January 25, 1999
Mayor Williams Announces Interim Management Team for the District Government
Beginning today, Mayor Anthony A. Williams will take a direct hands-on management approach with the District Government. Over the next two months, as the city develops the fiscal year 2000 budget and reviews the FY 1999 budget, the Mayor will conduct a thorough assessment of the major District agencies reporting to the Mayor.
"The timing is right for me, as Mayor, to get very involved in the management of the agencies," said Mayor Williams. "The budget development process is the perfect time to look at what we are delivering to our citizens, how much it costs and how long it takes to deliver."
The Mayor considered naming an interim city administrator, but decided that the fewer layers between agencies directors and the Mayor, the better the opportunity to build a strong working relationship with the managers. A national search for a permanent city administrator will be conducted simultaneously during this interim period.
"I inherited a whole group of managers, I now need to coach them and create the world-class team the city wants and expects," said the Mayor. "The citizens elected me to manage the city, I take responsibility for the overall performance of this government and expect the same accountability from all my managers."
To provide the support necessary for the Mayor to manage the government, he assembled a team led by District managers with support from the private sector and Federal government. The team will work to implement the Agency action plans and make recommendations on management structure once a City Administrator is named. The city is currently conducting a national search for a new City Administrator.
"I'm doing what every other mayor has done upon coming into office, I'm forming partnerships with our major employers to get the city moving forward. In Washington, D.C., the Federal government is one of our largest employers."
The management team consists of:
District Government Leaders
- Reba Evans, Chief of Staff – Agency directors report to the Mayor through the Chief of Staff, who is responsible for coordinating the overall management of the government.
- Norman Dong, Deputy Chief of Staff for Management – Responsible for coordinating implementation of short-term plans with Agency directors. Also responsible for working with the Office of the Chief Management Officer and the Financial Authority to blend existing efforts and staff into a new unified government. Deputy Chief of Staff reports to the Mayor through the Chief of Staff. Mr. Dong, who served as Chief of Staff for the CFO when Mayor Williams was the District's CFO, is on loan from the Office of Grants Management and Development.
- Abdusalam Omer, Budget Director – During the budget season, the Budget Director will provide the financial information and analysis the team will need to manage the government and develop the FY2000 budget.
- Sheryl Hobbs Newman, Customer Service Director – Responsible for reengineering the customer service portion of the major agencies over the next six months. Ms. Hobbs Newman will be on loan from the Office of Tax and Revenue, where she serves as Customer Services Manager.
Pro-Bono Consultants. Many of the consulting firms that prepared management reform plans have loaned top executives to work with the District for a short period time to support the development of the short-term plans. This team of consultants includes Larry Herman, the former director of the Rivlin Commission.
- Arthur Andersen
- KPMG Peat Marwick
- Price Waterhouse
- Technical Assistance and Training
Federal Government. In response to the Mayor's request for assistance, the Clinton Administration and several federal agencies are making available top managers to support the District on an as needed basis. The Federal partners include:
- Pat Lattimore, Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, Dept. of Labor. Ms. Lattimore has an expertise in labor-management relations.
- Carol Thompson Cole, Executive Director of the President's Task Force on the District of Columbia. Ms. Thompson Cole is a former City Administrator for the District of Columbia.
- Ed DeSeve, Deputy Director of OMB for Management and one of the architects of the President's Plan for the District as well as the initial Control Board legislation.
Private Sector. A number of private sector companies have offered to provide executives to support the District. The Mayor will be drawing upon this resource as needed. For example, Bell Atlantic's Marie Johns will be working closely with the team to support for customer service initiatives. As chair of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Johns will also facilitate support from small and minority businesses that are members of the Chamber of Commerce.
Over the last two weeks, the Mayor, his staff, and agency directors have worked days, nights, and weekends to honor his commitment to implement short-term action plans this week. Although the process to develop the plans took longer than initially projected, implementation of many of the plans begins today. To prioritize time on his schedule to work directly with agency directors, the Mayor may need to accept fewer public appearances over the next two months. However, the Mayor will prioritize opportunities to interact directly with citizens. Through his work with the agencies, the Mayor will plan to spend time out in the community talking to people about services and evaluating the quality of services being delivered.
Mayor Williams plans to release the six month action plans for the following agencies reporting directly to the Mayor on Wednesday, January 27, 1999: Department of Housing and Community Development, Department of Human Services, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Department of Motor Vehicle Administration, Department of Public Works, and the Department of Employment Services.
