It’s been nearly six months since former East Baton Rouge Parish Planning Director Frank Duke submitted his resignation to city-parish officials, but the process to replace him has yet to begin and likely won’t for another month.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused the delay, says Planning Commission Chairman Rossie Washington. Measures to limit the disease’s spread shut down government buildings for months and has caused public meetings to move to online formats like Facebook Live.
After Duke submitted his resignation letter in January, it wasn’t until the February meeting of the Planning Commission that a motion to establish a committee to determine a process for hiring a permanent director was made. The commission’s March meeting was then canceled altogether.
In April and May, the commission unanimously voted to defer the matter because the meetings were being held via online webcast, and considering the search process for a new director could require going into an executive session.
Washington says he doesn’t know if the commission will take up the item in the June meeting, when it’s currently on the agenda, or if the item will be deferred again. But to try to get the process moving, he’s working to coordinate a time when each planning commissioner can speak with city-parish officials about the position.
In the meantime, Ryan Holcomb remains interim director. Holcomb has been with the department for years as assistant planning director and served as interim director in 2014.
