D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has tapped a former Biden administration official to lead her efforts to jumpstart the downtown economy and get control of the former RFK Stadium campus in hopes of luring the Washington Commanders back to the District.
The selection of the new deputy mayor for planning and economic development comes as Bowser’s office seeks to repair its work culture image.
Nina Albert has decades of experience in both the federal and D.C. governments, most recently at the General Services Administration overseeing the federal government's vast real estate portfolio.
"I've known [Acting] Deputy Mayor Albert over a number of years, from my service on the [D.C.] Council to now," Bowser said. "And I've watched her trajectory in a number of organizations that support the District in various ways. And I was delighted that we were able to attract her back to D.C."
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Albert still needs to be confirmed, but she is poised to take over as deputy mayor for economic development at a time when downtown D.C. — like many big cities — is still recovering from the pandemic, and thousand of government and private sector employees still are working from home.
"I actually think that having worked for the federal government, and GSA in particular, is a great benefit to the District of Columbia," Albert said. "I understand how the process that they're going through [works], to figure out how to consolidate federal real estate, but I've always had the advantage of also understanding the District, which is my home, and how to marry those two agendas together to really come up with a vibrant, dynamic downtown."
Albert will also be tasked with helping to negotiate a deal with Congress and the federal government to give D.C. full control over the RFK site.
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"Obviously I've been following what's been going on in the District. There's a great team that's moving forward with RFK," Albert said. "I look forward to catching up with them later and supporting them in their efforts. We're really lucky that this is a sports town, and attracting the Commanders back to the District obviously will be an exciting opportunity that we're all really collaborating and focused on in terms of other plans."
Another issue Albert will have to deal with: the fallout from her predecessor, John Falcicchio, who was forced to resign and was found to have sexually harassed two employees at the department Albert is now appointed to lead.
"I think that when you lead from a position of ethical standard that's very high, people understand that really quickly. From what I understand, the staff has been hard at work and wants to focus on the work," Albert said. "And so that's what I'm going to be about. Let's determine what our priorities are, move toward them, acknowledge people for the hard work that they're contributing to the District and making sure that it is a good place to work. And that's what I'll be looking to lead and have done in the past."
On that topic, Bowser told us: "Well, I think we work on trust every single day with our community. And I think that from day one of … our former deputy mayor's departure, I've done exactly what I said I would do. And that's how you build trust. You do what you say you're going to do."
At-large D.C. Council members Anita Bonds and Kenyan R. McDuffie plan to hold hearings to investigate the scope of sexual harassment within District government, including workplace culture in the office of the deputy mayor of planning and economic development.
