Ann Arbor DDA's Susan Pollay named vice chairwoman of International Downtown Association

By Ryan J. Stanton Political Reporter

Posted on Mon, Oct 18, 2010 : 10:57 a.m.

The International Downtown Association has elected a new slate of officers for the 2010-11 fiscal year, naming Ann Arbor's Susan Pollay as its vice chairwoman.

Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, will serve a one-year term on the IDA's board of directors, running through September 2011.

Ann Arbor DDA Executive Director Susan Pollay speaks at a recent press conference announcing a $1 million federal grant for the reconstruction of the Blake Transit Center downtown.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

The full slate of officers includes:

Chairman: Andy Taft, Downtown Fort Worth Inc.
Chairman Elect: James Robinson, Downtown Yonge Inc., Toronto
Secretary: Tamara Zahn, Indianapolis Downtown Inc.
Treasurer: Kurt Weigle, Downtown Development District, New Orleans
Vice Chairpersons: Thomas Chatmon, Orlando Downtown Development Board, Scott Knies, San Jose Downtown Association, and Susan Pollay, Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority
Immediate Past Chair: Barbara Askins, 125th Street BID, New York

The IDA, founded in 1954, hails itself as a world leader and champion for vital and livable urban centers, with more than 650 member organizations worldwide.

Pollay and a handful of Ann Arbor DDA board members recently attended the IDA's fall conference held in Fort Worth, Texas, from Oct. 1-5.

The program for the conference shows Pollay was one of the presenters at a roundtable discussion on the topic of downtown parking management. She also moderated a roundtable discussion called "Economic Development for Downtowns on a Shoestring Budget."

In years past, the Ann Arbor DDA has budgeted $30,000 for travel to IDA conferences, but this year it cut those costs in half by not funding attendance by Ann Arbor City Council members or representatives of downtown merchant associations.

For this month's conference, the DDA paid to send Pollay and board members Joan Lowenstein, Keith Orr, Gary Boren and Sandi Smith at a cost of about $2,400 per person. That includes conference fees, hotel costs and air travel.

Pollay is expected to serve as the IDA's vice chairwoman until the next fall conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, which runs from Sept. 22-27, 2011. The IDA also plans to hold a conference in the spring, April 6-8, at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago.