Philly mayor makes new ‘key' administration appointments

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker named a new round of officials to lead, what her office called, "key operating departments," during an event on Wednesday.

She said that, as she has named at least 70 officials and senior staff to lead the city on, what she said was "a promising path," Parker noted they are working to be careful and thoughtful with who joins her team.

"We are at war with the status quo," she said on Wednesday.

Most recently, Parker named Michael Resnick as commissioner of the city's Department of Prisons. On Wednesday, she introduced him in City Hall.

She said Resnick, 58, previously served as the Acting Philadelphia Prisons Commissioner in 2016 and, for four years, from 2011 to 2015, Resnick served as Philadelphia’s Director of Public Safety.

"I am cognizant of the issues facing the department and the challenges that lie ahead," said Resnick. "Essentially, we have too many inmates and not enough staff."

Resnick said he plans to work to address this issue -- like, improve staff morale and working conditions and attract new staff -- and also looking at ways to reduce the prison population.

"It will take time and hard work, but I am committed to the challenge," he said.

Also, during the day, Parker introduced Melissa Scott as the chief information officer for the city's Office of Innovation and Technology.

Scott has served the City of Philadelphia since 2015 as an information technology director and information technology project manager, experience that Parker said, helped her select Scott for the role.

"I want the Parker administration the be technically what I'm not. That's technically advanced, because I'm a dinosaur," joked Parker in introducing Scott. "So, it's important to me to have people who are a whole lot smarter than me."

Also, Parker named Charlene Waller as the new executive director for the Mayor's Commission on Aging.

Waller said she spent 27 years working at the West Oak Lane Senior Center.

"My passion lies with older adults voices being heard," she said.

In March, Parker named new community empowerment, Latino, youth engagement leaders along with appointments for the offices of Community Behavioral Health, Employee and Labor Relations, the Department of Human Services and others.

She has also named Susan Slawson as the head of the city's Department of Parks and Recreation amid announcing directors for the Office of Faith and Interfaith, the Office of Muslim Engagement, the Office of Black Male Engagement, the Office of Women Engagement and other positions.