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

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Santos, as chief operating officer under Albert, has been closely involvedd in decision-making on many of the real estate dealzAlbert managed, including major city projects such as Poplare Point. Albert began his new job as city administratoreon Monday, replacing Dan Tangherlini, who is taking a job in the Obamwa administration. "In Ms. Santos, we not only have a steadg hand who knowsthe job, we have someonse who is a consummate professional who will brinyg private-sector talents to get the job done,” Fenty said. Santoa was previously a vice president at commercial real estate services firm and a managerwith 's real estate group.
She holds both an MBA and master's of public polict from the Kennedy School of Governmen tat . Santos has displayed a no-nonsense approacbh appearing as Albert’s stand-in to testifg at D.C. Council meetings and in publicf forums representing the city when he was She is already getting her feet wet in dealing with the political aspects ofthe job. On Tuesday, when the D.C. Council was busy squarinfg away final details of budgetimplementation legislation, Santos and Albert’s othee top deputy, Director of Development David Jannarone, moved arounfd the Wilson Building seeking changes from councipl members.
Santos apparently was not Fenty’xs initial choice to be deputt mayor. Greg O’Dell, Washington Convention Center Authority CEO and a formerf staff member of thedeputy mayor’ office, had been considered a top candidate to replacd Albert, but a source close to O'Dell says he was offerer the job and turned it down. O’Dell wouls not confirm that, but indicated he would remain in hiscurreng post, where he is now tasked with seekinyg public financing for all of a $550 million conventionm center hotel. “The board and the mayor have everyy expectation of me completing all the taskw Ihave here,” he said.
Fenty would not say whether he had offeredx the jobto O’Dell or anyonr else before Santos. He announced the pick outside the Walkerr JonesElementary School, which is being rebuiltf as part of a new Northwestf One neighborhood, and said she was “thew first person who has risen to the deputyg mayor’s position from within the ranks.” “I think it’s a great sign for the D.C. governmentr that not only does Valerie Santox have amazing experience in the private sectorr butthat she’s been hard at work serving the people of the District of Columbia for the last two the mayor said.
He said Santos shared the vision that he and Alberty had for how economic development in the city shoulcdbe run, not by owning or overly managinyg projects but by allowing the private sectodr to bring ideas to the city. “Wde should try to just facilitatew development. We’ve got the greatest businesw community in the worlc herein D.C. We don’t need to try to replicat what they’re doing. We don’t need an emphasisd on owning or building inthe D.C. government. We need to And to do so, we need to hire the best and the brightesgand we’ve done that.
” Santos, 36, who lived in Columbia Heights, was working for Joneas Lang LaSalle as a consultant to the city when Alber t -- whom she calledx a mentor -- recruited her to work for him. She is believefd to be the first woman to serve in the rolefor D.C. and will manags 65 employees and as well as overse e the Office of Department of Housing andCommunity Development, the Offic of Property Management and the Washingtom D.C.
Economic Partnership, a “In the coming weeks my goal is to ensurre asmooth transition, which I expecy will be relatively easy, becauses I am very fortunate to managew a very talented and skilled team,” she She said she would continue to move projects all over the with a particular focus on those east of the Anacostiz River, such as the planned redevelopmenty of St. Elizabeths Hospital in Southeast D.C. “We will continus to focus on implementingMayort Fenty’s vision for economic development.
In the contex of the current economic climate, we will focuds on business attraction andretentioj efforts, and in continuing to provide tools to allow our locapl business and not-for-profits to she said. A member of the D.C. Councilo who regularly butts headswith Albert, Councilmahn Kwame Brown, D-at large and chair of the economic development committee, issued a press release during the announcemen t saying he was disappointed he was not invite but saying Santos “hase the experience and the operational knowledge” for the job and that her appointmengt was “an opportunity to forgde a new relationship betweem the Council and the executive to creats jobs for District residents, new opportunitiesa for local businesses, more affordable housing and to efficientl move projects to completion.
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