BRA boss on deck?
The mayor might have found his next development chief. The issue, in a word, is money.
Tom Menino, our mayor for life, is unlikely to give up calling the shots at the Boston Redevelopment Authority. But that doesn't mean he can't use some help on the ninth floor at City Hall, considering Boston could be on the precipice of one of the great building booms in its history. The man who is tops on Menino's wish list is Bob Culver, chief executive of the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency.
The big problem: Culver makes about $270,000 a year at MassDevelopment. The BRA job, previously held by Mark Maloney, pays about $170,000. Culver is a guy who likes the public sector. But $100,000 a year is a big haircut if you have to work for a living, and Culver does. There are also other concerns. Culver, for instance, lives in Milton, and would probably have to move back into Boston to meet the residency requirement. Then there are issues such as who is in charge and the vision thing.
Menino and Culver are scheduled to talk again about these issues on Monday. Says Menino: "I think a lot of Bob Culver. He has been very helpful to me in the past. He has a very creative mind." Culver astutely declined to comment.
Culver, 58, has headed MassDevelopment, the state's finance and development authority, for three years. Previously he was head of administration and finance at Yale University, chief financial officer at
If the money is an issue, Culver may have reasons to consider other opportunities. Our new governor, Deval Patrick, has been talking about taking more control over the state's alphabet soup of authorities. In October four board seats turn over at MassDevelopment, giving Patrick a chance to take charge. The chairman, currently Mitt Romney appointee Ranch Kimball, serves at the pleasure of the governor. Culver's contract allows the board to replace him at any time. Another variable: increasing speculation about combining MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Health and Educational Facilities Authority.
Culver has told friends he would love the BRA job, particularly now. Commercial rents are rising and office vacancies are down, increasing the chances of actually getting something built. The South Boston waterfront remains a huge opportunity and Harvard is moving ahead on its Allston campus. The mayor wants to tear down City Hall and build one on the waterfront and build Boston's first 1,000-foot tower.
BRA insiders who have dealt with Culver are less than thrilled about the prospect. And there is clearly nothing done yet.
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Neighborhood news: Pritam Singh, the one-time hippie turned millionaire developer, sued to get out of his deal to pay $14.3 million for the penthouse of Boston's most elite new address because, he said, the place didn't get enough light for his wife in the winter. Now local developer David Rosenberg is gladly checking in.
Singh and the developers of the Residences at Mandarin Oriental at the Prudential Center have settled their differences. In a statement, Singh and Robin Brown, a partner in the Mandarin project, say everyone is happy with the settlement, a product of finding a new buyer for the massive 7,000-square-foot condo on the 14th floor on Boylston Street. "Over the moon," says Brown, who ran the Four Seasons in Boston so well for years.
Brown would not discuss details of the settlement, nor the new buyer. But another industry executive said he is David Rosenberg, chief executive of Sawyer Realty Holdings in Needham. Presumably Rosenberg found the light in the penthouse just fine.
Steve Bailey is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at bailey@globe.com or at 617-929-2902. 
