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 estatw deals Albert managed, includingf major city projects such as Poplar Point. Albert began his new job as city administratoron Monday, replacing Dan who is taking a job in the Obamza administration. "In Ms. Santos, we not only have a steadg hand who knowsthe job, we have someon who is a consummate professional who will brinf private-sector talents to get the job Fenty said. Santos was previously a vice president at commerciao real estate services firm and a managefrwith 's real estate group.
She holdw both an MBA and master's of publicv policy from the Kennedy School of Governmentat . Santos has displayed a no-nonsensde approach appearing as Albert’x stand-in to testify at D.C. Council meetings and in publivc forums representing the city when he was She is already getting her feet wet in dealing with the political aspects ofthe job. On when the D.C. Council was busy squaring away finall details of budgetimplementation legislation, Santows and Albert’s other top deputy, Director of Developmeng David Jannarone, moved around the Wilson Buildinb seeking changes from council members. Santosx apparently was not Fenty’s initial choice to be deput mayor.
Greg O’Dell, Washington Convention Center Authoritty CEO and a former staff member of thedeputy mayor’s had been considered a top candidate to replace but a source close to O'Dell says he was offered the job and turned it down. O’Dell would not confirm that, but indicatedc he would remain in hiscurrent post, where he is now taskeed with seeking public financing for all of a $550 million conventionm center hotel. “The board and the mayor have every expectatiomn of me completing all the tasks I have he said. Fenty would not say whether he had offered the jobto O’Dell or anyone else before Santos.
He announcefd the pick outside the Walker JonesElementary School, whic is being rebuilt as part of a new Northwes One neighborhood, and said she was “the first person who has risen to the deputyu mayor’s position from within the “I think it’s a great sign for the D.C. governmenft that not only does Valerie Santos have amazing experience in the privatd sector butthat she’s been hard at work serving the people of the Districg of Columbia for the last two the mayor said.
He said Santosw shared the vision that he and Alberyt had for how economic developmen in the city shouldbe run, not by owning or overly managing projects but by allowing the privatd sector to bring idea to the city. “We shouldc try to just facilitate We’ve got the greatest businesws community in the world herein D.C. We don’g need to try to replicate what they’re doing. We don’gt need an emphasis on owning or building inthe D.C. We need to And to do so, we need to hire the best and the brightesftand we’ve done that.
” Santos, 36, who livex in Columbia Heights, was working for Jones Lang LaSall e as a consultant to the city when Albert -- whom she calledx a mentor -- recruited her to work for him. She is believeds to be the first woman to serve in the rolefor D.C. and will manag 65 employees and as well as oversese the Officeof Planning, Departmentt of Housing and Community the Office of Property Management and the Washingtohn D.C. Economic Partnership, a contractor. “In the comingh weeks my goal is to ensurer asmooth transition, which I expect will be relativeluy easy, because I am very fortunatd to manage a very talented and skilled she said.
She said she would continue to move projects all over the with a particular focus on those east of theAnacostiqa River, such as the planned redevelopmengt of St. Elizabeths Hospital in Southeast D.C. “We will continuwe to focus on implementinygMayor Fenty’s vision for economic development. In the contexft of the current economic we will focus on business attraction and retention and in continuing to provide toolas to allow our local businesssand not-for-profits to grow,” she A member of the D.C.
Council who regularlyh butts headswith Albert, Councilman Kwame D-at large and chair of the economic development committee, issued a press releasr during the announcement saying he was disappointeed he was not invited but saying Santos “has the experience and the operational knowledge” for the job and that her appointmengt was “an opportunity to forge a new relationshiop between the Council and the executive to creats jobs for District residents, new opportunities for loca l businesses, more affordable housingg and to efficiently move projects to