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Week of January 24, 2008 |
| Downtown Development Agency's voting members to deliberate on director's performance and future By Catherine LacknerFrustrated by what they see as a lack of progress and negative perceptions of the agency, the board of directors of Miami's Downtown Development Authority has set a special meeting for Monday (1/28) to review the performance of Dana Nottingham, its executive director. Board members said they did not question Mr. Nottingham's character or ethics but that they would like to see projects move forward more quickly, for the authority to get more credit for what it does, and for the executive director to be more involved in crucial downtown issues. A city audit in early January found some problem areas, but the board insisted that wasn't the primary reason for its concern. In his law practice, "I deal with audit issues, and I look for fraud," said board member Jay Solowsky. "I read that audit cover to cover. Very clearly, there are some internal control issues, and some things were repeated annually. But these are correctible issues going forward. There were no material reportable issues, and it was a good overall audit." "The audit had issues," said board member Sergio Rok, "but my concern is that we've lost our way and the confidence of the stakeholders. They don't see us doing the job. They're looking at the big picture, and they don't see anything.' "I'm concerned with the lack of confidence, too," said board member Tony Alonso. Referring to an earlier board decision not to seek a re-vote on disputed millage. "It's a sad day when we're afraid to go to the city commission," he said. "Something has to be done. The perception is that we're not relevant." "We are at an all-time low with regard to perception," board member Oscar Rodriguez said. "I've been asking for a meeting with the executive director for four months — no meeting. Problems I've seen for eight months continue to fester." He was among board members who complained in November that they wanted more signage in place downtown when Art Basel opened Dec. 6. The board had just adopted the new DWNTWN logo, but wraps on Metrorail and Metro- Mover cars hadn't been installed. "I thought that was the low-hanging fruit," Mr. Rodriguez said then. "We need to create our own opportunities. "Dana, I like you; you're a good person," he told Mr. Nottingham last Friday, "but we're entering the toughest real estate market we've seen, and I don't know if the leadership is right." "The big issue is that we're not relating to the city," said board member Neisen Kasdin. "We have a formal relationship with the stakeholders, as opposed to being in frequent and consistent interaction with them. This is a critical time for downtown. Yet there are mega-deals on the table that we're not a part of." "There's too much bureaucracy," said board member Jose Goyanes. "We need to look at running the DDA more like a business and less like a government agency. We want to see the bulk of the budget go out on the street. The director needs to be out on the street. "I'd like to see the DDA move down to street level, buy a building if it can," he continued. "We need to get out of this 29th floor" of the Wachovia Financial Center, where the current headquarters is located. While the downtown authority has spearheaded many projects to make downtown safer, cleaner and more livable, many issues are outside its control, falling into the purview of the city's sanitation, police and code enforcement departments, observers say. Nevertheless, with a hefty budget and special taxing powers, it is a natural target when businesses and residents are disappointed with downtown Miami. In agreeing to set the special meeting, Joe Sanchez, Miami city commissioner and authority chairman, asked that board members be supplied a copy of Mr. Nottingham's contract. Board member Jorge Gonzalez also asked Mr. Nottingham to complete a self-assessment of his performance and be ready to discuss it with the board. |
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