Mayor Cherelle Parker is splitting the city’s streets and sanitation operations
Parker’s appointments to lead streets and sanitation operations have been one of her most highly anticipated selections, and she chose to break the role into two positions.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker on Monday announced she is splitting the city’s streets and sanitation operations as part of her efforts to make Philadelphia one of the cleanest cities in the country.
Currently, filling potholes and picking up trash fall under the streets department, which was led under Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration by Carlton Williams. Parker has appointed Williams to be her director of clean and green initiatives, a newly created position, and on Monday she announced that two department veterans will replace him.
Parker named Kristin Del Rossi, who was previously the streets department’s chief engineer and transportation operations director, as streets commissioner. Crystal Jacobs Shipman, who was previously a department spokesperson and the executive director of public safety programs in its transportation division, will serve as sanitation commissioner.
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Parker said the new arrangement is “different and innovative.”
“There is much work to be done on both areas,” Parker said. “We are going to separate these two functions. We’ll have the streets department, and then we’ll have the sanitation division, and they will no longer be one and the same.”
Streets and sanitation work are some of the city’s most visible services, and Philly’s innumerable potholes and litter-strewn streets are among residents’ top complaints.
While residential trash pickup efficiency has rebounded from a major drop during the height of the pandemic, illegal dumping and litter remains a major issue, one that Parker promised to address on the campaign trail.
The city fixes tens of thousands of potholes each year but struggles to keep up with the repeated freezes and thaws of Philly’s winters.
It isn’t immediately clear what impact the new arrangement will have, but calls for splitting sanitation from streets are not new. Proponents — including some urbanists and Helen Gym, a former Council member who lost to Parker in last year’s Democratic mayoral primary — have argued it will allow both functions to get needed attention and resources.
The separation of the two agencies won’t be official until Parker signs an executive order in the coming weeks, said City Solicitor Renee Garcia. That order will activate a provision of the city Home Rule Charter, the city’s constitutional document, that allows “employees or divisions to be loaned to other offices.”
Executive orders can be rescinded by future mayors. To make the reorganization permanent, the city would have to amend the charter, which requires approval from Council and voters. Parker may decide to pursue a permanent separation later, Garcia said.
But in practice, they will operate independently starting immediately. Jacobs Shipman will report to Williams, and sanitation work will fall under his portfolio. Del Rossi will report to Managing Director Adam K. Thiel.
Parker on Monday also named City Hall veteran Jazelle Jones to be her city representative, a role tasked with promoting the city, overseeing special events, and as Parker put it, serving as Philadelphia’s “chief ambassador.” (Jones is married to City Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr.)
Debora Carrera, a former Philadelphia principal and state official, will serve as Parker’s chief education officer, while Sharon C. Ward, a senior policy adviser for the Education Law Center, will be Carrera’s deputy. (Ward is the wife of Joe Grace, Parker’s communications director.)
Parker has been slow to fill out her administration, and Monday’s appointments help to relieve the backlog of personnel decisions she still has to make, including for a majority of the city’s operational departments.
Parker and her team have used an extensive interview process to vet candidates, and the mayor has not shied away from the fact that she isn’t rushing her appointments.
“Instead of focusing on doing things quickly and on somebody else’s timeline, we’ve been focused on putting the right people in the right positions,” Parker said.
Staff writer Ryan W. Briggs contributed to this article.