After five years with the Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA) – the majority of which he served as COO until being named interim CEO this spring – Harry Burkholder was unanimously chosen Friday to be the permanent new leader of the downtown organization. Burkholder was one of two finalists who interviewed for the executive director role, concluding a hiring process that had been hindered by budget showdowns, public debate over the future of TIF and downtown, and a ransomware attack that hobbled city operations this month.

DDA board members publicly interviewed Burkholder Friday along with Detroit Economic Growth Corporation Project Manager Maxwell Cameron. Two other finalists, Holly Ball and Laura Kingman, both withdrew from consideration prior to the interviews. In addition to the board interviews, Burkholder and Cameron met with DDA staff as well as a roundtable of community stakeholders including Grand Traverse County Deputy Administrator Chris Forsyth, Northwest Michigan Coalition to End Homelessness Director Ashley Halladay-Schmandt, Traverse Connect Vice President of Investor Engagement Brenda McLellan, City Treasurer Heidi Scheppe, City Engineer Anne Pagano, and City Director of Public Services Frank Dituri.

Feedback from those groups was taken into consideration by the board along with the candidate interviews. Nate Geinzer of Double Haul Solutions, the firm hired to lead the search process, said Burkholder and Cameron represented “two very different candidates, two very different approaches.” Burkholder was perceived by both the board and stakeholders to be the more outgoing candidate, a big-picture thinker with an advantage in people skills as well as local knowledge. Cameron – who previously served as the executive director of Wayne Main Street and said he’s spent “significant” time in northern Michigan in recent years – was viewed as an innovative, hard worker with strong skillsets in policy and economic development. However, he was more reserved in his demeanor and struggled to articulate how his experiences in Detroit would translate to Traverse City.

Interpersonal skills and the ability to hit the ground running were both seen as crucial to the board given the current political and funding constraints on the DDA. With the DDA’s tax increment financing (TIF) 97 plan set to expire in 2027 – fueling intense community debate over whether the plan should be extended – and at least one TIF-related charter amendment on the ballot this fall, board members wanted a leader who was a strong communicator and could effectively engage with the community.

“One thing we really need right now is...a face and a voice people are going to accept,” said Vice Chair Scott Hardy, adding the DDA couldn’t afford to train someone for an extended period of time or slowly develop people skills in a candidate. “I just think Harry is doing what we need done and need done quickly.” While board member Mike Powers said an outside hire could be “helpful” in creating a clean slate for the DDA, he also agreed that “this may be the time for someone who really can hit the ground running.” Pointing out that Burkholder served on the DDA board for nine years prior to being on staff, board member Jeff Joubran said Burkholder understands the organization and how it works. “He has the street credit – that’s something we really need right now,” he said. “He’s done really well as our interim.”

Burkholder said in his interview that the “extension of TIF is front and center” in terms of DDA priorities. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, but a lot of opportunity,” he said. More needs to be done in terms of simplifying messaging around TIF and “being consistent in that simplified message,” Burkholder said. He also said the DDA needs to hire more key staff – building out a team that only includes himself and two others in the main office at present – and identify four to five top priorities to focus on between now and 2027, given funding constraints and the potential non-renewal of TIF 97.

Considering that a significant percentage of downtown property is public – not just privately owned businesses or residences – Burkholder said one of the challenges of the executive director role will be balancing the needs of the community with the needs of downtown property owners. “Collectively, downtown is for everybody,” he said. “That balance is going to be key.” While a recent showdown between city commissioners and the DDA over the DDA’s 2024-25 budget almost led to a DDA shutdown – and disrupted the executive director search process – Burkholder said the conversations he had with city leaders and other community members during that time were productive and opened the door to future collaboration.

“There’s not one person I’ve talked to who doesn’t believe in downtown or love downtown,” he said. “We need to take advantage of that and move forward with positive change.” Burkholder said he’d like to see the DDA board and city commission jointly meet at least two to four times a year, believing that “if we’re not all on the same page,” issues like the budget showdown could arise again.

Board members voted unanimously to select Burkholder as the DDA executive director, with a proposed employment contract to return to the board soon for approval. Double Haul Solutions will also provide the DDA with an onboarding plan and three months of coaching to Burkholder to help him successfully transition to the role, Geinzer said. Board members took time out Friday to also praise Cameron as a talented candidate, thanking him for riding out a bumpy hiring process and being willing to go up against an internal candidate. Board members hoped Cameron might find another role in Traverse City in the future, particularly in economic development.

Following the meeting, Burkholder released a statement about his hiring. “I am deeply grateful to the DDA board for entrusting me with this responsibility,” he wrote. “This opportunity means a tremendous amount to me personally and professionally. The DDA has a long history of exceptional staff and leadership. Their dedication to our community and vision for downtown has set a high standard that I am honored to build upon. I look forward to working with the entire community to advance the mission and goals of the DDA.”