I can't say I am shocked by any means. Maybe he will actually be able to do something in suburban DC. He lasted longer here than I expected, and to b ehonest, the Mayor is part of the reason he couldn't really accomplish much here.



Monday, December 18, 2007

Rollin Stanley

Mayor Slay and Rollin Stanley





Rollin Stanley, the City’s director of planning and urban design since 2001, will be leaving next month to take a top planning job in suburban Washington, DC. I am very happy for Rollin (and Ann!), and sad to lose them both.



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That means there's a job opening for one of you guys!

For a planner, he is a great guy.



Seriously, though, Rollin will find plenty of new things to work on. Very little preservation; lots of teardown and new construction. 507 square miles. 875,000 people. 8th highest median income in the country. 20 or so jurisdictions within the county.

A big loss IMO. Not sure why he's be held back here, but his credentials are second to none and he'll be hard to replace.

To expand on my first post a bit, I really like Rollin. He has some great ideas. I think if there was more autonomy in the position in city government to actually get things done, he could have made a real difference here. Instead, he was often just towing the company line. The Mayor and Alderman still control what happens with development in the city, even if they don't really have any qualifications to be doing this. With that said, I'm glad we were able to have him for 6 years or so.



Best of luck to Rollin Stanley. Hopefully he is given more charge to do actual planning out east.





Deb, I agree, but you won't see me even thinking about it, even if I thought I would be qualified enough to get hired. I have no plans to ever work for the city, or really government at all. I don't think I could deal with it. There just isn't enough chance to really make an impact, because whatever you are coming up with still goes through the political process and gets chewed up by people that shouldn't be doing planning. Can you tell I am rather cynical towards planning (or lack thereof) in city government?

Bummer. I hope he gets replaced by someone that understands that the real key to a vital city is not preservation and density, but surface parking and demolition with no foreseeable construction plan. I used to live in suburban Washington. I wouldn't exactly call it a planner's dream. St. Louis has an infinitely more interesting fabric to work with. Too bad he wasn't able to flex his considerable muscles around here. There has to be a reason (politics?) that he would sacrifice a city like St. Louis for Montgomery County Maryland. That is a beautiful, rapidly developing rural county full of very wealthy commuters that don't mind driving 100 miles round trip to work every day. Its like Wildwood on steroids. Seems very strange to me.

There has to be a reason (politics) that he would sacrifice a city like St. Louis for Montgomery County Maryland.

I suspect that a lot more money and a staff of more than a hundred fifty people played a pretty important part in his reasoning. This is a pretty big promotion -- a good steppingstone for a job in a Chicago or Phoenix -- or one of those world cities who have admired the things he did in St. Louis.



We are lucky to have had him -- and it should reassure and hearten the planners on this forum that working in St. Louis can be a recommendation to bigger things.

publiceye wrote:This is a pretty big promotion -- a good steppingstone for a job in a Chicago or Phoenix -- or one of those world cities who have admired the things he did in St. Louis.



We are lucky to have had him -- and it should reassure and hearten the planners on this forum that working in St. Louis can be a recommendation to bigger things.

Toronto is not a world city?



And yes, we were lucky to have had him for a while, but we did lose him as well. Long way to go here.

Yeah, I guess. But seriously, why does a suburban county dominated by rolling hills, horse farms, and dedicated mega-commuters have a planning department that can entice incredible talent away from a city like St. Louis? Shouldn't a major American city on the rebound with a massive stock of historic buildings and a legitimate transformation of its downtown underway be able to compete (and trump) a quasi-rural bedroom county? Maybe we need to rethink the resources we put into planning round bout these parts so we can attract and keep the best?

TGE-ATW wrote:Yeah, I guess. But seriously, why does a suburban county dominated by rolling hills, horse farms, and dedicated mega-commuters have a planning department that can entice incredible talent away from a city like St. Louis?

Because that is where the $$$$ is?

I heard Rollin speak at a Rehabber's Club meeting a month or two ago and he sounded really, really frustrated. He struck me as arrogant and vain...but talented, intelligent, and passionate. Those qualities aren't really a recipe for long service in a town like St. Louis where the planner isn't given much deference, respect or authority.



Can we start the "Recruit Rob Powers" campaign?

jlblues wrote:

TGE-ATW wrote:Yeah, I guess. But seriously, why does a suburban county dominated by rolling hills, horse farms, and dedicated mega-commuters have a planning department that can entice incredible talent away from a city like St. Louis?

Because that is where the $$$$ is?

I'm sure the cash was a factor, but its my understanding that his wife is from St Louis so that must have been an incentive to stay. Anyway, I wish him well ...

^I was referring to the fact that suburban counties, especially those around DC, provide much more capital and resources with which to work.

publiceye wrote:This is a pretty big promotion -- a good steppingstone for a job in a Chicago or Phoenix -- or one of those world cities who have admired the things he did in St. Louis.



We are lucky to have had him -- and it should reassure and hearten the planners on this forum that working in St. Louis can be a recommendation to bigger things.

He mentioned his dream job would be Detroit. Since it is between his home in Canada and his wife's home in St. Louis it is geographically ideal. Plus there is a lot of potential to upside in Detroit. If you can make any positive progress at all it would be considered a success.

Phoenix is a World City?

a good steppingstone for a job in a Chicago or Phoenix -- or one of those world cities who have admired the things he did in St. Louis.

Is Phoenix a world city? Uh, no. But, Rollin has been developing a pretty good following among the sorts of planners who work in those densely settled, heavily populated, sprawling cities in other countries. I could see him and his kilt in Singapore or an Indian capital. Don't forget that he's got pieces of two WLAs to show off.

jlblues wrote:^I was referring to the fact that suburban counties, especially those around DC, provide much more capital and resources with which to work.

And I was referring to the fact that it is disgraceful that St. Louis employs a handful of people to manage our CITY while a suburban county employs a planning staff of 150 and can afford to pay enough of a salary to make a highly regarded professional move halfway across the country to put up stoplights at the entrances to new gated communities. No excuse for it, this makes our city look impotent.

bsever wrote:Can we start the "Recruit Rob Powers" campaign?

Do you not like Rob?

Exactly right, I am pointing the finger squarely at the city and saying that they blew it. You know you are in trouble when your URBAN PLANNER decides to move to the suburbs for a better job.