Mayor Brandon Scott has named the Assistant City Administrator of Oakland, CA, as the new head of Baltimore’s embattled Public Works Department.
Jason Mitchell, who previously served as director of Oakland’s Public Works Department, will take over the agency responsible for the aging water and sewer infrastructure shared by the city and Baltimore County in May.
“Identifying committed, transformational leadership for the Department of Public Works has been a top priority since taking office,” Scott said in a statement. “From reforming the city’s broken water billing system to moving Baltimore towards zero waste, Jason’s strong leadership will be a crucial part of our administration.”
Scott had promised to name a permanent head of the department within his first 100 days in office. DPW is currently led by Acting Director Matthew Garbark. Former Mayor Jack Young tapped Garbark over a year ago to replace Rudy Chow, who retired after nearly a decade in the department.
