The city of Des Moines has received 41 applications for a newly created position of economic development project manager. The manager will be responsible for helping small business owners navigate a maze of processes involved with plan development and review, permitting, and financial and other incentives. When Connie Boesen was campaigning for mayor last fall, she frequently heard complaints about the difficulty people who wanted to open a business had in maneuvering through complex city procedures and requirements. Boesen, who won the November election and is now mayor, shared those complaints with city staff. The city had an open position in its Development Services Department and reconfigured the job to help business owners get through the permitting processes. City staff are reviewing the applications. It’s not yet known how many people will be interviewed for the job, a city spokesperson said. City staff have said the job is expected to be filled by late in the first quarter of 2024.