Smart Business Magazine, January 2016

January 2016 Smart Business Columbus 37 James V Maniace has served as chairman of the Board of Zoning Adjustment for the city of Columbus for more than 20 years He has been appointed to that post by mayors of different political parties and confirmed for three year terms by Columbus City Council on six occasions Among the most difficult of all city boards the BZA is a five member decision making body granting or denying variances of legal development standards and special use permits in real estate development It regularly hears matters of controversy as land use decisions may be hotly contested It meets at least once per month and its not unusual that a meeting may last until midnight because of heavy public interest A chairman has to keep the passions in check and make sure everyone gets a fair hearing says former Mayor Michael B Coleman He has done a wonderful job at this Beyond running a fair and efficient meeting the chairmans role can involve the application of some complex legal rules in certain cases The courts have been very supportive of BZAs approach to controversial cases when parties do appeal which is a testament to Maniaces legal skills Coleman says He is a partner at Taft Stettinius Hollister LLP BZA service can be thankless as it doesnt receive the same recognition as those who work to feed the hungry or clothe the poor Yet it is extremely important to the strength of the city as it makes decisions that affect literally every neighborhood in Columbus JAMES V MANIACE chairman Board of Zoning Adjustment City of Columbus www columbus gov bzs zoning Board of Zoning Adjustment AXA ADVISORS NONPROFIT BOARD EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR AWARD Created by the Franklin County Commissioners in 1988 the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authoritys original mission was to finance the construction and operation of a new Columbus convention center Over the years however it has grown to become much more than that At every step of the way FCCFA Board Chair Sally Bloomfield has provided a guiding light She is the only board member who has served continually since the FCCFA was formed Fiercely passionate about the city of Columbus and its ability to attract both visitors and new residents Bloomfield has made the FCCFA her primary volunteer focus She believes that travel and tourism is one of Columbus most important economic drivers and quality of life determinants The FCCFA today owns and operates the Greater Columbus Convention Center the Hilton Columbus Downtown Hotel and Nationwide Arena as well as four parking facilities The FCCFA also owns land used to develop the Hyatt Regency the Drury Inn and Suites and various parking facilities The FCCFA is empowered to issue tax and lease revenue bonds backed by the hotel tax receipts A great source of pride for Bloomfield is the fact that those tax rates have remained unchanged since being instituted in 1988 while the FCCFA has remained self sustaining and deficit free This is somewhat of an anomaly among its industry counterparts It speaks both to Bloomfields leadership and the board and staffs devotion to the community as they run a multimillion dollar enterprise with only a few staff positions SALLY BLOOMFIELD board chair Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority www meetusincolumbus com AXA ADVISORS NONPROFIT BOARD EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR AWARD