Jason Mitchell, director of Baltimore’s Department of Public Works, will step down in April 2023 “to tend to family matters,” Mayor Brandon Scott announced Monday.
“It is with deep regret that I accept Jason’s resignation,” Scott said in a statement. “Under his leadership, DPW has developed and implemented innovative plans to improve the services of which the people of Baltimore rely. While we will miss his contributions to the agency, we fully support his decision to prioritize his family at this time,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “I want to thank Jason for his service to the city of Baltimore and wish him and his family the best in the future.”
The announcement comes just hours after Baltimore City Councilmembers Zeke Cohen and Isaac Yitzy Schleifer sent a letter to Mitchell, calling on him to either resume full weekly recycling pickup within the next eight weeks or resign.
In their letter, Schleiffer and Cohen also criticized DPW’s communication about the E. coli contamination of water in West Baltimore in September 2022 around Labor Day weekend; water billing issues; lack of competitive salaries for employees; and allocation of city resources.
Mitchell became DPW’s director in July 2021, after previously serving as the assistant city administrator in Oakland, California – and previously Oakland’s public works director.
In announcing Mitchell’s resignation, Scott praised the DPW head for instituting water rate increases that were lower than previous rate adjustments, improving customer service and responsiveness, launching the Water4All discount program to provide $1 million in discounts on residents’ water bills, and other initiatives.
