ST. LOUIS 鈥 The embattled chief of the region鈥檚 tourism bureau plans to retire when her contract expires next June, a spokesperson said Wednesday evening, defying critics calling for her immediate ouster.
The announcement follows a difficult few years for Kathleen 鈥淜itty鈥 Ratcliffe as the face of the troubled expansion of the downtown convention center, a taxpayer-funded project so far over its original budget that it鈥檚 not clear it can be completed. Things didn鈥檛 get any better this week.
On Monday, the Post-Dispatch reported that since Ratcliffe said officials would find at least $8 million in savings on the first phase of the project in April 2022, overruns have increased costs by $7 million, leaving nearly all of the city鈥檚 contingency funds exhausted. On Tuesday, in a virtual meeting mistakenly left open to the public, the board governing the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission heard a call for change at the top.
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David Robert, the board鈥檚 vice chair, spoke of ongoing issues with sales and operations, and trouble with staff morale, and called for 鈥渁 change for the organization鈥檚 sake and for our people鈥檚 sake down there.鈥
After the meeting, commission spokesperson Brian Hall downplayed the remarks, saying board members had begun 鈥渢he process of succession planning鈥 as Ratcliffe, who made $350,000 in 2022, neared the end of her contract. He said he didn鈥檛 even know if Ratcliffe planned to leave.
On Wednesday, however, he said he鈥檇 gotten more information.
鈥淪he鈥檚 been planning her retirement for quite some time,鈥 he said. He said he could not explain why.
Ratcliffe, 66, was hired to head the CVC in 2006. She did not respond to a request for comment.
Next year is not soon enough for critics who have been calling for Ratcliffe鈥檚 resignation for months.
Bob Clark, the longtime chief of builder Clayco who has condemned the convention center expansion as unambitious and doomed to fail, told board members 聽Tuesday that new leadership was needed immediately to salvage the project.
鈥淣ow,鈥 he wrote in a letter. 鈥淣ot later.鈥
St. Louis County Councilman Ernie Trakas said 60 more days should be long enough. An honest broker would know when it鈥檚 time to go, he said.
鈥淚 guess that鈥檚 not the case with Kitty Ratcliffe.鈥