DDC Elects New Board Chairman Bill Mahoney is a man ready to face a challenge. Recently elected to the Board of Management of the Downtown Development Commission in November 2002, he was selected by the Board to be its chairman for 2003 at the first of its monthly meetings of the new year. Mahoney is the owner of Regal Realty, a commercial real estate company in St. John's whose assets includes the historic Murray Premises and several other properties throughout the City. Another of his companies, Community Properties Limited, manages several residential units. Mahoney is unfazed by the responsibilities of his new position and is confident that his extensive business background will benefit him in directing the DDC through some challenging times. "The Downtown core has enjoyed significant growth in the last five years, particularly in the retail and office sectors but there remains room for improvement in other areas of the Downtown core." Perhaps no experience has better prepared him for his new role as his adaptive re-use of the Murray Premises into a successful boutique hotel. This building had been plagued by high vacancy rates in the office space of its third and fourth floors and the project made him acutely aware of the challenges and the potential in re-developing historic properties. For the DDC, this marks the first time in over ten years that its' chair is not a downtown retailer and Mahoney is keen to bring a fresh perspective to the organization "There seems to be a perception that the DDC is focused primarily on the retail sector and while we acknowledge the importance of the retail sector to the downtown, we are very much aware of the other components that make up fabric of Downtown St. John's. There is a huge food and beverage business operating Downtown and of course two of the province's largest hotels are located within the Business Improvement Area." Mahoney is quick to recognize the economic importance of the office sector, "A high percentage of office space, including virtually all of the Class A space in St. John's is located downtown." And Mahoney wants to hear from them. "One goal that I have set for the DDC is to solicit input from all stakeholders and to become more inclusive in dealing will all of members in the coming year." Mahoney is the former president of Community Cable Limited, a cable television company located in Harbor Grace serving Conception Bay North and Andromeda Cablevision located in Winterton and serving the Trinity Bay Area. He has a long record of military service and is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserve. He has been very active in the community and is a director of several organizations including the John Howard Society, the Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador and the St. John's Airport Authority among others. The DDC oversees business activity within the BIA, an area that stretches roughly from Springdale Street to Temperance Street, south of Duckworth Street. The Commission has approximately 600 members including retail stores, professional services, bars, restaurants and hotels. The Board meets on the first Thursday of each month and members in good standing are welcome to attend.