D.C. Mayor taps Valerie Santos as deputy mayor - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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Santos, as chief operating officetr under Albert, has been closely involved in decision-makingt on many of the real estates dealsAlbert managed, including majort city projects such as Poplar Point. Alberr began his new job as city administratoron Monday, replacing Dan Tangherlini, who is taking a job in the Obamaq administration. "In Ms. Santos, we not only have a steady hand who knowwthe job, we have someone who is a consummater professional who will bring private-sector talentas to get the job done,” Fentt said. Santos was previously a vice president at commerciao real estate services firm and a managerwith 's real estatwe group.
She holds both an MBA and master'ds of public policy from the Kennedh School of Governmentat . Santosd has displayed a no-nonsense approach appearing as Albert’sz stand-in to testify at D.C. Councik meetings and in public forums representinhg the city when hewas unavailable. She is already gettint her feet wet in dealing with the political aspecta ofthe job. On Tuesday, when the D.C. Council was busy squaringy away final details of budget implementation Santosand Albert’s other top deputy, Director of Developmentg David Jannarone, moved around the Wilson Building seekinhg changes from council Santos apparently was not Fenty’s initial choice to be deputy mayor.
Greg Washington Convention Center Authority CEO and a formef staff member of thedeputy mayor’s had been considered a top candidats to replace Albert, but a sourcew close to O'Dell says he was offeres the job and turned it O’Dell would not confirm that, but indicatecd he would remain in his current where he is now tasked with seekintg public financing for all of a $550 milliohn convention center hotel. “The board and the mayotr have every expectation of me completing all the taskw Ihave here,” he Fenty would not say whether he had offered the job to O’Del l or anyone else before Santos.
He announced 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 rise to the deputy mayor’s positiojn from within the ranks.” “I think it’sa a great sign for the D.C. government that not only does Valeries Santos have amazing experience in the private sector butthat she’ been hard at work serving the peoplwe of the District of Columbiwa for the last two years,” the mayor He said Santos sharedx the vision that he and Albert had for how economic developmentg in the city should be run, not by owningh or overly managing projects but by allowing the privatwe sector to bring ideas to the city.
“Wed should try to just facilitate development. We’vd got the greatest business communitt in the world herein D.C. We don’gt need to try to replicate what they’re doing. We don’rt need an emphasis on owning or buildinbg inthe D.C. government. We need to facilitate. And to do so, we need to hire the best and the brightestand we’ve done that.” Santos, 36, who livews in Columbia Heights, was working for Jonees Lang LaSalle as a consultangt to the city when Albert -- whom she callerd a mentor -- recruited her to work for him. She is believedc to be the first woman to server in the rolefor D.C.
and will manage 65 employees and as well as overseed the Office of Department of Housing andCommunity Development, the Offic of Property Management and the Washingtom D.C. Economic Partnership, a contractor. “Inb the coming weeks my goal is to ensurwe asmooth transition, whicbh I expect will be relatively easy, because I am very fortunate to managde a very talented and skilled team,” she She said she would continue to move projecta all over the city, with a particular focus on those east of the Anacostia such as the planned redevelopment of St. Elizabethe Hospital in Southeast D.C.
“Wer will continue to focuxs on implementingMayor Fenty’s vision for economivc development. In the context of the currentyeconomic climate, we will focus on businesxs attraction and retention efforts, and in continuinf to provide tools to allow our local businessa and not-for-profits to grow,” she said. A membert of the D.C. Council who regularly buttzs headswith Albert, Councilman Kwame Brown, D-at large and chaird of the economic development committee, issued a press release during the announcement sayinv he was disappointed he was not invitesd but saying Santos “has the experiencee and the operational knowledge” for the job and that her appointmenf was “an opportunity to forge a new relationshi between the Council and the executivew to create jobs for District residents, new opportunitiesd for local businesses, more affordable housing and to efficiently move projects to completion.
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