The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously June 17 to appoint Commissioner Tony Hazen as the county’s initial representative to the Northwest Indiana Professional Sports Development Commission.

County officials said the newly created commission aims to recruit professional sports teams to the Northwest Indiana region; the county will evaluate after Hazen attends the commission’s first meeting, currently scheduled for Aug. 6, whether to keep a commissioner as the county’s representative or appoint a private citizen instead.

“1 of the intents of this commission ... they're looking to bring different professional sports teams to the Northwest Indiana region,” a county official said during the meeting. Commissioners discussed appointing one of their members initially so the county could gather information before deciding on a permanent representative.

A motion to appoint Commissioner Tony Hazen was made, seconded and approved with Commissioners Morton, Hazen and Maxmeier voting in favor. No opposing votes were recorded.

The county did not provide further details at the meeting about the commission’s membership rules, funding or any obligations expected of the county appointee; officials said they expect to know more after the first commission meeting in August.