Finalist for Richmond post leads Texas authority that’s under review

The community development corporation led by a finalist for Richmond's top administrative post is the subject of an audit that is expected to be finished this summer.

The city of Austin, Texas, is formally reviewing the work of the nonprofit Austin Revitalization Authority, which was set up in 1995 to help revive a blighted area of East Austin.

Byron C. Marshall, the authority's president and CEO, was introduced this week to members of the Richmond City Council as Mayor Dwight C. Jones' potential pick for chief administrative officer.

The pending performance audit in Austin comes as an agreement among the city, the authority and another agency is up for renewal next year, said Susan L. Wynne, assistant city auditor for Austin.

The review is expected to determine whether the authority is "doing what we contracted them to do" and whether the relationship should be continued, she said.

The audit is not being handled by the unit that investigates waste, fraud or abuse.

"We received no allegations of that," Wynne said. "There were no indications of that."

Marshall sent an e-mail to the Richmond Times-Dispatch yesterday in response to messages left this week.

"It is my understanding that no final decision has been made by the mayor at this time regarding the selection of a CAO," he said. "Therefore, it would be inappropriate for me to make any comment at this time."

Marshall referred questions to Tammy D. Hawley, Jones' press secretary, who also had no comment.

Austin's audit comes after the city's more limited financial audit of the authority in 2007 that questioned its long-term financial viability.

The authority also has faced questions and criticism for being past due on city loans, charging tenants unexpected back rents and other property-management practices, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The authority has restored two historic buildings, built two buildings and recruited businesses to the area, but it has also fallen behind on plans to redevelop other blocks, the newspaper said in an article in July 2008.

Marshall has led the authority since 1999 and also held executive positions with the cities of Austin; Houston; Atlanta; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Washington.

He resigned as chief operating officer of Atlanta in 1997 after it was revealed that he held a $96,000 consulting contract with an economic-development authority in Austin, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported at the time.

The newspaper said Marshall had not earned a bachelor's degree from Syracuse University as he had claimed when he applied for the Atlanta job. The university's registrar's office confirmed this week that a bachelor's degree in history was awarded to Byron C. Marshall in 1997, but details were unavailable.

Marshall's current salary also has been unavailable, but he told the Austin American-Statesman in 2007 that he earned $105,000 a year at the authority and did private consulting work in other cities.

The authority's 2007 federal tax form, filed in August, does not list a salary for Marshall, and no employees are reported as earning more than $50,000, which is the amount requiring disclosure.

Although Marshall signed the tax form as president, he is not listed among the officers, directors, trustees and key employees.

Richmond had been advertising for a chief administrative officer since December. The position offers a salary range of $124,500 to $210,091.

Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or .