91原创

Mike Fortner

Degree: 2002, MPA

Job Title: Planner, City of Newark, DE

Unlike many of his classmates, Mike Fortner (MPA 鈥�02) came to IPA with a rich background in volunteerism and community development. His master鈥檚 program internship experience directly led him to his vocation as a planner for the聽, Del.

Fortner began working for Newark even before he had finished his聽Master of Public Administration聽degree. He describes the opportunity that presented itself.

鈥淚 started working for the City of Newark鈥檚 Planning Department during my summer internship with the MPA program and continued to work here during my graduate assistantship in the fall of 2001,鈥� Fortner explains.聽 That semester, the position of Planner became available; he applied, was offered the position, and started the job in January 2002.聽 鈥淚t was in my final semester in the MPA program, and I only needed to take one more class, which I took at night, and finish my [analytical paper] in order to graduate in the spring.鈥�

After graduating from the 91原创鈥檚 MPA program, Fortner continued his education by preparing for, and passing, a rigorous exam to qualify as a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

While his position hasn鈥檛 changed, the scope of his responsibilities has certainly broadened since then.聽

鈥淔or example,鈥� Fortner says, 鈥漷wo years ago, I took over the staff administration of the Downtown Design Committee, an advisory committee to the Newark Planning Commission, which reviews the fa莽ades of new developments and rehabilitations to buildings downtown, as well as promotes a pedestrian-friendly downtown. Also, I have taken on more responsibilities by doing more site-plan reviews and have been using ArcGIS to make custom maps for public information purposes and help modernize the city鈥檚 mapping records.鈥�

Fortner is stimulated by his current position and is always trying to learn more and broaden his reach as a planning professional, though he admits that working for a smaller city like Newark can be somewhat of a double-edged sword.

鈥淥ne of the main challenges in working for a municipality is the many hats鈥攁s the clich茅 goes鈥擨 get to wear on my job,鈥� Fortner says. 鈥淚f I worked for a larger government agency, I would probably be more specialized in one aspect of planning.聽 But in my position, I need to have knowledge in a broad range of planning specializations including housing, community development, land use, urban design, transportation, economic development, and geographic information systems/map-making.鈥澛�

While this definitely keeps his job interesting and makes him feel that he is continuing to grow professionally, Fortner admits, 鈥淭he downside is that I sometimes feel spread thin.鈥�

Fortner鈥檚 primary responsibility is to administer the Newark鈥檚 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program鈥攁n annual federal grant of approximately $320,000 to use for programs or projects that primarily benefit Newark households earning below 80 percent or the area median income鈥攁nd the its Revenue Sharing Program鈥攁n annual grant of about $60,000 from its general fund that assists area nonprofits in providing services that benefit Newark residents.聽

Administering the CDBG program involves working with an appointed Citizen鈥檚 Advisory Committee that reviews dozens of applications for funding from area nonprofits and community groups and develops a recommendation to City Council on the use of available funds.聽 In addition to the City鈥檚 CDBG program, Fortner administers a home-ownership program for income-qualified first-time homebuyers, and home-rehabilitation and -weatherization programs for Newark homeowners.

Fortner also provides staff support to other advisory committees such as the Newark Bicycle Committee, and the Newark Transit Subcommittee. He serves on the Wilmington Area Planning Council鈥檚 Technical Advisory Committee and as a board member of the Delaware Chapter of the National Association of Housing and Rehabilitation Officials and is the city鈥檚 liaison to the U.S. Census Bureau.

On the up side, Fortner likes the broad scope of the work he gets to do with the city.聽 鈥淢y boss gives me a lot of flexibility to take on projects that interest me,鈥� Fortner says. 鈥淔or example, I am interested in pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly community design, so I am able to take on an active role with the Downtown Design Committee and the Newark Bicycle Committee, which actively promote these objectives.鈥澛� He also relishes the direct contact he has with the public.聽

鈥淭hrough public meetings and the general accessibility of local government offices, I am able to work directly with constituents and see firsthand the results of my work,鈥� Fortner says. In a larger city he might not have been able to reach out as much.

