The City isn’t sure who will permanently take the place of Mike Weinstein, the departing Jacksonville Economic Development Commission executive director, but a decision is due around lunch today regarding his interim replacement.
Mayor John Delaney was set to decide Thursday who will take over for Weinstein Monday, but decided to sleep on it.
“We will make an announcement before lunch today,” said chief of staff Audrey Moran early Friday morning. “The mayor will decide this morning. John wanted to think about it last night and today is Mike’s last day.”
Whoever is chosen will serve on an interim basis until the task force formed to find Weinstein’s permanent replacement decides between Stephen Dragos of Basking Ridge, N.J., Don Maxwell of Virginia Beach and Margaret Mullen of Phoenix, Ariz. Moran said no one was sure how long the interim will stay on the job.
“The shorter the better,” said Moran. “Probably four to eight weeks.”
Moran said the candidates that came in town this week for interviews with the task force were all impressive and no one candidate stood out among the three.
“All three candidates looked great,” said Moran. “We have asked the recruiter [Joan Jorgenson Consulting, Inc.] for additional information on each one. Once she comes back with that additional information, we’ll go forward.”
Friday morning Moran said the task force had narrowed its choices.
“We are looking at definitely bringing back one candidate, maybe two,” said Moran.
Moving forward means sitting down face-to-face with Delaney, who not only played a pivotal role in creating the JEDC in 1996, but will have the final say in who gets the nod.
Dragos is the president and CEO of the Business Partnership of Somerset County; Maxwell is the director of economic development for Virginia Beach; and Mullen is the president and CEO of Urban Realty Partners, LLC.
Weinstein, the JEDC’s only executive director since its inception, announced back in January that he would leave the JEDC to serve as the president and CEO of the Super Bowl host committee as Jacksonville prepares to host the 2005 Super Bowl. He was supposed to step down from the JEDC at the end of June. However, the first national search for his replacement didn’t fare well and Weinstein was forced to stay on until a second search could be conducted.
Last week, Weinstein announced he would formally resign his Super Bowl position in order to officially enter the 2003 mayoral race.
All three candidates came into town Tuesday for interviews with the task force. In addition to Moran and Weinstein, the task force consists of former JEDC chairman Leerie Jenkins, current JEDC chairman Rev. Fred Newbill, JEDC commissioner Carol Thompson and Downtown Development Authority senior director Paul Krutko.