by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
The surprise resignation of the City’s top economic development officer will continue a shake-up at the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission.
Executive Director Kirk Wendland had been the leader at the commission since Peyton was sworn in last July.
Earlier this year, Peyton ordered the commission to revamp about every aspect of its operations and cut the 40-person staff by 8. Despite his dissatisfaction with the JEDC, Peyton obviously felt he had the right leadership in place. Keeping Wendland was one of Peyton’s first significant staffing decisions, and Wendland’s job was the only one secure when Peyton began taking applications for every other JEDC position.
A source close to the mayor’s office said Peyton was happy with the JEDC’s leadership team of Wendland, Chairman Ceree Harden and new Deputy Director Jeanne Miller. The three had substantially completed evaluating new incentive policies that Wendland said should be ready for the City Council by the time he leaves office in February.
But personnel decisions lagged behind decisions on the commission’s new structure. Wendland’s departure means that 31 of the JEDC’s 32 jobs will remain open until his successor arrives. The current staff was originally told decisions on their jobs would be made by Oct. 1.
Wendland said Miller’s job as second-in-command should be secure and the mayor’s office source confirmed that Peyton wanted to keep her. Wendland made it his priority to hire from the top down. He and Miller had been looking for directors of business development and administration before considering the rank-and-file jobs. The JEDC hadn’t yet found acceptable hires for those positions. Now Wendland’s departure will likely spur a nationwide search for his replacement.
Wendland was promoted from within to the JEDC’s top job after a string of national candidates failed to impress former mayor John Delaney.
Wendland said he hasn’t been asked for recommendations for a replacement and said he hadn’t yet given it much thought.