By Jeanne Sager
ALBANY — January 16, 2004 – Sullivan County residents have another friend in Albany.
Alan Sorensen, former head of the county’s Department of Planning and Community Development, is in his first week working for the state government.
The new assistant commissioner of policy and intergovernmental relations for the Division of Housing and Community Renewal, Sorensen is taking what he learned in Sullivan County’s small towns and applying it statewide.
According to Peter Moses, a spokesperson for the state, Sorensen will be researching policies that relate to community development to create programs that can better serve the communities he serves.
“He will be working with our partners on the local level with our Quality Community efforts and take the lead on our local redevelopment issues,” Moses noted.
Sorensen’s new job will allow him the chance to expand on programs, such as Main Street development, that were near and dear to his heart during his six and a half years in Sullivan County.
“I think it dovetails quite nicely with that,” Sorensen noted. “I certainly very much enjoyed serving the people of Sullivan County – it’s something I look upon fondly.”
And now he hopes to take his local experience and help people across the state.
But he’s still going to be a hometown guy.
Sorensen’s wife Jane and their children will still be spending their time at their Rock Hill home, and Sorensen will be coming home as often as possible.
“You’ll still see me out and about,” he noted.
He will likely spend four days a week working in Albany and the rest of the time in Sullivan County with family and doing some work with Planit Main Street, the company he created after stepping down as planning commissioner last fall.
“I will continue to do some work there, just on a much smaller scale,” he noted.
He’ll also be sticking around to carry out his duties as the Town of Mamakating’s new planner.