Interim director jump-starts 450th

Interim director jump-starts 450th



Publication Date: 03/12/09


Dana Ste. Claire's appointment as interim executive director of St. Augustine's 450th birthday celebration makes perfect sense.

Here's a person who knows what it takes to capture the attention of the nation, and he knows St. Augustine, too.

He is national director of museums for Historic Tours of America, chairman of the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, chairman of the city's Architectural Review Board, a former member of state boards on heritage tourism and historic preservation, and was founding director of Old St. Augustine Village.

St. Augustine City Manager Bill Harriss hired Ste. Claire, effective around April 1, to begin to organize the city's celebration effort that will start in 2012 and ends in 2015. Ste. Claire will work with Williamsburg, Va., Mayor Jeanne Zeidler, who led the Jamestown 400th anniversary celebration. She was hired recently by the city as the consultant to assist with the 450th planning process.

For Harriss, hiring Ste. Claire is a coup.

"I have tried for 15 years to get him on the city's staff," he said. "He's perfect for this job."

Harriss was right to move on filling the post now. The city cannot wait any longer.

The city's own 450th committee has been appointed and is awaiting its first meeting. Connections with Spain and with Hispanic businesses need cultivation to bring them into the city's fold as supporters. St. Augustine recently learned of a celebration to be set in Cadiz, Spain, to highlight that 200th anniversary of the Spanish Constitution. Because St. Augustine has the only known Spanish Constitution Monument left in the world, the city will have an anniversary celebration and will play a significant role in Cadiz, too. That's one year ahead of the city's three-year celebration to honor the 450th.

Visitors will fill our city as each event provides tourism opportunities. The city has to work ahead on its events and infrastructure. The organization cannot wait another year.

Normally, the hiring process for a city director position should take longer, but no one can possibly doubt Ste. Claire's expertise.





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