|
Daley
merges water, sewer agencies
Chicago Tribune
- 1/31
Mayor
Richard Daley announced the appointment of three new department
heads Thursday, following through on a budget proposal he said
would save more than $7 million in administrative costs through
streamlining and reorganization.
Buildings
Commissioner John Roberson becomes executive director of the newly
created Department of Construction and Permits, while Norma Reyes,
a former prosecutor and Daley's deputy chief of staff for public
safety issues, replaces Roberson as buildings chief. Water Commissioner
Richard Rice becomes chief of the Department of Water Management,
which reunites the water and sewer departments.
Daley
said the moves would create efficiency as well as save money.
"Sometimes
it's possible to combine departments to save money on administrative
costs while maintaining the same level of services," Daley
said at a City Hall news conference Thursday. "Sometimes
when a department has two or more distinct missions it's necessary
to split it up," he said, referring to the former Buildings
Department.
The
new department, Daley said, will "radically change"
the permitting process by providing more personalized service
and reducing approval time. Granting permits for large, high-rise
projects can currently take up to a year, but Daley declined to
speculate on an exact goal for the department in slashing that
time frame.
"It's
real simple. The current process is too cumbersome, it's too bureaucratic
and it's held captive to the bureaucrats," Roberson said.
"What we have to do is not simply tinker around the edges
anymore, we have to blow it up. We have to start all over again
and make sure that we create a process that's focused on the customers."
Daley
also named Denise Casalino, who managed the Wacker Drive reconstruction
project, as Roberson's deputy.
Buildings
will now focus solely on inspections and more aggressive crackdowns
on slum landlords and developers, Daley said.
"The
Buildings Department can now focus on its mission to ensure that
all residents of Chicago have safe, livable housing that's free
from crime created by gangs and drugs," Reyes said. "We
know who the bad landlords are. Let's go after them."
Rice
said reuniting the Water and Sewer Departments also would allow
better service to the public by combining investigative teams
from both departments to handle calls.
Rice
has been head of the Water Department since 1999 and has worked
for the city since 1983. Reyes, a former assistant Cook County
state's attorney and former deputy corporation counsel, has been
deputy chief of staff for public safety issues since 2001.
Roberson,
at 34, is the youngest of Daley's appointees and previously held
both Reyes' and Rice's new positions.
Roberson
and Reyes each were budgeted for yearly salaries of $127,452.
Rice was slated to receive $134,452.
NOTICE: In accordance with Title
17 U.S.C., section 107, some material is provided without
permission from the copyright owner, only for purposes of
criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair
use" provisions of federal copyright laws. These materials
may not be distributed further, except for "fair use,"
without permission of the copyright owner.
|