The city has named one current staffer and two outside candidates as the three finalists all hoping to become the new director of the Economic Development Department. Assistant City Manager Rodney Gonzales announced the finalists Friday, along with a meet-and-greet session on May 16 at 2 p.m. in the City Council chambers. Veronica Briseño, currently the city’s interim homeless strategy officer, is one of the finalists. She previously served as director of the Small and Minority Business Resources Department and holds a master’s degree in public administration from UT Austin. The other two finalists are Al Latimer, who recently served as director of the Tallahassee/Leon County (Florida) Office of Economic Vitality; and Larry Westerlund, who is currently the economic development director in Fresno, Calif.
Chad Swiatecki is a 20-year journalist who relocated to Austin from his home state of Michigan in 2008. He most enjoys covering the intersection of arts, business and local/state politics. He has written... More by Chad Swiatecki