Elorza to Override Search Committee on New Providence Economic Director
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza is poised to name the city's new Economic Director -- and according to multiple sources, Elorza went against the wishes of the majority of selection committee members who voiced serious concerns about his pick for the post.
Slated to fill the vacant position since the departure of previous director Jim Bennett is Mark Huang, the co-founding partner of Novus Energy Partners in San Francisco, which was a "cleantech" venture capital fund. According to Huang's LinkedIn profile, the fund is now closed.
Huang would replace Bennett, who prior to being tapped for the post under previous Providence Mayor Angel Taveras in 2011, had served as the Chairman of the Rhode Island Convention Center and founded several startup and publicly traded companies and "worked in the highest levels of state government," according to Taveras at the time.
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A Columbia University graduate and former Vice President at GE Financial Services and US Army Reserves officer, Huang lists experience in the "developing world to include SE Asia and a year in Baghdad, Iraq working on basic nation-building at the neighborhood level. Later transferred to the Green Zone to focus on the economic restructuring of Iraq's moribund State-Owned Enterprises and to develop programs to help stimulate the private sector."
Concerns Aired
According to two people close to the process, the majority of members thought Huang, while "smart and capable," was not the right choice -- with two who had "blatant, hard objections."
Elorza reportedly called committee members to thank them for their time, but that despite the objections, he was opting for Huang for the post.
The new Economic Development Director will come at a time when the city is addressing a number of major development possibilities, including the PawSox stadium and street car proposals, while the city is faced with significant economic challenges.
Elorza recently announced the findings of a report commissioned by Public Financial Management which shows that Providence has a structural deficit in the range of $11 to $19 million a year.
The qualifications for the $120,00 to $140,000 a year position posted by the city were as follows:
Mayor Elorza seeks an individual who understands the urgency of the mission and who can execute the Mayor’s vision for economic development in the City of Providence. With an emphasis on job creation and business retention, immediate priorities and opportunities include:
* Coordination and maximization of a portfolio of economic development tools and resources against a clear development agenda
* Supporting the growth of small business across all neighborhoods
* Leveraging the City’s strong entrepreneurial, arts, and cultural assets to attract and retain investment
* Maximizing the development of nearly 20 acres of prime real estate created through the relocation of I-195
* Using improvements to the City’s public transportation system to spur economic activity
* Alignment of workforce development and training programs City-wide that meet both the needs of residents seeking employment and those of employers
* Partnering with State officials to maximize incentives, align economic development strategies and more fully connect Providence to the regional economy
The Mayor's office did not respond to request for comment on Friday.
Related Slideshow: Reactions to Mayor Elorza’s Inauguration Speech
Providence residents, community leaders, and elected officials turned out in the face of cold temperatures to hear Providence's newest Mayor, Jorge Elorza, give is inauguration speech at Providene City Hall on Monday, January 5.
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