What is there to like about tax dollars being wasted on a new government position created to do precisely what the new GR employee seemed to fail in doing them self? This has to be some kind of joke.
There are plenty of commercial real estate brokers who already work on retail full-time, are far more qualified, and have sufficient financial incentive to fill vacancies. If downtown retail "needs help" it's because the zoning is overly restrictive, there's too much supply, or the rental rates are too high for the demand. If any of these businesses need grants or other government subsidies to be profitable then they shouldn't be in business to begin with.