If you’re interested in running one of the six newly created city-parish departments that previously were part of the Department of Public Works, you’ll face some stiff competition. More than 300 hopefuls from around the country have applied for the positions, which roughly pay between $70,000 and $135,000 depending on the department and the candidate’s level of experience.
“We’ve been amazed by the number of applicants we’ve received,” says Christel Slaughter, whose consulting firm, SSA Consultants, has been helping the city-parish in the reorganization process. “For some of the positions we’ve had as many as 70 applicants.”
Last year, in an effort to streamline and improve the efficiency of DPW, the city-parish began a reorganization of the agency that involves breaking it into six smaller departments, each with its own director; those departments are environmental services, building and grounds, development, fleet management, maintenance, and transportation and drainage.
Many of the logistics of the reorganization have been completed and all is going well so far, according to Chief Administrative Officer William Daniel. Hiring new department heads is the biggest challenge to completing the process. The overwhelming number of applicants is the main reason it is taking longer than might have been expected.
“When you have to go through 70 applications and then whittle them down and call them all, it takes time,” Slaughter says. “And we have to do that times six.”
Slaughter hopes to have a short list of finalists for each position by the end of this month to bring to Mayor Kip Holden, who will make the final hiring decisions.
—Stephanie Riegel
