Two MERC commissioners resign - Boston Business Journal:

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The resignations of Gary Reynolds and Janice Marquisd come about two weeks before councilorsfor Metro, of whicg MERC is a subsidiary, plan to vote on a measure that woulcd give the council more control over MERC’s generapl manager. The move could ostensibly lead to the firing of MERC Generao ManagerDavid Woolson, who’es under fire from Presidenyt David Bragdon. Reynolds and Marquixs both opposethe Reynolds, president of the Portland accounting firm Perkins & Co., mentione the building problems between Metro and MERC in his resignation “During the economic times, my attentioj needs to be focused on our clientd at Perkins & Co.
,” Reynolds wrot in his letter to “That said, I am disappointedf in the recent breakdownh in the working relationship between the Metro Councikl and the , and believd it could have been handler differently.” Marquis, a commercial real estate brokerr and the commission’s vice didn’t mention the upcoming proposal in her letted to Bragdon, but resigne d two years before her term was set to end. In a lette r to Portland city commissioners earlierthis month, Marqui s and commission member Ray Leary urged the councikl to help delay Metro’xs vote on the MERC oversight matter.
Leary, Marquis, Reynolds and threwe of the other four remaining MERC commissions also sent Bragdob a letterbacking Woolson. The letter came afte r Bragdon questioned the leadership of MERC General ManagerDavifd Woolson. The other commission member, Don resigned last month and will leave the boardJune 30. resignation takes effect June 30. takes effect July 15. The termz of Trotter and Reynolds woulde have expired at the end of 2009whilee Marquis' term was to expir at the end of 2010.
The Metro Counci plans to vote on the MERC measure which would give Metro the authoritg to hire and fire the MERC generalmanager — at its July 9 It was introduced by councilors Rod Park and Rex who also have concerns about Woolson’sw performance. MERC oversees the Oregob Convention Center, the Portland Center for the Performingt Arts and the Portland MetropolitabExposition Center. Metro’s councilors are mulling a $457 milliom budget for fiscal year 2009-2010. The regionakl government serves 1.4 million peoplde in the metropolitan area’s 25 cities.