As Terry Carcella steps up to the plate as Latrobe’s new city manager, he has one goal in mind: improving the city through effective and efficient government.

“We have a great city that’s really improving,” Carcella said. “We have great amenities, and I want to make it better.”

City council unanimously approved Carcella to the position during a special meeting Monday night. Prior to approving the hiring, council accepted the resignation of former city manager Michael Gray, who announced on May 12 that he would leave the role for a private sector job.

Carcella, who signed a three-year contract, has worked for Latrobe since April as the zoning and code enforcement officer. Previously, he worked as Ligonier Township’s manager for eight years.

Carcella also has 13 years of experience as a code and zoning officer in Washington Township, Erie County.

Though he didn’t anticipate Gray’s resignation, Carcella said he’s eager to work for a “prestigious city” like Latrobe. His favorite part of the city is the downtown area, where there are coffee shops, restaurants, walking trails and parks.

“We have some great assets here and we want to continue to make those even better,” Carcella said.

The city will seek to fill the zoning and code enforcement officer position.

Latrobe Mayor Eric Bartels believes Carcella is “well-qualified” to be the next city manager.

“We are confident he can fill this position even with just a short stint in city limits so far,” Bartels said during Monday’s meeting. “We’re in a good position.”

Carcella was the only person nominated to fill the role.

This was the second time that Gray had resigned from the city manager position. He entered the role abruptly in March 2019 and resigned seven months later. Gray was rehired as city manager in February 2020.

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