The position of the Downtown Development Authority's Executive Director has been vacant since January 1 of this year. The DDA Board has hired a search firm to fill this position with hopes of having a new Executive Director on location by Labor Day. As can be expected there will be many challenges for the new hire, especially if relocating to this area.

Here is a partial list:

1. Learning the current DDA staff and making decisions on personnel
2. Learning the downtown area
3. Building relationships with the DDA and DSDC boards
4. Building relationships with the downtown stakeholders
5. Building relationships with the mayor and council members
6. Possible funding decreases if downtown properties are assessed at lower ad valorem tax values--this is a tax re-assessment year
7. Downtown crime and the perception of downtown crime
8. Building occupancy rates which are not growing and in some instances are declining
9. Large number of vacant downtown buildings
10. Physical appearance of all the downtown buildings, both occupied and vacant
11. Balancing the interests of downtown residents and club/event activities that generate street/sidewalk traffic and noise
12.  Downtown homeless population and street panhandlers
13. Review of Unified Development Code (UDC) and its application to the downtown area with consideration of setting new downtown standards for Shreveport Property Standards enforcement
14. Developing measures to stop the physical decline of vacant downtown buildings which lower value for redevelopment
15. Developing more downtown amenities to encourage more downtown living
16. Developing more options for downtown resident parking.

The new Executive Director will have the benefit of energized downtown stakeholders who have realized the importance of this position and the need for strong leadership to rebuild and restore the downtown area. Additionally, the plans of Curtis "50 cent" Jackson for Millennium Studios, the Expo Hall, and the temporary dome to be installed for an August festival have added new enthusiasm and interest in the downtown area.

This person will also benefit from a strong mayor that has had many successes in his 17-month tenure, including the passage of the recent three bond packages. Additionally, the mayor has worked in downtown for over 40 years and has experienced downtown at its best and at its worst.