Leading candidates to become the city's next economic development chief

Kyle Kimball won't be stepping down as president and CEO of the city's Economic Development Corp. until June, but possible replacements are already swirling.

Here are some of the candidates:

Maria Torres-Springer, commissioner of Small Business Services and a Crain's 40 Under 40 honoree this year, would check off several boxes for the diversity-inclined Mayor Bill de Blasio. She's a Filipino-American woman who has a lot of fans in the administration, sources say. Plus she previously served as both chief of staff and executive vice president at EDC, so her inside knowledge may give her a leg up.

Another EDC alum in the mix is David Ehrenberg, a former senior manager at the agency who oversaw the Roosevelt Island applied sciences campus project, the redevelopment of Seward Park, Atlantic Yards and small business relief post-Superstorm Sandy. He just recently was named president and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Hudson River Park Trust President and CEO Madelyn Wils is seen as a compelling pick by people in the know. Most recently, she was EDC's executive vice president of planning, development and maritime. In 2011, she was appointed to head the Trust, a city-and-state-run agency responsible for developing, managing and operating the 5 mile-long, 550-acre waterfront park.

Insiders say these three EDC alums present the most likely names to be considered by Mr. de Blasio and his deputy mayor for housing and economic development, Alicia Glen. Mr. Ehrenberg has the most real estate and dealmaking experience—a plus for Ms. Glen—while Ms. Torres-Springer is said to have the best personal relationship with the deputy mayor.

Other names being bandied about include Downtown Brooklyn Partnership President Tucker Reed, former Port Authority New York & New Jersey Executive Director Chris Ward and Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Carlo Scissura.

Mr. Reed is also on good terms with Ms. Glen, and as one of the more youthful candidates is viewed as someone who can be molded in her image. Still, he lacks dealmaking skills, as does Mr. Scissura, who is well liked but may lack the gravitas for the job, sources say. Likewise, Mr. Ward is seen as too large of a personality to be a good fit for the job.

Mr. Ward told Crain's he has yet to be contacted by anyone in the de Blasio administration. Ms. Wils said likewise. Mr. Scissura declined comment. A spokesman for the EDC declined to comment.

Other names in the mix include: Michael Carey, a former adviser to Michael Bloomberg; Margaret Anadu, Ms. Glen's successor as managing director of Goldman Sachs' Urban Investment Group; and James Patchett, Ms. Glen's chief of staff and someone she trusts more than anyone.

Mr. Kimball was one of the last major holdovers from the Bloomberg administration.