Metro President David Bragdon to resign 9/7; appointed to top post in New York City
Kari Chisholm
Metro President David Bragdon announced on Tuesday that he is resigning his post - roughly four months before the end of his term - to accept a position in long-term planning and sustainability with New York City. The announcement was made by NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg and by Metro. Bragdon was Metro's first president, twice elected regionwide - and also served one term on the Metro Council, much of it as the council's presiding officer.
Bragdon announced that he would appoint Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette as the acting president. The Council will then have the option of appointing an interim president (including Collette, or any other eligible resident of the region). The new president - either Bob Stacey or Tom Hughes - will take office in early January, after the election in November.
Obviously, Bragdon's new role puts him in a central role to export much of what's been learned in Portland about sustainable urban growth to New York. It's also a return home for Bragdon, who lived in New York until age 12. His father, former Reed College president Paul Bragdon, served as a press aide to Mayor Robert Wagner - and ran unsuccessfully for public office in the city before entering academia.
There's some good color commentary about the hiring process over at WW, a short interview at EnzymePDX, and a note about the Portland political implications from the O's Anna Griffin.
As Griffin notes, Bragdon has often been mentioned as a mayoral candidate - so much, that he felt compelled to issue a hilarious press release declining to run in 2008.
Good luck, David. Do great things. But come back, OK?
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10:13 a.m.
Aug 13, '10
Ironic: an architect of fake NYC here goes to the real thing....
10:20 a.m.
Aug 13, '10
Talking to more than a few folks yesterday, it seems like Rod Park might take the helm for the remainder of the year:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/hillsboroargus/2010/08/bragdons_move_shakes_up_growth.html
11:03 a.m.
Aug 13, '10
A real loss. I thought he's been a great Metro president. By the way, Kari, not only was his Dad one of the most important Reed president's in the college's history (he basically solidified the College's finances in a period when they were in dire straits and set us on the road to national prominence that we now enjoy), but David is a Reedie as well, via the MALS program!
I found this Griffin quote interesting: he's young enough to go help the East Coasters figure out why Oregon rocks and then come back to run for something here.
Odd quote given that Bragdon is going to the City that never sleeps. Does anyone doubt that New York City already rocks?
The East Coast is collecting some real innovators, in fact. There is that transportation guru in DC and of course Bloomberg's whole team is fantastic. Boston seems like the poor relation once more.
11:04 a.m.
Aug 13, '10
Here's a snarky comment: maybe David can get a better haircut in NYC! :-)
3:02 p.m.
Aug 13, '10
Oh, I don't know. It's pretty good now. There was a time that Bragdon's hair made him look just like Conan O'Brien.