DEPARTMENT: Office of the City Clerk
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Tina J. Flores, City Clerk
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Districts 1, 5, 6, and 7
SUBJECT:
Consideration of an Applicant to the Westside Development Corporation Board of Directors for the Community At-Large Category - one (1) available seat.
SUMMARY:
The Economic and Workforce Development Council (EWDC) Committee will review and consider applicants to the Westside Development Corporation (WDC) Board of Directors for the Category of Community At-Large.
At its Tuesday, October 6, 2020 meeting, the EWDC recommended uncontested applicants be approved for each of three Board vacancies: Real Estate Developer - one (1) seat, Small Business - one (1) seat, and UTSA representative - one (1) seat.
A total of five (5) applicants are to be considered for the one (1) available Community At-Large vacancy on the Board.
Two vacancies remain on the WDC Board of Directors: Resident - one (1) seat, and San Antonio ISD representative - one (1) seat.
Listed below are the five (5) qualified applicants for the Community At-Large vacancy.
|
Category |
Five (5) Applicants for one (1) available seat |
|
Community At-Large |
John Ray Canales Tiffany Jenkins Larissa Martinez Richard Vasquez Raquel Zapata |
The Office of the City Clerk, in coordination with the Economic Development Department (EDD), will continue to promote the submission of applications for the two remaining vacant positions.
Appointees will serve a term of office to be begin upon approval by the City Council and end two (2) years thereafter.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The City of San Antonio Westside Development Corporation, known as the Westside Development Corporation ("WDC") was established in 2006 for the purpose of supporting the City's community revitalization and economic development efforts within the near West Side of San Antonio. The WDC's current scope of work includes small business attraction and retention; small business technical assistance; WDC loan program targeting small businesses and entities involved in the revitalization of the West sector of the city; WDC grant program; and, the Legacy Corridor Business Alliance program.
The WDC Board of Directors consists of 18 positions. Members represent a wide range of interests pertaining to the West Side, including: owners or employees of private and nonprofit businesses located within the WDC Target Area; executives representing institutes of higher education located within the Target Area; executives representing public school districts located within the Target Area; an executive from the University Health System; a representative of a financial institution; a real estate developer; and residents living in the Target Area.
The Board of Directors is comprised of 18 (eighteen) members with 12 (twelve) seats occupied and six (6) vacancies. Of the 12 (twelve) sitting Directors, seven (7) identify as male and five (5) as female while six (6) identify as Hispanic and six (6) as non-Hispanic White.
The WDC By-laws were amended per Ordinance 2019-09-19-0752 on September 19, 2019. As part of the amendments, the composition of the Board was revised, which increased the number of seats for specific categories and imposed a limit of eighteen (18) Directors. Five of the six (6) current vacancies are due to the 2019 By-law amendments. The remaining vacancy is due to the retirement of Dr. Jesse Zapata, UTSA representative.
The six (6) current vacancies represent the following six (6) categories: Community At-Large (1 available seat), Real Estate Developer (1 available seat), Small Business representative (1 available seat), Resident (1 available seat), SAISD representative (1 available seat), and UTSA representative (1 available seat). At its October 6, 2020 meeting, the EWDC recommended uncontested applicants be approved for each of three Board vacancies: Real Estate Developer - one (1) seat, Small Business - one (1) seat, and UTSA representative - one (1) seat.
ISSUE:
Consideration of an Applicant to the Westside Development Corporation Board of Directors for the Community At-Large Category - one (1) available seat.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Committee can reject all of the applicants for the Community at-Large position. This would require the application process to start over, potentially delaying the work of the WDC Board of Directors without a full membership.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact.
RECOMMENDATION:
The recommendation of the Economic and Workforce Development Council Committee will be presented to the full City Council for approval in November 2020.