The buzz in City Hall has Economic Development Director Donald Eversley segueing out of his role within the next few weeks as city leaders settle on a replacement. Word is Eversley will stay on for a while working on some special projects in conjunction with the business community.
Rumors about Eversley have swirled for months as several community interests have expressed frustration with the pace of development projects, including the Steel Point redevelopment area on the East Side that has been 30 years in the making. Eversley was appointed by Mayor Bill Finch in July of 2008. City officials have expressed optimism they can move the needle on the Steel Point project including an announcement for a major tenant this summer.
On paper Eversley has an accomplished background: Brown University and graduate of Penn Law School. Prior to Bridgeport he served for nearly four years as president of the Providence Economic Development Partnership. His Bridgeport critics, however, say he’s disengaged from the job, with little enthusiasm for the task.
A few months ago Ed Lavernoich, the city’s number-two development official, left the city after 26 years of service to become development chief in Trumbull.
More on Steel Point: /steel-point-a-step-closer/
Ed Lavernoich had some juice. What were The Donald’s credentials other than bullying people who didn’t support Finch? Like, The Backstroke. Good riddance. And have a nice day.
How will we know he is gone?
You won’t be able to hear his snooze alarm going off in city hall meetings.
When you don’t hear the pitter-patter of his footsteps as he strolls from the train and into the Annex at 10:30 in the morning.
Vallas says he will be “Gonzo Alonzo” after the 2012-2013 school year. I wonder who will be Steve Mandel and Bill Finch’s next Messiah?
Another Finch appointee gone. This was a wasted appointment that did nothing positive for the city. I cant wait to see who they put in his place.
Eversley is an arrogant, smug and detached individual. Nothing but an empty suit with an unapproachable attitude. Repeatedly falling asleep in the midst of meetings was a slap in the face to the business community as well as the administration and potential developers. He brought nothing to Bridgeport worth talking about; while surrounding cities were courting businesses and restaurants, this loser was asleep behind the wheel. He won’t be missed.
If Eversley spent his time courting developers instead of other constituencies, he’d have been awake where and when he needed to be and we might (unlikely but we might) have gotten something for which we paid. Unless you are a courtesan, you got screwed. No wait a minute, I think I got that backwards.
One can’t help but ask, by the way, where the hell the Mayor has been on this. Here is a guy who has been arrogant on steroids with his disdain for his job and he is finally getting the sack in year 4 out of a possible 5? Way to go Moonbeam. Four years and earth has finally reached your poor, pathetic ears. By all means, let us be sure Eversley sticks around to help who??? with targeted projects??? I hope that part of the rumor isn’t true. As a taxpayer, I am tired of paying for these clowns’ salaries and the notion of adding yet another loser to the roster at the BRBC is, well, beyond imagination.
Another rusty cog in the administration of Bridgeport is gone … what a waste of an Ivy League education.
Has Donald Eversley’s picture been “photoshopped?”? I am unconvinced be belongs with The Black Law Students Association.
The juicy stuff just got juicier.
Local Eyes Rumor Mill Weekend Edition:
DE is the great-great-great grandson of P.T. Barnum. Look at today’s picture.
Note the smug facial expression. Note the shadowy Barnum Museum in the background. Is it a figment of my imagination? Note the skyline he had nothing to do with. He doesn’t belong at City Hall, he belongs in the circus. Maybe he can brag in Philadelphia but not yet in Bridgeport, where Ivy League-trained Ringmasters face diminished career choices.
But don’t settle for a replacement–you’ll make the winner look weak and desperate.
(wink)
*** Mr. Eversley’s coming and departure seemed like a passing wind in a dysfunctional city government storm novel, in which nothing was gained and timeand money continues to be lost. *** NEXT CHAPTER? ***
Eversley was and is a waste of every penny he was paid. Can anyone name one ‘appointee’ in this administration who is fully qualified to do the work they were hired to do and are actually good at it?
Did Don E. ever claim he was accountable? I can’t remember that being the case. Perhaps the momentum of the Fabrizi administration was supposed to provide cover? But we do know the Mayor claims and continues to claim he is accountable, and wants to be so over more territory, like the BOE. And thus the Charter Revision Committee and new Charter language being shared this week in public meetings.
Also scheduled is a New Agreement for Steel Pointe District, just one step towards something happening that those in charge say will be exciting and positive. I read the 64 pages yesterday and have a number of questions. But I also realize I need to school myself on the other agreements already in place, referenced and key to understanding who is paying for the party, for how long and how much, and when we are likely to see this plot of land make a real difference to taking pressure from the residential taxpayer. Where is the exhibit, the chart, the financial model that City decision makers are using to accept City responsibilities and negotiate developer responsibilities and obligations proportionate to the risk and reward written into the agreements??
Who is looking at this? When will the City Council see such info on paper? Does OPED have such a document? Don, now is the time for showmanship. Drum roll, please. Time will tell.
I hope whoever they pick will be somebody who is from Bridgeport, not part of the “machine” and not someone associated with anything the Economic Development Development Department, i.e. Steelpointe, Downtown North, the harbor, the former Pequonnock Apartments site, the Intermodal Center, the Magic Johnson Project, the Charles Smith Project, the Bryant site, etc., has done so far. As long as all those criteria are met, we will be better off.
Ed Lavernoich would have been ideal in this position, it’s no secret he did all the work. Without him, Eversley would never have been able to stay afloat as long as he did. Bridgeport’s loss is truly Trumbull’s gain.
Ed, a true gentleman, class and a sense of humor, professional, easy to work with … but he thought the whole City should look like Lordship Boulevard and he actually still thinks the City has done the right thing with Steele Pointe.