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Michele Whelley plans to resign
from her post as president of Downtown Partnership of Baltimore
Inc. by July 1, the economic development agency said Wednesday.
Her successor is expected to be announced as
early as next week. Some businesspeople speculated this week that Laurie
Schwartz, former president of Downtown Partnership and deputy mayor for
Baltimore City, could return to the helm. But James Shea, chairman of the
group's board, said Schwartz asked not to be considered for the position.
Schwartz confirmed that she wasn't interested.
In an interview with the Baltimore Business
Journal, Whelley said she will launch a local consulting business with a focus
on economic development and strategic planning.
"I've been here four-and-a-half years,'' she
said. "Maybe, it's partially a mid-life thing."
Whelley joined the partnership in January 2000
as interim president, after the mayor tapped Schwartz to help him with a
transition plan. Schwartz was later elevated to deputy mayor for economic
development and Whelley took over as the partnership's president.
Whelley is credited with establishing a parking
authority that led to the creation of 3,500 new downtown spaces, initiating a
retail strategy, starting downtown shuttle services and lobbying for key
legislation making downtown cleaner and safer.
Prior to joining the partnership, Whelley was
an independent consultant. And before that stint, she served as executive vice
president and chief operating officer of the Baltimore Development Corp.
The outgoing president said she will spend her
last few months tying up loose ends and helping the organization's next
president with the transition.
"The partnership must stay true to its
mission,'' she added. The partnership is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
making downtown a great place to live, work and play. Her comments follow a
year-old study on the value of combining several economic development agencies.
When asked if the partnership would continue its existing strategy, Shea said it
is likely. |
