a pilot program aimed at helping towns create an action plan to make them a better place to live, visit and explore the outdoors; and Community Heart & Soul involved asking residents to identify what they love most about their town and the future they envision for Carbondale.
As executive director of the Greater Carbondale Community Development Corporation, Pousley will implement a Main Street revitalization plan developed through Carbondale’s Blueprint Communities team. Carbondale graduated from Blueprint Communities in November, concluding a free, 18-month process intended to be the first year-and-a-half of a 10-year initiative to “activate local leaders, deploy a community-developed strategic plan, and revitalize communities,” according to the program.
The transition to Carbondale feels like a natural move, Pousley said Tuesday. He pointed to NeighborWorks’ collaboration with the city on programs like Community Heart & Soul and Blueprint Communities, as well as resident engagement efforts. Pousley led the Blueprint Communities team; NeighborWorks holds an annual summer block party in Carbondale; and the city participates in the organization’s Beautiful Blocks program.
NeighborWorks additionally worked with Carbondale on plans for both Main Street revitalization and the residential area outside the downtown, he said.
“Through all of that work, I’ve just become increasingly interested in Carbondale’s success,” Pousley said.
Pousley wants to first focus on the downtown, which “just has a ton of potential,” he said, describing it as small and walkable with good businesses and restaurants.
Now, the goal is to attract new businesses while supporting existing ones, make the downtown even more walkable and connect to the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail, Pousley said.
He also wants to make sure the city’s housing needs are met, with the hopes of both ensuring people can purchase a home and afford to live in the city while also creating opportunities for upper-floor housing, which doesn’t really exist in Carbondale right now, he said.
The challenge now is to work with Bannon and figure out their top priorities, Pousley said.
“There’s so much that we could be doing, and so much I’ll be able to do in this new role, but only so much time in a day,” he said.