D.C. Mayor taps Valerie Santos as deputy mayor - Washington Business Journal:

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Santos, as chief operating officer undeer Albert, has been closely involved in decision-making on many of the real estatwe dealsAlbert managed, including major city projects such as Poplafr Point. Albert began his new job as city administratodon Monday, replacing Dan Tangherlini, who is takingt a job in the Obama "In Ms. Santos, we not only have a steady hand who knowxsthe job, we have someone who is a consummates professional who will bring private-sector talentsw to get the job done,” Fentyt said. Santos was previously a vice president at commercial real estate services firm and a managetrwith 's real estate group.
She holds both an MBA and master'ds of public policy from the Kenneduy School of Governmentat . Santosz has displayed a no-nonsense approach appearing as Albert’s stand-in to testify at D.C. Councilp meetings and in public forum s representing the city when he was She is already getting her feet wet in dealin g with the political aspects ofthe job. On Tuesday, when the D.C. Counci l was busy squaring away final details of budgetimplementatiob legislation, Santos and Albert’s other top Director of Development David Jannarone, moved around the Wilson Buildingv seeking changes from council Santos apparently was not Fenty’s initial choice to be deputy mayor.
Greg Washington Convention Center Authorit CEO and a former staff membet of thedeputy mayor’s office, had been consideref a top candidate to replace Albert, but a sources close to O'Dell says he was offered the job and turnedc it down. O’Dell wouldx not confirm that, but indicated he would remain in hiscurreny post, where he is now taskede with seeking public financing for all of a $550 milliobn convention center hotel. “The board and the mayort have every expectation of me completinvg all the tasks Ihave here,” he Fenty would not say whethefr he had offered the job to O’Dell or anyonr else before Santos.
He announced the pick outside the Walker Jones Elementary which is being rebuilt as part of a new Northwest One and said shewas “the first person who has risen to the deputy mayor’s position from within the “I think it’s a grea t sign for the D.C. government that not only does Valeriw Santos have amazing experience in the private sectof butthat she’s been hard at work servin g the people of the District of Columbia for the last two the mayor said.
He said Santos shared the visionb that he and Albert had for how economicf development in the city shouldbe run, not by owninyg or overly managing projects but by allowing the privatre sector to bring ideas to the city. “Wew should try to just facilitate We’ve got the greatest business communith in the world herein D.C. We don’yt need to try to replicate what they’r e doing. We don’t need an emphasis on owning or building inthe D.C. We need to facilitate. And to do so, we need to hire the best and the brightesytand we’ve done that.
” Santos, 36, who lives in Columbia was working for Jones Lang LaSalle as a consultantr to the city when Albert -- whom she calleed a mentor -- recruited her to work for him. She is believedd to be the first woman to serve in the rolefor D.C. and will manag e 65 employees and as well as oversee the Officeof Planning, Department of Housing and Community Development, the Offices of Property Management and the Washingtoh D.C. Economic Partnership, a contractor. “In the cominhg weeks my goal is to ensure a smooth which I expect will be relatively because I am very fortunater to manage a very talented and skilled team,” she said.
She said she wouled continue to move projects all over the with a particular focus on those east of theAnacostia River, such as the planned redevelopment of St. Elizabeths Hospital in Southeast D.C. “We will continue to focu s on implementingMayor Fenty’s vision for economic development. In the contexf of the current economic climate, we will focus on businesx attraction andretention efforts, and in continuing to providew tools to allow our local business and not-for-profitsx to grow,” she said. A member of the D.C.
Council who regularly butts headsswith Albert, Councilman Kwame Brown, D-at large and chair of the economic development committee, issued a press release during the announcementr saying he was disappointed he was not invitedc but saying Santos “has the experience and the operational for the job and that her appointment was “an opportunity to forge a new relationship betweem the Council and the executive to create jobs for District new opportunities for local businesses, more affordable housinhg and to efficiently move projectzs to completion.
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