Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are appointing a slate of new board members to the nonprofit that owns and maintains Progressive Field and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Virginia “GiGi” Benjamin, a former partner at the law firm Calfee, Halter & Griswold, will become the new chair of the Gateway Economic Development Corporation. She replaces Ken Silliman, a retired aide to Cleveland mayors who self-published a book on the city’s stadium negotiations.
Also joining the board are Bryce Sylvester, the senior director of site strategies at TeamNEO, and Debbie Barry, a deputy chief of staff to Ronayne who oversees development. Sylvester replaces board member Ron King, and Barry replaces county official Matt Carroll.
Before retiring from Calfee, Benjamin worked on major downtown development projects such as the overhauls of East Fourth Street and the Flats East Bank. In a joint news release, Mayor Justin Bibb and County Executive Chris Ronayne praised her experience and financial know-how.
“GiGi Benjamin is a civic leader with a deep understanding of finance and is uniquely prepared to take over the chairmanship of Gateway Economic Development Corporation of Greater Cleveland,” Ronayne said in the release. “She will bring a rich blend of knowledge, energy, and a collaborative style to the board that will propel economic development in Downtown Cleveland and throughout our region.”
Bibb added: “With innovative and forward-thinking leaders like Virginia at the helm, there is a renewed commitment to the economic revival of Cleveland. I’m excited to see the transformation that her leadership will bring.”
Silliman worked for Mayor Michael White and served as Mayor Frank Jackson’s chief of staff. His book, Cleveland Sports Facilities: A 35-Year History, recounted in detail how the city and county inked deals to build and repair facilities for the Browns, Cavaliers and now-named Guardians.
A spokesperson for Ronayne said that the book did not play a role in the decision to replace Silliman.
Silliman told Signal Cleveland on Friday that was already serving past the expiration of his term, and said it was the prerogative of the new city and county leaders to make the change.
He said he extended his “appreciation to Mayor Bibb and County Executive Ronayne for allowing me to stay as long as I have.” He wished the new board members well, saying they would be up against the challenge of rising construction costs nationwide.
Last year, Silliman repeatedly warned that the taxpayer cost of maintaining the arena and ballpark is outpacing available resources. The city and county pay for repairs at the two facilities using a sin tax on alcohol and cigarettes.
In August, Gateway approved a $24.4 million project to replace the arena’s elevators and upgrade its broadcast equipment. Silliman previously said that the sin tax could cover only $10 million more work on the arena. Ronayne told Signal Cleveland recently that there’s no solution yet for finding money to pay the balance.
Gateway does not oversee Browns Stadium, which the city owns and maintains using the sin tax. But it is possible that the city and county could team up to tackle a stadium overhaul tied to a new lease for the NFL franchise.
Ronayne has said there have been informal conversations about the county kicking in money – but no official ask from the city.
This story has been updated with additional comment from the county.
Suggested Reading
Gateway, the nonprofit managing your tax dollars for sports facilities, explained
The nonprofit signs off on repairs to Progressive Field and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on behalf of those paying a ‘sin tax’ on alcohol and cigarettes. But its influence and financial liability extends well beyond.
Taxpayer costs rising at Progressive Field, Gateway board chair warns
Repairing the aging home of the Cleveland Guardians will cost more than earlier estimates, as the price of labor and materials rises.