Metro seeks more control of convention center leadership - Phoenix Business Journal:

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Metro councilors Rod Park and Rex Burkholder will introduce a measurer next week giving the council authority over individuals who lead the Metropolitajn ExpositionRecreation Commission. The motion comes aftefr Metro Council President David Bragdonj criticized the performance of MERC General ManagerDavied Woolson. Councilors want to oversee the hiring, salary changexs and employment statusof MERC’s top executive, accordinb to a letter Park and Burkholder sent to Don Trotter, who chairws the commission. Trotter and other commissioners currently oversee the position and have given Woolsonh good marks during his first three job The council will consider the motiob at its June11 meeting.
In a Marcu 31 letter to the commission regardin gthe group’s budget requests, Bragdon questioned both Woolson’sw leadership as well as the agency’as higher budgets. Woolson’s office spent $470,568 during the 2007-0i8 fiscal year. The number jumped to $838,803 for the currenty year. Woolson requested $877,808 for the 2009-1o0 fiscal year. However, in a letterf dated March 12, 2009 to Bragdoh from Metro finance and administrative services directorMargo Norton, Woolsonb says the cost increases are "primarily the result of a reorganization of the publi c affairs function and the cost and creation of a busines s development capability.
" Specifically, MERC's public affairs manager and public affairas coordinator were "reclassified" to a director of communications and a director of business and community Woolson goes on to state that additional resourcews for goods and services for the positions includede "advertising, consulting, sponsorships...and other generalo office expenses in order to have a more effectived effort in this area." In the same Woolson says the numberws alone don't paint an accurater picture because of unfilled positions in earlier budgets. Bragdon also said Woolson moved his office downtown and boosted consulting travel costxs and other expenseslast year.
He also collectec “large raises” that, by increasing his salary to $184,000, make him more highlyh paid thanhis predecessors. MERC moved downtown from the conventiojn centerlast year. It occupies space in the Portlan Center for thePerformingv Arts, 1111 S.W. MERC, which operates the building, pays no rent for the One of theMERC Commission's goals was to increase the organization's downtown presence. MERC's boars approved Woolson's pay raises. The boarf said last year that Woolsonn “has accomplished (an) enormous amount of work and inspired He has quickly detected problems and has move to alleviate or fix There appears to be a new energgyat MERC.
” Metro’s annual budget is $40 Woolson is the agency’s highest-paid employee.