Chardon Community Development Admin. Moves On

September 18, 2025 by Allison Wilson

Longtime Chardon Community Development Administrator Steve Yaney attended his final Chardon City Council meeting Sept. 11, having decided to take a position at the Geauga County Engineer’s Office.

Yaney has been community development administrator for 15 years, he said in Sept. 12 email.

Following his debrief on the city’s community and economic development, council member Andrew Blackley decided to say a few words of recognition.

“A lot of the success that (Yaney) just talked about is due in no small part to his expertise and diligence at his job, and I greatly have admired his work and (am) grateful for the work he did,” Blackley said.

Yaney will be leaving tough shoes to fill, he added.

“Steve has done a fantastic job,” Mayor Chris Grau said. “His accessibility from council has been outstanding and I thoroughly enjoyed stopping in your office when time permitted and talking about not only city issues, but just the general world and sports.”

Yaney thanked city council, specifically highlighting council member David Lelko.

“Fifteen years ago, (Lelko) took a chance. I was just a kid from Cincinnati,” Yaney recalled. “Multiple times during the interview, he wanted to make sure I knew it snowed here. I think that question I had to answer four different ways, five different times.”

While Yaney has been a part of many significant projects during his time with the city, those he is most proud of have had a direct impact on quality of life, he said Sept. 12, listing the Maple Highlands Bike Trail and Mel Harder Park expansion as examples.

Yaney also noted his work over the past few years in bringing new commercial development options to Chardon, including Chipotle, Starbucks and Meijer.

Yaney said he has enjoyed his time with the city, but is also ready for his next challenge.

“I’m going to miss everybody in here,” he said at the meeting.

Yaney’s final day in office will be Sept. 26.