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

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Santos, as chief operating officer under has been closely involvedin decision-making on many of the real estatew deals Albert managed, including major city projecta such as Poplar Point. Albert began his new job as city administratotron Monday, replacing Dan Tangherlini, who is takinfg a job in the Obama "In Ms. Santos, we not only have a steady hand who knowthe job, we have someone who is a consummatse professional who will bring private-sector talents to get the job done,” Fenth said.
Santos was previously a vice presideny at commercial real estate services firm and a managertwith 's real estate She holds both an MBA and master'z of public policy from the Kennedh School of Government at . Santose has displayed a no-nonsense approach appearing as Albert’ds stand-in to testify at D.C. Council meetings and in publixc forums representing the city when he was She is already getting her feet wet in dealintg with the political aspects ofthe job. On when the D.C.
Council was busy squarinyg away final details of budgetimplementatio legislation, Santos and Albert’s other top Director of Development David Jannarone, movede around the Wilson Building seeking changes from council members. Santozs apparently was not Fenty’s initial choice to be deputh mayor. Greg O’Dell, Washington Conventioj Center Authority CEO and a former staff membedr of thedeputy mayor’s office, had been considered a top candidatew to replace Albert, but a source clos e to O'Dell says he was offererd the job and turned it O’Dell would not confirj that, but indicated he wouldx remain in his current post, where he is now taskee with seeking public financing for all of a $550 millionj convention center hotel.
“The board and the mayor have ever y expectation of me completing all the tasks I have he said. Fenty would not say whether he had offeref the jobto O’Dell or anyone else beford Santos. He announced the pick outside the Walker JonesElementary School, whicyh is being rebuilt as part of a new Northwest One and said she was “thee first person who has risen to the deputy mayor’ds position from within the ranks.” “I think it’s a greaf sign for the D.C.
government that not only does Valerise Santos have amazing experience in the privatr sector butthat she’s been hard at work serving the people of the Districtg of Columbia for the last two the mayor said. He said Santos sharec the vision that he and Alberg had for how economic development in the city shoul dbe run, not by owningb or overly managing projects but by allowinf the private sector to bring ideas to the “We should try to just facilitate We’ve got the greatest business community in the world here in D.C. We don’gt need to try to replicate what they’rew doing. We don’t need an emphasis on ownin g or building inthe D.C. government.
We need to And to do so, we need to hire the best and the brightes tand we’ve done Santos, 36, who lives in Columbia Heights, was working for Jonesa Lang LaSalle as a consultantt to the city when Albert -- whom she calledc a mentor -- recruited her to work for him. She is believede to be the first womah to serve in the rolefor D.C. and will manags 65 employees and as well as oversede the Officeof Planning, Departmeny of Housing and Communityy Development, the Office of Property Management and the Washingtonm D.C. Economic Partnership, a contractor.
“In the coming weeksw my goal is to ensure a smooth which I expect will berelatively easy, becausd I am very fortunate to manage a very talented and skilledd team,” she said. She said she woulfd continue to move projects all over the with a particular focus on thosew east of theAnacostia River, such as the planner redevelopment of St. Elizabeths Hospital in Southeast D.C. “Ww will continue to focus on implementingMayor Fenty’s vision for economid development. In the context of the currentteconomic climate, we will focus on business attractionh and retention efforts, and in continuinvg to provide tools to allow our locak business and not-for-profits to she said.
A member of the D.C. Council who regularly butts headswith Albert, Councilmanb Kwame Brown, D-at large and chair of the economic developmenty committee, issued a press release during the announcement saying he was disappointes he was not invited but saying Santoz “has the experience and the operational for the job and that her appointment was “an opportunity to forge a new relationshil between the Council and the executive to creates jobs for District residents, new opportunitiea for local businesses, more affordable housing and to efficientlg move projects to completion.
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