Jim Bracco Leaving the BID

Jim Bracco is leaving his role as executive director at the Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID). He joined the BID in December 2008.

His resignation was announced in an email sent the day before the July Fourth holiday, according to The Georgetowner.

"Jim Bracco, has decided to leave the BID after an exemplary three-and-a-half years of service," the email stated.

No replacement has been announced.

Bracco came to the BID just as the local real estate and retail market was hitting a low point.

In a guest column , Bracco reflected on the loss of businesses from the shopping district and the "high anxiety each time a store shuttered its business."

He called for Georgetowners to "make a concerted effort to shop locally and keep our dollars and sales taxes in our own community."

Last year, the BID launched a new campaign to entice shoppers from outside the neighborhood to return to Georgetown.

"We are thrilled to share our new Georgetown and BID branding" according to an email last June announcing the initiative.

The branding shift included a new Georgetown tagline: "Come Out and Play."

But even as the BID works to draw in shoppers and visitors, the organization is short six percent of its $3.1 million budget thanks to delinquent BID taxes, according to The Washington Post. A debt that impacts the BID's ability to execute its mission for the community.

"We're at a crossroads now, and will be searching for an executive director to help position Georgetown as a renowned destination," BID Board President Crystal Sullivan, told the Georgetown Dish last week.

The search for the next executive director is under way.