Grant County Economic Development Director Tory Stinnett announced her last day in the post will be Oct. 3, 2023.

CANYON CITY — Grant County Economic Development Director Tory Stinnett announced at the Grant County Court meeting Wednesday, Sept. 20, that she plans to resign next month.

Stinnett has accepted the position of deputy director of the Pendleton-based Greater Eastern Oregon Development Corp., a nonprofit that supports economic growth in the region through assistance with housing, lending programs, grant writing and the administration of grants.

“I was just looking for more opportunity,” Stinnett said after the meeting, later adding, “I’m excited for career growth and opportunities.”

Stinnett, who has been the county’s economic development director for the past three years, said she believes county officials should keep the department going and hire a new economic development director to succeed her. Stinnett added she would help bring the new director up to speed.

“It’s extremely important that the county does keep this department because there’s a misconception that we have all these various economic development entities that are already doing the work or there’s a duplication of work,” Stinnett said. “However, the regional economic development agencies and support systems are support systems. They’re supporting the local boots-on-the-ground efforts.”

Stinnett provided a list of ongoing economic development projects and accomplishments, including the recent award of $500,000 toward regional wildfire risk reduction in partnership with the Grant County Soil & Water Conservation District and a housing action strategy commissioned by her department toward improving more housing availability for county residents.

“I think it’s very important that the county has a voice in economic development and doesn’t let economic development happen to them,” she said during the meeting. “We have these wonderful regional partners, but they’re regional partners and they’re not going to be doing the boots-on-the-ground (work) that the county deserves.”

County Commissioner Jim Hamsher asked Stinnett during the meeting to provide a list of continuing projects and obligations in order to help the county after her departure in October. Judge Scott Myers and Commissioner John Rowell also echoed the need for a list from Stinnett.

When asked after the meeting if the department should continue into the future after Stinnett’s departure, Myers and Rowell declined to provide a hard yes or no at the moment, but said individually that further study and consideration would be needed.

“There are several contractual obligations that we have to continue, so we need to know a list of those just to make sure that, like John says, we don’t drop the ball somewhere and, unwittingly, it just slips away, so that will certainly help us,” Myers said. “We appreciate the offer to help us onboard. I’m not sure how soon we’ll have a decision on whether or not we’re going to onboard, so I would guess that it’s likely that we will, but we don’t know at what level and who it might be and how we’re going to put it out there.”

Myers also added, “We want to get it right, but I don’t know if we have enough time to research everything ahead of time before we put somebody in your place. So those are things that concern us.”

The question of whether the Grant County Economic Development Department should continue was raised at a county court meeting on June 7, when it was among departments under consideration for budget cuts in a discussion brought forward by Rowell. At the time, Stinnett voiced concern over a “morale issue” with the discussion of potential cuts to her department — of which she was the only staff member.

After the court meeting, Rowell said he didn’t know whether the department should move forward or not.

“I don’t know at this point,” he said. “I want to look at what we’ve been doing, look at what our budget issues are going to be. Can we afford it to keep going forward? I don’t know. I think it’s a question that we are going to have to wrestle with.”

Hamsher thanked Stinnett for the work she had done for the county.

“I really appreciate all the hard work you put in for us,” he said. “I’m glad to see you’re not going to go too far, being still involved with the Greater Eastern Oregon Development Corp.”

When asked if the county’s economic development department should continue into the future, Hamsher didn’t hesitate.

“Yes,” he said. “They provide invaluable services to us.”

Hamsher said he would raise the discussion on a successor for Stinnett at the next scheduled court meeting on Oct. 4, “or at least who is going to take on those responsibilities.”