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Date: 10/17/2023
WARE — When the Ware Selectboard appointed Paralee Smith as the new director of planning and community development, she was thankful to finally work in a small community again.
Although Smith had worked in planning and development services since 2016, she had spent the recent years working for local communities from a distance. While the work was enjoyable, she longed to return to working within communities.
In the beginning of her career, Smith worked in Clayton, North Carolina, helping the small town as its population grew by thousands.
“It taught me a lot about how to help a small town kind of transition into a medium-sized town,” Smith explained, stating that she learned how to manage “small-town growing pains.”
After supporting Clayton for almost three years, Smith changed positions to assist the town of Apex, North Carolina, where she worked reviewing plans. Yet, she missed interacting with local residents.
“It was nice,” Smith said, “[but] I wanted to do something more involved with the community directly versus being so shoved away from them in a corner, reviewing things and not really seeing who I was reviewing for.”
It was this motivation that drew Smith to Ware. After a brief time working remotely for WithersRavenel, a civil and environmental engineering firm, Smith moved to Brookfield and began searching for municipality positions to allow her to connect with a community again.
That was when Ware “found” her, she said, gratefully describing the director of planning and community development position as “a fantastic opportunity.”
The Selectboard officially appointed Smith as the new director during its Oct. 3 meeting, beginning what she hopes will be an opportunity to listen and support Ware residents in developing their town.
Now, Smith is in the process of moving to Ware to start her new life within the community. When asked about her plans as director, Smith emphasized the importance of understanding the community’s perspective first and stated that she would assist with what the residents wanted to achieve.
She explained that certain towns seek to grow their communities, like Clayton, while others prefer to focus on bettering the lives of their current residents. As the director, Smith stated that she was open to supporting the route Ware residents wanted to take.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of Ware. I’m thrilled to be part of a local community again,” she said, ending the interview by reaffirming her dedication to help Ware residents. “My door is always open. I want to hear what people have to say.”