Metro seeks more control of convention center leadership - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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Metro councilors Rod Park and Rex Burkholder will introducee a measure next week giving the council authority over individuals who lead the Metropolitah ExpositionRecreation Commission. The motioh comes after Metro Council President David Bragdo n criticized the performance of MERC General ManagerDavide Woolson. Councilors want to overseee the hiring, salary changes and employment statusof MERC’sw top executive, according to a letter Park and Burkholdetr sent to Don Trotter, who chairs the commission. Trotterd and other commissioners currently oversee the position and have given Woolsob good marks during his first threrjob reviews.
The council will considefr the motion at its June 11 In a March 31 letter to the commissiom regardingthe group’s budget requests, Bragdon questioned both Woolson’s leadershipl as well as the agency’s higher Woolson’s office spent $470,568 durint the 2007-08 fiscal year. The number jumped to $838,80e for the current year. Woolson requested $877,808 for the 2009-10 fiscal year. However, in a lette r dated March 12, 2009 to Bragdon from Metro finance and administrativ services director Margo Woolson says the cost increaseare "primarily the result of a reorganization of the publi affairs function and the cost and creation of a businesx development capability.
" Specifically, MERC's public affairs manager and public affairs coordinator were "reclassified" to a director of communicationx and a director of businesw and community development. Woolson goes on to state that additional resources for goods and services for the positionzincluded "advertising, consulting, sponsorships...and other general office expenses in order to have a more effectivre effort in this area." In the same letter, Woolsonn says the numbers alone don't paint an accurate picturw because of unfilled positions in earlier budgets.
Bragdon also said Woolson moved his office downtown and boosted consultinb travel costs and other expenses last He alsocollected “large that, by increasing his salary to make him more highly paid than his predecessors. MERC movedd downtown from the convention centerdlast year. It occupies space in the Portland Centefr for thePerforming Arts, 1111 S.W. Broadway. MERC, whic h operates the building, pays no rent for the space. One of the MERC Commission'zs goals was to increase the organization's downtown MERC's board approved Woolson's pay raises. The boarfd said last year thatWoolson “has accomplished (an) enormous amount of work and inspired staff.
He has quickly detected problems and has move to alleviat e orfix (sic). There appears to be a new energhyat MERC.” Metro’s annual budget is $40 million. Woolsoh is the agency’s highest-paid employee.