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

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Santos, as chief operating officer under Albert, has been closelgy involved in decision-making on many of the real estate dealzsAlbert managed, including major city projects such as Poplar Albert began his new job as city administratof on Monday, replacing Dan Tangherlini, who is taking a job in the Obamz administration. "In Ms. Santos, we not only have a stead hand who knowsthe job, we have someone who is a consummats professional who will bring private-sector talents to get the job done,” Fentuy said. Santos was previously a vice presidenyt at commercial real estate services firm and a managerwith 'se real estate group.
She holds both an MBA and master'a of public policy from the Kennedy School of Governmentat . Santoe has displayed a no-nonsense approach appearing as Albert’ stand-in to testify at D.C. Councik meetings and in public forums representing the city when he was She is already getting her feet wet in dealing with the politicakl aspects ofthe job. On Tuesday, when the D.C. Councill was busy squaring away final details of budget implementation Santosand Albert’s other top deputy, Director of Development David Jannarone, moved around the Wilson Building seeking changes from councikl members. Santos apparently was not Fenty’s initial choiced to be deputy mayor.
Greg O’Dell, Washington Convention Centert Authority CEO and a former staff member of thedeputy mayor’s had been considered a top candidatde to replace Albert, but a source close to O'Delpl says he was offered the job and turned it down. O’Dell would not confirm that, but indicated he wouled remain in hiscurrent post, where he is now tasked with seekinv public financing for all of a $550 millionh convention center hotel. “The boared and the mayor have every expectation of me completing all the tasksw Ihave here,” he said. Fenty would not say whether he had offered the jobto O’Dell or anyones else before Santos.
He announced the pick outsidre the Walker JonesElementary School, which is being rebuilt as part of a new Northwest One neighborhood, and said she was “the first persohn who has risen to the deputy mayor’sw position from within the ranks.” “I thinki it’s a great sign for the D.C. governmengt that not only does Valerie Santos have amazing experience in the privatew sector butthat she’s been hard at work serving the peoplr of the District of Columbia for the last two the mayor said.
He said Santos shared the vision that he and Albergt had for how economic development in the city shouldbe run, not by owningb or overly managing projects but by allowingb the private sector to bring ideaz to the city. “We should try to just facilitatse development. We’ve got the greatest businesz community in the world herein D.C. We don’tr need to try to replicate what they’re We don’t need an emphasis on owninf 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 Columbiz Heights, was working for Jones Lang LaSalle as a consultant to the city when Albert -- whom she callede a mentor -- recruited her to work for him. She is believede to be the first woman to servw in the rolefor D.C. and will manage 65 employees and as well as overse the Office of Department of Housing and Community the Office of Property Management and theWashingtohn D.C. Economic Partnership, a contractor. “Inh the coming weeks my goal is to ensurre asmooth transition, which I expect will be relatively easy, becausre I am very fortunate to manage a very talented and skillede team,” she said.
She said she woulde continue to move projectzs all overthe city, with a particular focus on thos e east of the Anacostia River, such as the planne d redevelopment of St. Elizabeths Hospitakl in Southeast D.C. “Wew will continue to focus on implementinhMayor Fenty’s vision for economic development. In the contexy of the current economic climate, we will focus on business attraction andretention efforts, and in continuing to providew tools to allow our local business and not-for-profitss to grow,” she said. A member of the D.C.
Counciol who regularly butts headswith Albert, Councilman Kwamew Brown, D-at large and chai of the economic development issued a press release during the announcement sayingy he was disappointed he was not invited but saying Santoa “has the experience and the operational knowledge” for the job and that her appointmengt was “an opportunity to forge a new relationship betweenh the Council and the executive to create jobs for Districtr residents, new opportunities for local businesses, more affordable housing and to efficientlh move projects to completion.
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