The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Kusznir takes seat on Port board
Marine Patrol moving to Coast Guard station
Matthew Kusznir, 25, of Lorain, took his seat as the newest Port board member.
The Lorain Port Authority board of directors has a new member.
Meanwhile, the Port’s Marine Patrol this year will operate out of the Lorain Station of the U.S. Coast Guard, 110 Alabama Ave.
On May 9, Matthew Kusznir, 25, of Lorain, took his seat as the newest Port board member. Kusznir was appointed by Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer to replace board member Tom Brown, who stepped down from the board and eventually was named executive director of the Port.
Lorain City Council on May 1 confirmed the appointment of Kusznir, praising him for being a young person who wants to get involved in the community.
Kusznir is a member of the Lorain Historical Society’s Millennials Group and is executive director of the Lorain County Young Democrats. He works as a deputy clerk of courts for the Lorain Municipal Clerk of Courts Office.
Kusznir said the Port is an organization that has been tracking with projects that are improving the image of Lorain and economic development in the city, and he wanted to be part of that.
On May 8, Kusznir was sworn in by Lorain Municipal Judge Thomas Elwell. Also attending were Brown and Port staff accountant Yvonne Smith and Economic Development Specialist Tiffany McClelland.
The Port board meeting lasted more than 90 minutes with discussion ranging from hiring new staff and interns to paperwork adequate for board members
to review agency finances. Kusznir weighed in on lengthy discussions about design of the Port website, which is a work in progress that needs to be done soon so it is ready for the Port’s busy summer season.
Kusznir’s term will last to May 6, 2018.
Meanwhile, the Lorain Marine Patrol, operated by the Port working with the
Lorain Police Department, will move its operations to the Coast Guard station this summer. The move includes mooring its Boston Whaler patrol boat at the Coast Guard dock.
The partnership is “huge,” the Port officials said. Working together could put the Lorain Port Authority in a better position to obtain future grants for projects, Smith said.