Saying its work will “change the course of development for the entire city,” Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken appointed a 17-member task force on economic development Thursday.

        Heading the panel will be co-chairs Valerie Lemmie, the city manager, and George A. Schaefer Jr., the president of Fifth Third Bank.

TASK FORCE

Lemmie Schaefer     Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken appointed 17 members to a new Economic Development Task Force to analyze all economic development functions in the city. Co-chairs:     • Valerie Lemmie, city manager, Cincinnati.     • George Schaefer Jr., president and CEO, Fifth Third Bancorp. Members:     • Keith Glaser, principal, Excalibur Development Corp.     • Renee Mahaffey Harris, executive director, Local Initiatives Support Corp.     • J.J. Johnson-Jioducci, vice president/CRA, Key Bank.     • Rick Kimbler, Neyer, Inc.     • Jim King, president, Community Redevelopment Corp.     • David Krings, county administrator, Hamilton County.     • Dale McGirr, vice president/finance, University of Cincinnati.     • Robert Richardson, business administrator, Laborers Union Local 265.     • James Ritter, senior investment banker, Ross, Sinclaire & Associates.     • Kathy Schwab, residential development adviser, Downtown Cincinnati Inc.     • Rob Smyjunas, president, Vandercar Holdings Inc.     • Daniel Staton, president, The Walnut Group.     • Pete Strange, CEO, Messer Corp.     • Donald Troendle, CEO, Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority.     • Nick Vehr, vice president/economic development, Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce.

        Heavy on developers and investment bankers, the advisory panel will be charged with making recommendations to city officials on how to jump-start the city's economic development efforts.

        Mr. Luken compared his task force appointments to the Smale Commission, the 1987 commission he appointed to study the city's infrastructure needs.

        “This is not just another study. This is bringing together the best and brightest minds to produce a coordinated plan that will last for decades,” he said.

        The economic development task force was requested by a motion from City Council last month.

        That motion, sponsored by Democrats John Cranley and David Pepper, asks the task force to consider “full-scale regulatory reforms.” But it also advocates an independent development authority with full power to issue bonds and take property by eminent domain.

        It's a recommendation that has been made before. But the plan made foes on the political left (which opposed the Port Authority's lack of accountability in awarding contracts, especially to minorities) and right (which opposed its authority to levy taxes).

        The result has been a Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority with curtailed powers and a jurisdiction restricted to the riverfront and contaminated sites called brownfields.

        With the exception of Nick Vehr, the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce vice president who formerly headed Cincinnati's 2012 Olympic bid, the commission does not include any members of the Riverfront Advisors or those who have advocated the port authority for years.

        “One of the major differences is the inclusion in this group,” said Vice Mayor Alicia Reece, who opposes the independent port authority. “This group has the diversity of women, African-Americans, labor, private sector — even the housing authority is included. They're usually left out.”

        Mr. Luken said no deadline has been set for the commission to write its report, but “people like George Schaefer are not going to sit around for a year studying this thing.”

        Mr. Schaefer was on a business trip in Detroit Thursday and could not be reached for comment.

        The new task force is the latest in a long history of blue-ribbon commissions — usually chaired by a high-profile CEO — to tackle pressing issues in the city:

        • The Smale Commission, headed by Procter & Gamble President John G. Smale.

        • The Phillips Commission, headed by David Phillips, managing partner of Arthur Andersen, studied ways to trim costs in city government in 1986.

        • The Buenger Commission, headed by Fifth Third President Clement L. Buenger, studied the business practices of the Cincinnati Public Schools in 1991.

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