by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Until last Monday, the Downtown Development Authority hadn’t held a formal board meeting since July.
Paul Krutko, the senior director of the DDA, said one of the reasons the August, September and October meetings were canceled was a lack of agenda items. Another problem was finding live bodies.
The DDA board is supposed to consist of seven members who donate their time to research projects and make decisions regarding the future of downtown. These days the DDA board is operating with five members and getting them all to agree on a meeting date can be a real trick.
A year ago Dick Brown stepped down from his seat on the DDA board in order to assume his duties as mayor of Neptune Beach. Early last month, the DDA board took another hit when Ron Weaver resigned. In a letter to Krutko, Weaver said he was happy to have served on the board for several years, but felt that it was necessary to devote more of his time to other interests.
Today, the DDA board consists of Bob Rhodes, Denise Watson, Gerry Nichols, Dr. Cynthia Griffin and chairman Jim Citrano. Because the DDA board — like the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission — is mayoral appointed, it’s up to Mayor John Delaney to fill the two vacant seats.
Chief of Staff Audrey Moran said now that the DDA board is short two members, finding replacements for Brown and Weaver is a top priority for Delaney.
“He [Delaney] has a slate of names he is considering right now,” said Moran, adding that she could not divulge the names.
Moran said she expects Delaney to make his decision soon, especially because both nominees must be approved by City Council and he is aware of the fact that DDA board has been operating shorthanded.
“He will select a couple of people in the next couple of weeks and he is aware that they have had trouble getting a quorum for meetings,” said Moran, adding the list is less than 10 names long. “I do expect a decision within the next couple of weeks.”
Had Brown’s seat been filled, there might not be such an urgency right now and a couple of the three meetings that were canceled could possibly have been held. Moran said the decision to leave Brown’s seat vacant for over a year was unintentional.
“That sort of slipped through the cracks,” she said.
Citrano has given Delaney a couple of names for consideration, but would not say who he submitted.
“It would be nice to have a full board, but I have no idea who the mayor will select,” said Citrano. “I gave him a couple of suggestions because he asked me to. The people that I gave him have vested interests in downtown. We want to make it as egalitarian as we can. They asked me for suggestions and they asked others, as well.”
Citrano said one name he submitted is that of a downtown merchant and the other is that of a downtown business owner.
“I want somebody who lives and dies with the retail element,” said Citrano. “I’m more into getting the right person; somebody who’s ethical, intelligent and wants to serve. An example of that is Bob Rhodes — what a find. He wrote the original legislation for comprehensive land use when he was with the State [of Florida.]”
Citrano admitted finding the right people won’t be easy. The pay is minimal and it’s a lot of work.
“There’s more to it than just meetings,” said Citrano. “It’s a lot of work getting ready for the meetings.”