County Commissioner Charles Von Cannon spoke during the monthly Joint Economic and Community Development Board about Mayor Russell Barnett’s proposals during last week’s Budget Committee meeting.

Barnett’s two proposals concerned the duties of economic development in Carter County. The Budget Committee previously discussed either hiring a new person entirely or putting the responsibilities under his office once again, landing them on Assistant Abby Frye’s plate.

“You should be commended for heading us in some kind of direction,” Von Cannon said of Barnett.

He said the training, regardless of the option, would take roughly two years for the candidate to become certified in the position.

“During that time, the person should be developing contacts,” he said.

He said there is a third option he would like to impart to the JECDB and the county commission, what he called a “pointman.”

“You need only a pointman,” Von Cannon said.

He said the goal of this pointman would be to direct people to where they want to go and showcase where development can occur in the county. He said this need highlights a problem with economic development in the region: nothing to show investors.

“Where is your building to show? Where is your land?” Von Cannon asked.

He said one of the most qualified people to undertake this responsibility would be Elizabethton City Planner Jon Hartman.

“When the state brings in a rep, the pointman takes them to where they would like to see or where they should see,” he said.

Von Cannon said he, himself, served in such a role for three years in the past, and he would be willing to do it again if it was needed.

In the meantime, he said the money the county was putting towards this can go elsewhere.

“We can take that money and give it to NETREP,” Von Cannon said.

Hartman said his work with the city has focused on expanding what it already has as opposed to traditional economic development.

“Right now, our focus has been on entrepreneurship,” Hartman said.

The conversation with JECDB comes after almost two months of back and forth debate about the Planning Commission budget and its efforts to receive compensation for the work they undertook for economic development. As of Monday, the commission had not formally voted on a body to assume the responsibilities in place of Planning.