New Director of Planning and Community and Economic Development Nominated

December 9, 2010 3:23 pm

When you think of good planning, do you think of Atlanta?

> From: “Mayor”
To: “ALL ALDERS”
Cc: “MY GROUP” , “‘srcover@hotmail.com'”
Subject: Director of Planning and Community and Economic Development

Dear Colleagues,

I wanted to share some news with you that we will be announcing shortly about the Director of Planning and Community and Economic Development.

As you know, this is an incredibly important position for the city – one that demands a wide range of knowledge, skills and expertise. I am confident we found the right person to take on that responsibility and I am happy to nominate Steven Cover.

I chose Steve not just because he was among the strongest candidates on paper but because I am convinced he’s the right person for Madison. His record in other jobs, his approach to issues, his feel for how to work with diverse groups, his easy manner, candor and sense of humor all feel like the right fit for our community. From neighborhood meetings to board rooms, I think he’s the right person for this job in this city right now.

Steve comes from Atlanta, where he previously served as the Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Community Development for the City of Atlanta. Under his leadership, his department won numerous state and national awards for community planning initiatives and affordable housing programs. Steve has also worked as the Director of Environment and Community Development for Fulton County, Georgia, as the Director of Planning for McCrone Inc. and as a managing principal for HOK. Cover has a master’s degree in both architecture and city planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology. You can find Steve’s full resume attached here.

Knowing how important this position is to the Council, we will be planning opportunities for alders and stakeholders in the community to meet Steven.

I set a very high standard for this position, and it was a long and twisting road to get here, but I couldn’t be more pleased with the person I can now nominate to the council.

Thanks,
Dave

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz

This might be just me, but I consider it a red flag when it comes to being savvy technically, if you still have and use a hotmail account. I don’t know anything about the dude except what is here, but . . . I hope its just some kind of quirk and he really embraces technology and pushes us forward in the city – there are so many cool planning tools we could be using! My two cents . . . for now . . . .

5 COMMENTS

Heidi Wegleitner December 9, 2010 4:58 pm At 4:58 PM

Atlanta has now demolished most, if not all, of its public housing and replaced much of it with privately owned, federally subsidized housing projects and rent assistance vouchers. The demolitions caused massive displacement of low income people, many of whom were like screened out of the privatized projects. I think mixed-income communities are a good thing, but I think we have to be very careful to ensure that gentrification does not come at the expense of low-income people (which is often the case). And, one-for-one replacement of equivalent units (including the same tenant protections) must be the minimum standard for redevelopment. On a somewhat related note, in August, a suburb of Atlanta got significant national coverage for riots that occurred when the section 8 voucher waiting list opened up. 62 people were injured.
richard December 9, 2010 5:09 pm At 5:09 PM

A quick google tells me that one of Steve Cover’s achievements in Atlanta was “streamlining the permit process” for developers, by means of which he has been linked to a 2008 scandal involving systematic illegal removal of trees and the cashiering with neither explanation nor due process of a senior arborist who tried to blow the whistle. Check out Kos on the subject:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/14/185720/594/441/568072

It was after that scandal that Cover quit the City planning department and moved to HOK.
lukas December 9, 2010 9:57 pm At 9:57 PM

Nice find richard. That information doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence in this pick. Although the current regime doesn’t exactly have the best record when it comes to being mindful of the trees…
Alexander Speer December 10, 2010 8:20 am At 8:20 AM

I worked with Steve Cover in Anne Arundel County, Maryland and after I retired there joined him in Fulton County Georgia. He produces thorough work and is a world class leader – congratulations on your pick!
Jeremy December 10, 2010 9:18 am At 9:18 AM

I still don’t understand why Mark Olinger was forced to leave his position (and then stay on temporarily).

That said, I’ve seen Cover present at the American Planning Association conference and he seems like a very knowledgeable person. Don’t know much him beyond his resume and his presentations but seems like, at least at this point, a solid pick.