Community examines UCD's future

On the heels of Paul Steinke's resignation as executive director of the University City District, neighbors and colleagues are speculating about the future of the organization -- and on Penn Executive Vice President John Fry's upcoming stint as interim executive director. Steinke announced last Friday that he will resign from his post on May 18 and that Fry will serve as a temporary replacement until a successor is appointed. UCD board member and Common Ground Realtors President Lindsay Johnston emphasized that Steinke's replacement must be familiar with all the players and must immediately step into the position without much of an acclimation period. "The only way that his leaving will not adversely affect the University community is if someone comes in and hits the ground running," Johnston said. "John Fry will be wonderful on an interim basis, but good God, you're looking at someone that already has five balls in the air." History Department Chairwoman Lynn Lees, a longtime resident of University City, agreed. The departure's "only effect on the University is to stretch John Fry even further on what he has to do on a daily basis," Lees said. According to University President Judith Rodin, Fry's new interim position would not represent a conflict of interest, since he will fill in because of his capacity as chairman of the UCD board, instead of as executive vice president of the University. "Penn could have exerted its interests at any time because John is the chairman of the board and Penn is still the largest funder of the UCD," Rodin explained. "So, that suspicion or concern I think could always have been. I don't think that it's legitimately magnified by John doing this on a temporary basis." Rodin also insisted that no one is more eager to make Fry's tenure a short one than John Fry himself. According to Steinke, his successor should be sensitive to community issues and committed to achieving the UCD's mission of making University City "cleaner, safer and more attractive." "It is always very difficult to survive a change like this, but [the UCD] has a sound board of directors," UC Green Director Esaul Sanchez said of the impending change in leadership. And Johnston stressed the need for a qualified, effective replacement for Steinke. "There is a fear that, without strong leaders in the UCD, some of the progress that has been made can slow or stop," Johnston said. Though Steinke moved to the area after assuming the post as executive director of the UCD, he does not think that living in the area is a prerequisite for the job. Steinke added that he expects Fry's stint as executive director will be short-lived. "I think he's going to want to keep it as brief as possible," he added. The Executive Committee will meet today for a previously scheduled meeting,which Steinke said will likely be used to determine a strategy for finding a replacement. Reflecting on his own tenure as executive director, Steinke said he is stepping down because he has fulfilled all the goals that he has set for both himself and for the UCD. "During my time, what I observed, was a growing belief in University City across the board," Steinke said. "When we look back, it looks like everything turned around overnight," Johnston added. Rodin commented on the increasing influence and broadening of the district since its inception more than three years ago. "He's really made it a neighborhood-wide commitment and that's what it means... to succeed," Rodin said. "[The UCD's] challenges will be to build on its successes and to really move forward and... continue to enhance both the community as a whole and cooperation among all of the members of the community as we go forward," she added. Over the past three-and-a-half years, the UCD has helped to put University City on the map by improving its image and attracting people to the area. "I think their efforts have drawn attention to West Philadelphia in terms of arts, culture, food and ethnicity," Urban Studies Program Co-Director and neighborhood resident Elaine Simon said. Steinke has no immediate plans for the future but said he intends to remain involved with the civic arena. He helped to create the special services district from the ground up and assumed the role of executive director in September of 1997. The next step for the UCD, he said, is to stabilize the community through business attraction and economic development.