Nutter axes chief of minority-biz office

Mayor Nutter has fired the first executive director of the city's Office of Economic Opportunity after just nine months of leading the new agency.

Michael Bell confirmed his dismissal yesterday, but said that he didn't want to talk about it.

"It's just a whole lot of mixed emotions right now," he added.

Nutter's press office issued a statement about Bell, explaining that "for a number of reasons there wasn't as much progress made in his portfolio as we would have liked. Given the importance of increasing minority business participation and ensuring that economic opportunity is available to all, we felt that now was a good time to make a change."

Bell, a city employee for 17 years, was selected by Nutter on Oct. 1 to head the new Office of Economic Opportunity.

Nutter that day also dissolved the problem-plagued Minority Business Enterprise Council. Nutter said that the action "sets the tone" that his administration is serious about creating opportunities for businesses owned by minorities, women and the disabled.

During that Oct. 1 announcement, Nutter also said that Kevin Dow would become deputy director of commerce for neighborhood and business services.

Nutter's staff on Tuesday announced that Dow would take the new post of acting chief operating officer in the Commerce Department, with responsibilities for "small business development, minority participation and neighborhood revitalization." No mention was made of Bell's firing.

Nutter's staff yesterday called Dow's new job and Bell's firing "separate, unrelated issues."

Bell, formerly director of compliance for the city's Office of Housing and Community Development, made $86,553 per year, payroll records show.

In Daily News stories in March, Bell and Nutter did not appear to share the same philosophy about his job. Bell, responding to complaints from minority contractors about not landing jobs on big projects like the expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, said those companies should focus instead on smaller jobs.

Nutter, meeting with contractors on the day that story ran, said the city was responsible for making sure that their companies had the capacity to bid on whatever jobs they wanted. *