The solution to business downturn for the Washington Convention Center is not to appoint a crony to run it...

Washington DC Convention Center
Originally uploaded by benoit6

The Washington Business Journal reports, in "Reba Pittman Walker resigns as D.C. convention center chief," that the current chief executive of the Washington Convention Center, Reba Pittman Walker, is stepping down and is likely to be replaced by someone close to Mayor Fenty. According to the WBJ article:

... multiple sources cited friction between Walker and Mayor Adrian Fenty's recent appointees to the authority's board as a reason for her departure. One source close to the matter said Walker "just didn't seem to click with the board."

Board member and former Fenty aide Gregory O'Dell is considered a likely candidate to replace Walker. O'Dell is CEO of the D.C. Sports & Entertainment Commission and oversaw the completion of the Washington Nationals' stadium for the mayor's office. The convention center is an independent corporate body governed by a nine-member board appointed by the mayor. O'Dell and the mayor's chief financial officer are the only mayoral appointees who do not require council approval.

Perry, a government affairs executive at Pepco Holdings Inc., confirmed that O'Dell was a candidate to replace Walker in an acting capacity. She said the board would not conduct a national search and will have an acting replacement in place by May 30.

(emphasis added).

This is a $450 million asset -- owned by the District of Columbia and its citizens -- WE DESERVE PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT OF THIS FACILITY.

A national search is in order.

So is having a tourism development and management plan for the city, which we don't have either.

(Photo: The Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the Mount Vernon Square area Washington DC. by benoit6.)