December 28, 2011
Mayor Faith restructures the city’s Economic Development, Tourism departments
St. Charles Merges Two Departments
IN this Issue
St. Charles Mayor Sally Faith recently announced she will merge the city’s departments of Economic Development and Tourism. Effective in January 2012, the move will consolidate the position of economic development and tourism director, and re-establish the position of assistant tourism director. David Leezer, director of economic development, will serve the combined division as director of economic development and tourism, with Martha Little, director of sales and interim tourism director, to be named as assistant tourism director. “I am extremely excited to put this restructuring plan in place,” Faith said. “I believe it’s time for the city to rethink how we implement economic development operations, and take advantage of the resources we already have within our own organization. “Combining these two facets of our organization showcases the depth of the city’s leadership team,” Faith added. We interviewed both internal and external candidates, but concluded at the end of our search process we had the right management mix already on staff.” Michael Spurgeon, director of Administration, underscored the essential foundation of having established relationships in place coupled with the ongoing building process that is integral to both divisions of the city. “David and Martha come to the table with well-established track records in their respective fields. Their contacts at the regional, state and local levels are impeccable,” he said. “We are well-served in St. Charles by combining the strengths of two such capable leaders, and existing staff members in both departments.” Leezer joined the city staff in April 2011. He has extensive experience having formerly joined the St. Louis Economic Council in 2006 to spearhead County Executive Charlie Dooley’s economic development collaborative. A certified economic developer (CEcD), Leezer also previously served as director of economic development for St. Charles County. “I appreciate the confidence that Mayor
Vol 13
July 13, 2011
No 52
Vol 13 No 28
Coming Together
Photo courtesy of the city of St. Charles
Faith, City Council, and Director Spurgeon are demonstrating in me and look forward to directing the city’s two major sales functions into a coordinated and impactful program,” Leezer said. “Ultimately, my appointment is a reflection of the talented staff members we have in both departments. Placing Economic Development and Tourism under one umbrella is feasible only because we have gifted people already in place, who are doing outstanding work. “I would also like to commend Martha Little and Carol Felzien for their outstanding efforts in leading the city’s tourism division since David Rosenwasser’s retirement,” he added. Little was named interim tourism director in May 2011, and will continue in this capacity during the course of the department’s restructuring and transition period. She has 26 years with the city serving in a variety of capacities with the Greater Saint Charles Convention & Visitors Bureau. Little has more than 20 years experience in sales, and currently wears two hats as the tourism division’s director of sales. “I have enjoyed serving as interim CVB Director for the past seven months,” Little said. “I look forward to working with
Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5 Lincoln County Life . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
David Leezer, and feel with his leadership skills the CVB will continue to move in the right direction in promoting St. Charles as a premier destination for visitors, conventions and sporting events.” According to Mayor Faith, the St. Charles City Council has provided conceptual ap-
proval for the restructuring process. “Next steps will include introducing a related salary ordinance reflecting the merger during early January, with the intention of finalizing the transition process by month-end,” she said.
MOVIE PEEK
See MOVIE page 9
Noomi Rapace, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in Warner Bros. Pictures' Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - 2011
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Joe Morice / Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 What’s Happening . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14-15
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