PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A month into her administration, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has announced some key appointments, but she has yet to name new Commissioners for many departments.
Parker is putting her stamp on city government with her appointments to completely new offices, as announced in a news release. Parker selected a director of capital projects, a director of strategic partnerships, and a chief counsel to the mayor—separate from the city solicitor—who will also run PhillyStat 360, which Parker said would allow Philadelphians to “see, touch and feel” city government.
There’s also now a director of Capital Projects and a director of Strategic Partnerships—both new offices—and a director of Neighborhood and Community Engagement which consolidates offices broken down by groups such as youth, women, and Black males.
Mayor Parker acknowledged the time it’s taken her to hire new appointments, saying she and her team are being purposeful and deliberate.
“It’s important to me that we put the right people in the right positions,” she said.
The mayor also appointed a new chief administrative officer and chief integrity officer and re-appointed Vanessa Garrett Harley to the Office of Children and Families and Dominic Mireles to Emergency Management.
Parker has yet to name Commissioners to Human Services, Prisons, Streets, Licenses and Inspections, Health, Labor, and other departments. However, sources in the administration say more appointments will be announced next week.