Florida Man to Manage Anaheim Convention Center

An Orlando, Fla., administrator was hired by the Anaheim City Council Tuesday as the new general manager of the Convention Center.

Lynn Thompson, 42, will begin his new job on July 9, city spokeswoman Sheri Erlewine said.

Unlike his predecessor, Thomas F. Liegler, Thompson will be responsible only for the Convention Center. During his 20-year tenure, Liegler oversaw the Convention Center, Anaheim Stadium and two city-owned golf courses.

The current manager of the stadium, William I. Turner, and the current manager of the golf course, Donald Marshall, will continue to head their departments, Erlewine said. Both men will report to Bob Simpson, the deputy city manager who has assumed Liegler’s job since Liegler left in May of last year. Thompson will report to City Manager William O. Talley.

Positions Reorganized

City officials reorganized the positions because the job of overseeing four facilities became too overwhelming for one person.

Thompson will receive $77,500 annually. In Orlando, where he oversees five facilities known as “Centroplex,” he receives $52,635.

Thompson’s career in Orlando, home to Disney World and in Florida’s Orange County, began in 1972 when he was assistant to the mayor and to the City Council. In 1982, he became the director of the Centroplex, made up of Expo Center, the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center, the Orlando (football) Stadium, Tinker (baseball) Field and Ben White Raceway.

When he moves to Anaheim, home of Disneyland, Thompson will oversee a center that had 1.758 million visitors attending 54 conventions and trade shows and that generated $7.1 million in revenue during the 1984-85 fiscal year.