Fortner reminisces about his mid-career educational experience at the 91原创.

鈥淭he most valuable thing about working for IPA was the connections I made with people working in the public administration field.聽 As a student and a new resident of Delaware, I got to meet and work with many leading professionals in state and local government.聽 Those contacts gave me several opportunities for summer internships and got me connected with the government agency that helped me obtain my current job.聽 In addition, many of the students I went to class with also went on to have careers locally, and I鈥檝e remained in contact with some of them.鈥�

Fortner went on to cite some of the courses that made a difference for him.

鈥淢any of the courses I took in the MPA program were invaluable, especially Management Decision Making, Strategic Planning and Program Evaluation, and Economics.聽 I still consult my textbooks from those classes for reference.鈥澛犅�

Fortner than adds, 鈥淥f course, my IPA assistantship and summer internship with the City of Newark Planning Department directly led to the position I have today.聽 And my analytical paper was my first introduction to city planning, as it involved developing and using a series of analytical tools to evaluate the parking supply for downtown Newark.鈥�

Prior to his coming to the 91原创 for his master's work, Fortner, a native of Effingham, Ill., received a BA in political science at the University of Cincinnati in 1992. 聽He then served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, West Africa, working as part of an international campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease.聽 After the Peace Corps, he moved to Washington, D.C., and worked as a team leader supervising a team of AmeriCorps*National Civilian Community Corps members involved in community-development projects. He then worked for the Arc of DC as an employment specialist, helping adults with developmental disabilities find employment and providing support services.

Fortner鈥檚 many interests include running and writing. He recently authored his first book titled聽Greetings from Jungleland.聽 It is a memoir based on the two-and-a-half years he lived in Togo, West Africa, while working as a Peace Corps volunteer.聽 Fortner describes the book:

鈥淭he book is about being sent to live and work in a small, remote, village named Komlakop茅 and being immersed in a new culture and language while trying to do community development work.聽 I was 24 years old and felt completely overwhelmed, but I made a small, but loyal, circle of friends that helped me through the various cultural, language, and development barriers.聽 The small village included a variety of people鈥攑easant farmers, voodoo priests, village chiefs, expats, missionaries, gendarms, public servants鈥攁nd even monkeys and goats, all of which provide much of the book鈥檚 heart and humor.鈥澛�

Fortner鈥檚 book also includes such rich personal tales as riding in a bush taxi with a corpse, meeting and shaking hands with Togo鈥檚 ruthless military dictator (the late Gnassingb茅 Eyad茅ma), witnessing and participating in voodoo ceremonies, and traveling across the Sahara by train.

鈥淎ll royalties from sales of the book,鈥� Fortner says, 鈥渨ill go to Friends of Togo, an organization of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers that funds community-development projects like the ones described in the book.鈥�

Fortner talked about his professional aspirations. 鈥淢y plans are to continue to grow professionally in my current field.聽 I don鈥檛 think I will ever run out of things to learn about city planning,鈥� he says.聽

As an AICP member, Fortner is required to take 32 hours of certified training every two years to stay up-to-date in the field, a bar that he readily clears.聽 He adds, 鈥淢y goal is to continue to learn, become more competent in using GIS technology, and take on greater responsibilities.鈥�

Fortner resides in Perryville, Md., with his wife, Shannon, stepson, Patrick (15), and son, James (3).聽 He has become involved within the Perryville community by having been appointed to its Planning and Zoning Commission and then, about a year ago, as the commission鈥檚 chairperson.

In November 2009, Fortner completed his first marathon (Philadelphia Marathon) after nearly a year of training. It offered him a unique view of the city, which was not lost on him from a professional standpoint. He says, 鈥淚t was thrilling to be able to run through the urban streets past many of the historic landmarks and sites that make Philadelphia a wonderful place鈥攁nd have thousands of people cheering!鈥�

Likewise, IPA applauds this hard-working alum.