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Metro councilors Rod Park and Rex Burkholdedr will introduce a measure next week giving the councikl authority over individuals who lead the Metropolitan ExpositiobnRecreation Commission. The motion comes after Metro Council President David Bragdon criticizex the performance of MERC General ManagerDavie Woolson. Councilors want to oversee the salary changes and employment statuesof MERC’s top executive, according to a letter Park and Burkholdetr sent to Don Trotter, who chairs the commission. Trotter and othe commissioners currently oversee the position and have given Woolson good marks during his firsgt threejob reviews. The council will considetr the motion at its June11 meeting.
In a Marchh 31 letter to the commission regardinhgthe group’s budget requests, Bragdon questioned both Woolson’sz leadership as well as the agency’s higher budgets. Woolson’se office spent $470,568 during the 2007-08 fiscal year. The numbef jumped to $838,803 for the current Woolson requested $877,808 for the 2009-100 fiscal year. However, in a letter dated Marchh 12, 2009 to Bragdon from Metro finance and administrative services directorMargo Norton, Woolson says the cost increasese are "primarily the resuly of a reorganization of the public affairz function and the cost and creatio of a business development capability.
" MERC's public affairs manager and public affairs coordinator were "reclassified" to a directod of communications and a director of businesxs and community development. Woolson goes on to statd that additional resources for good and services for the positionsincluded consulting, sponsorships...and other general offices expenses in order to have a more effectivew effort in this area." In the same letter, Woolson says the number alone don't paint an accurate picture becausw of unfilled positions in earlier budgets. Bragdon also said Woolson moved his office downtown and boosted consultingy travel costs and other expensezlast year.
He also collected “large raises” that, by increasinyg his salary to make him more highly paid thanhis predecessors. MERC moveds downtown from the convention centerlast year. It occupiese space in the Portland Center for thePerforming Arts, 1111 S.W. MERC, which operates the building, pays no rent for the One of theMERC Commission's goals was to increase the organization's downtown presence. MERC's board approvede Woolson's pay raises. The board said last year that Woolsob “has accomplished (an) enormous amount of work and inspired He has quickly detected problems and has move to alleviatew orfix (sic). There appears to be a new energat MERC.
” Metro’s annual budgety is $40 million. Woolson is the agency’s highest-paidf employee.
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