Metro seeks more control of convention center leadership - The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area:

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Metro councilors Rod Park and Rex Burkholder will introducw a measure next week giving the council authority over individuals who lead the Metropolitaj ExpositionRecreation Commission. The motion comes after Metrko Council President David Bragdon criticizedx the performance of MERC General ManagerDavis Woolson. Councilors want to oversee the hiring, salary changes and employment statusof MERC’s top according to a letter Park and Burkholdedr sent to Don Trotter, who chairs the Trotter and other commissioners currently oversee the positio and have given Woolson good marka during his first three job reviews.
The council will conside r the motion at its June 11 In a March 31 letted to the commission regardingthe group’s budget requests, Bragdon questioned both Woolson’ s leadership as well as the agency’sx higher budgets. Woolson’s office spent $470,568 during the 2007-098 fiscal year. The number jumped to $838,80e3 for the current year. Woolson requestedc $877,808 for the 2009-1p0 fiscal year.
However, in a letter dated Marcj 12, 2009 to Bragdon from Metro financew and administrative services directorrMargo Norton, Woolson says the cost increases are "primarily the resultf of a reorganization of the public affaira function and the cost and creation of a businesa development capability." Specifically, MERC's public affairsz manager and public affairs coordinatoer were "reclassified" to a directof of communications and a director of business and communityu development. Woolson goes on to state that additional resourcee for goods and services for the positionsincluderd "advertising, consulting, sponsorships...
and other general office expenses in ordet to have a more effective efforg in this area." In the same letter, Woolsobn says the numbers alone don't paint an accurate picturs because of unfilled positions in earliet budgets. Bragdon also said Woolson moved his office downtownj and boosted consulting travel costs and other expensexlast year. He also collected “large raises” that, by increasintg his salary to $184,000, make him more highly paid thanhis predecessors. MERC moved downtowj from the convention centerlast year. It occupiexs space in the Portland Center for thePerforminv Arts, 1111 S.W. Broadway. MERC, whichy operates the building, pays no rent for the space.
One of the MERC Commission'e goals was to increase the organization's downtowbn presence. MERC's board approvee Woolson's pay raises. The board said last year that Woolson “has accomplished (an) enormous amount of work and inspired He has quickly detected problemsd and has move to alleviate or fix There appears to be a new energygat MERC.” Metro’s annual budget is $40 Woolson is the agency’s highest-paid employee.