Tamaqua will have a new director of community development in the new year.

Tamaqua Borough Council voted Tuesday night to hire Ann Marie Calabrese at an annual salary of $36,000 to fill the position vacated by Mary Linkevich in July.

“This was a fairly exhaustive search,” said Councilman Micah Gursky. “Obviously it did not proceed at the pace we would have liked.”

Gursky also spoke highly of Calabrese, calling her a “motivated, self-starting person who has experience applying herself to new things. She has some big shoes to fill, but we are looking forward to her time in this position.”

Council also said goodbye to some familiar faces, including Gursky, who did not seek re-election after serving on council for 16 years; Councilwoman Kerry Lasky and Mayor Christian Morrison, who also did not seek re-election after serving for 12 years.

Morrison spoke highly of Mayor-elect Nathan Gerace, who ran unopposed in the November election.

“He is very excited to jump into this role and I’m excited to sit back and watch him,” said Morrison, who said that Gerace has been working closely with him since the election to smooth the transition. Morrison said the only thing he regrets that has not come to completion during his tenure as mayor is the proposed parking lot at the corner of Hunter and Spruce streets.

“That’s the one thing I would have loved to see completed,” he said, and challenged the new mayor and council to continue the work that has been started in the area.

Council President David Mace spoke highly of Gursky and Lasky, calling Lasky a “vibrant force” and referring to the fact that he had not served on council without Gursky’s leadership and guidance since having been elected.

Council will welcome Ritchie A. Linkhorst in January, and will also have to fill a vacancy created by newly elected councilman James Hull, who advised council earlier this month that despite having won the election in November, he is in the process of moving to Pottsville and will not be able to serve.