by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
It’s becoming more apparent that the new senior director of the Downtown Development Authority will be local and no national search will be conducted to find a replacement for recently resigned Paul Krutko.
In late December, Krutko resigned as senior director of the DDA to take a job with the City of San Jose. Although it’s doubtful Krutko’s replacement will be named by Jan. 22 — his last day on the job — the process to replace him is underway.
Mayor John Delaney’s chief of staff, Audrey Moran, DDA board chairman, Jim Citrano, and Jacksonville Economic Development Commission executive director Kirk Wendland met Wednesday morning for the first time since Krutko’s resignation to discuss how to fill the position.
“I met with Jim and Kirk to brainstorm and come up with the best way to proceed,” said Moran. “I will talk with Mayor Delaney and we will go from there. We had a good discussion and the most important thing and No. 1 priority, the mayor has said, is for the DDA to keep downtown on track. We have made fabulous progress and we don’t want to skip a beat. ”
One place the Delaney administration probably won’t go is outside of Jacksonville. Moran said the fruitless national search to find a replacement for Mike Weinstein — the former JEDC boss — proved that a viable candidate can be found locally.
(The consulting firm of Joan Jorgenson was used to conduct two national searches over an eight-month period last year to find Weinstein’s replacement. The City eventually decided on Wendland, who was the JEDC’s chief of the financial support division.)
“The consensus was that a national search and the use of a consultant is not the best use of resources; it’s not the best choice at this time,” said Moran. “That does not mean we will not have an interview process.”
Moran said no determination had been made on whether to look first within the DDA or the JEDC or expand the immediate search to the entire Jacksonville area.
One DDA board member, Bob Rhodes, would like Delaney to consider Al Battle, the current chief of project management for the DDA. In a letter to Delaney, Rhodes said Battle is “thorough, responsible, knowledgeable and dedicated. As you know, he firmly believes in the mission and was a key drafter of the downtown [master] plan. He offers deep knowledge and history.”
Battle, who joined the DDA as a project manager in 1995, said his interest in the job is as much a career choice as anything. And, the fact that he may only hold the position for about a year and a half is irrelevant.
“This job would be an apex for me in this position in this city,” said Battle, who was in Washington, D.C. when reached by phone. “That’s all relative [the potential term of the position]. As a career move, it’s still an opportunity whether it’s for four more years with a new mayor in office or not. It’s an opportunity to show what I can do. My track record since I joined the DDA in 1995 speaks for itself.”
Moran acknowledged that Battle has expressed interest in the job and Rhodes’ suggestion will be considered.
“Of course the mayor will take very seriously the wishes of the DDA,” said Moran. “Bob Rhodes [the executive director and general counsel for the St. Joe Company] is not only a DDA member, but also an important member of the downtown area, especially with his relationship between downtown and the St. Joe Company. His recommendation will be weighed heavily.”
The timing of Krutko’s departure will also figure prominently in how expansive the search becomes. Because Delaney leaves office due to term limits on June 30, 2003, attracting a qualified candidate to Jacksonville for a mayoral-appointed position that may only last about 17 months is highly unlikely. Also, replacing Weinstein with Wendland is evidence that a qualified replacement can be found in the Jacksonville area.
“It’s not a precedent,” said Moran of ultimately choosing Wendland, “but perhaps it gave us a wake-up call as to the effectiveness of a national search towards the end of an administration.”
Wendland said Wednesday’s meeting went well and agreed that it would be surprising to see the City go with someone outside of Jacksonville.
“I think we had a good discussion and we are all on the same page,” said Wendland. “I would certainly guess that you won’t see the job go to someone from the outside.”
Like Moran, Wendland said there wasn’t a definite timetable established for when the job will be filled, but it won’t drag on as long as it took to replace Weinstein.
“There is not a specific date,” said Wendland. “We do want to settle it in a timely manner. It’s not something we expect to draw out for six months, but we aren’t specifically saying we want it filled by Feb. 1, either.”
DDA chairman Jim Citrano said time was of the essence to him and he stressed that to Moran and Wendland.
“I think what we have to do is not lose time,” said Citrano. “We need to jump in there quickly.”
Citrano thinks the job will be filled in a similar manner to the JEDC job — on an interim basis until someone can be found. Unlike the JEDC job, however, the DDA position has been filled by a local on an interim basis until a national search could produce a candidate.
“The DDA hasn’t had that experience,” said Citrano, referring to the local interim getting the job like Wendland did. “The last interim guy didn’t get the job. I think Bob Olsen was head of the DDA for a year after Frank Nero stepped down. Then we found Krutko.
“I’m not concerned about the new mayor. I’m concerned about the immediate. Lest we forget, there is another year and a half before the new mayor comes in. We have positions to fill, business to do and deals being presented on a daily basis.”