Fonda Chronis, CEO and CFO of the Schoharie County IDA since September, will be leaving at the end of June to become city manager for the City of Ogdensburg in St. Lawrence County.
Mr. Chronis, who served as assistant to then-Schoharie County administrator Steve Wilson for four years before leaving in 2021 to become county administrator for Schuyler County, then returning to the place he said he’ll always consider home, called the decision to leave again “bittersweet.”
“But it’s is an opportunity I just cannot pass up,” he said after Ogdensburg Mayor Michael Dooley announced his appointment late Monday.
As the first full-time CEO for SCIDA, Mr. Chronis said he leaves the IDA “in a much more stable position than when I started” and thanked the IDA Board, Board of Supervisors and others for their help.
“I know I will hand off an office ready to take the next steps towards economic development,” he said.
Chester Burton, president of the IDA Board, said he’s sorry to see Mr. Chronis go, but agreed he’s leaving the IDA stronger.
“He did an excellent job,” Mr. Burton said. “He was an excellent CEO. Especially with Shad Point, we’re well on our way.”
It took the IDA more than a year to “find” and hire Mr. Chronis; Julie Pacatte, executive director of SEEC, served as interim director for eight months after the retirement of longtime part-time CEO Ron Filmer.
It may take time again to find someone with the right skills, Mr. Burton said.
Mr. Chronis starts in Ogdensburg July 1.
He said his job as city manager will be similar to his role as county administrator, but with fewer departments, allowing him to be more hands-on--something he's looking forward to.
“A friend told me a city manager is going to see more wins and losses,” he said. “It’s more intimate and a more of a chance to make a difference.”
His goal here, he said, is to wrap up as many loose ends as he can before he goes.
“When I say it's bittersweet, I didn’t make the decision flippantly. The fact that I'm leaving, it doesn’t mean I'm not still going to be rooting for Schoharie County.”
Ogdensburg is a city of about 9,300 on the St. Lawrence River that’s had the city manager form of government since 1970.
Mr. Chronis replaces Mohideen Buharie, who left last June after just three months on the job, citing Ogdensburg’s “fiscal problems, a lack of council cooperation, and family reasons,” according to news accounts.
The job was advertised with a salary range of $125,000-$150,000; Mr, Chronis will reportedly receive an escalating salary over the course of a three-year contract, starting at $140,000 and ending at $150,000 in year three.
He will be introduced to the Ogdensburg community at a press conference this Saturday, according to Mayor Dooley’s office.