Crown Point Mayor David Uran has been tapped to head up the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority after a nationwide search to replace former President and CEO Speros Batistatos.

Uran’s hiring was approved Monday in a special meeting of the SSCVA Board. Uran was one of two finalists for the job, edging out Philip Taillon, chief of staff for Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. The two were among 146 candidates who submitted applications to the search firm Winners Partners, according to Andy Qunell, SSCVA board chair. About 20% of the applicants were Indiana residents, he said.

“It was a very tough decision for the search committee,” Qunell said. The committee interviewed multiple candidates and whittled the number to two for final interviews, which also included the executive board.

“The mayor has done a great job in Crown Point. I think he will do the same for the rest of the county. He was very diligent in the way he answered questions,” Qunell said.

Uran, 54, did not return calls for comment Tuesday.

Bringing in Uran to head the agency will make introductions to all the cities and towns in Lake County will make for a smooth transition.

“He knows everybody in these communities,” he said.

Qunell said Uran has done a great job in Crown Point bringing in amateur sports and festivals.

“What we do well in Northwest Indiana is amateur sporting events and festivals,” he said.

He said moving forward the bureau would like to build on what it is doping well. He would like to see the Uran continue to promote the area and come up with some new ideas.

“The great thing with someone new coming into the role is he may have ideas none of us have had. He will have different connections, a different style of doing things,” Qunell said. “I’d like us to continue to build these relationships. Let’s promote all these communities in Lake County and see what we can do to be transformational across the board.”

Qunell said the board will begin the process of negotiating a contract with Uran. The start date is May 31. The board will consider the contract at its May meeting if negotiations are complete by then or will call a special meeting if necessary.

As mayor, Uran made $92,000, according to Indiana’s Gateway portal in 2021.

James Wieser, chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party, said he spoke with Uran on Monday prior to the board’s decision.

“Good for him. Good for Lake County. He’s a master at creating economic opportunity, jobs and tourism. I think it is great for all of us. It’s challenging for the governance of Crown Point. He’s done such a good job,” Wieser said.

Wieser said he has 30 days to call a caucus to fill the post once Uran submits his resignation. He does not expect the resignation until the end of May. While there is no statutory requirement for Uran to resign his position as mayor — the SSCVA post is not an elected position — Wieser said it is common sense he cannot hold two full-time jobs.

He said he expects to speak to Uran in the coming days to discuss the path forward.

“We have some great Democratic leaders in that community,” Wieser said. There currently are four Democratic city council members, Andrew Kyres, Chad Jeffries, Dawn Stokes and Zack Bryan, along with other leaders in the community. He said the city’s Democratic Party also has a strong chairman in Michelle Fajman.

“I know we have a good bench in Crown Point. It’s a matter of see who has interest and how it gets translated to committeemen to form the caucus,” he said.

Batistatos was told his contract would not be renewed in July after a shake-up on the board of directors that saw the removal of longtime member Bill Wellman. Qunell, the Griffith representative and treasurer of the Lake County Republican Party, on the board, was named chairman.

In November, Batistatos filed a notice with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of an intent to sue the entity and several of its board members for $2.5 million for age discrimination regarding his removal.

Batistatos alleges in a letter announcing his intent to sue that the SSCVA board violated the law in the handling of his contract renegotiations due to his age — 58 — and misspent Payroll Protection Plan funds in violation of the CARES Act.

In the notice, Batistatos claims the SSCVA board engaged and outside attorney to renegotiate his contract, which expired Dec. 31, as well as formed a compensation committee to assist in the renegotiation. The notice of intent was directed to the SSCVA and to several individual board members including Qunell, board chairman; Matt Schuffert, Brent Brashier, Tom Dabertin and Matt Maloney.

Carrie Napoleon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.