MILFORD — With the mission to make Milford the “best place to live, work and play,” Sara Pletcher has joined the city’s staff in the newly created role of economic-development and community-engagement administrator.

“For anyone who knows me, I’m very passionate about Milford,” Ms. Pletcher said. “It’s just a passion of mine. My personal goal I made when I was president of Downtown Milford Inc. — and I think it still rings true for this position — is to make Milford the best place to live, work and play.”

In this new role — part of a $32-$54-per-hour pay structure — Ms. Pletcher is responsible for planning, directing and administering economic development and business assistance to Milford, a news release stated. She said the City Council wanted to ensure her role will have a community-engagement aspect, as well, so she also will be serving as the Milford’s public information officer.

“Just a lot of marketing,” Ms. Pletcher said of her role. “The city hasn’t been telling its story. We do a lot of good here in the city, so my job will be to get those stories out there, so the public is aware — both for our residents and the surrounding community.”

On the economic-development side of her role, Ms. Pletcher will focus on business recruitment and retention.

“We have over 500 businesses and nonprofits in Milford, so we want to make sure that they stay here and that they’re happy,” she said. “That the city is doing what we can to make sure that their business is successful.”

Ms. Pletcher, a resident of Magnolia, said she would like to see a newsletter delivered to residents in their monthly electric bills, as well as to institute an e-newsletter to “keep our citizens informed of what’s going on.”

While she said business recruitment happens “over a long period of time,” she does have the goal of helping landlords fill vacant spaces in Milford. “Me, in this position — that’s what I’m here to do, is just be that third party for (landlords) to help them find the right fit,” Ms. Pletcher said, “to be that liaison and connect them.”

With her experience serving as the president of Downtown Milford Inc. — a nonprofit partially funded by the city — and as publisher for the online publication, Milford Live, Ms. Pletcher said she brings familiarity to her new role.

“When you hire somebody, there’s an onboarding process,” Ms. Pletcher said. “Since I’m already coming to the table with that institutional knowledge, it takes that learning curve out, and I can make the connections a lot quicker.”

She also served on the Milford Planning Commission for four-and-a-half years, which she said offers her a leg up in understanding the city codes.

While she said DMI’s focus is the downtown area of the city, Ms. Pletcher’s new role will allow her the opportunity to look more broadly throughout Milford and its surrounding areas. She said she does plan to work closely with the nonprofit, particularly for economic development.

“It’s nice that one leg of their organization (has) the same drive that I do — to bring business to town,” she said.

In addition to DMI, Ms. Pletcher said she will be working closely with the Milford Chamber of Commerce, Kent County Tourism, Southern Delaware Tourism and the Kent Economic Partnership.

“Because Milford lies in both counties, we have the best of both worlds,” said Ms. Pletcher, who lived in the city for eight years following college, prior to her recent move to Magnolia. “It also provides that opportunity to be involved in some other nonprofits just outside our four walls of the city.”

Ms. Pletcher will continue to be a member of DMI’s Promotions Committee, she said. “I’m still all about volunteering in my free time,” she added.

The new hire’s prior experience includes four years at Zephyr Conferences as a conference operations manager and six-and-a-half years as publisher for Milford Live. She also was the promotional marketing and communications manager at Growmark FS, headquartered in Milford.

“There is a lot to offer — for all demographics, all ages, and we just have to figure out how to capitalize on that,” she said. “I’m honored that the council, as I said, put faith in the position and funded it. I’m thrilled that the city chose me to move forward in this position and see that potential come to light.”