Simsbury Appoints New Planning And Community Development Director

SIMSBURY, CT — Simsbury will soon have a new director of planning and community development, after the board of selectmen voted unanimously to appoint a certified town planner to the role.

At its meeting on March 14, the board approved George McGregor, who currently serves as Vernon's town planner. His first day will be April 11.

McGregor has 25 years of experience in the planning field, and he previously served as planning director for a city-county planning department in Sumter, South Carolina.

He holds a bachelor's degree from Fairfield University and a master's degree in city and regional planning from Clemson University, and is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Simsbury's town charter states that the town manager appoints the director of planning and community development (with approval from the board of selectmen), and town manager Maria Capriola said Simsbury is "thrilled" to appoint McGregor.

"His expertise and passion for municipal planning, along with the high level of professionalism and integrity that he demonstrated during the recruitment process, made him stand out in a competitive pool of applicants," Capriola said.

McGregor will succeed former planning director Michael Glidden, who assumed the post in September 2018. Glidden left Simsbury to become Cheshire's town planner in January 2022, according to the Record-Journal.