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Monday, May 18, 2009

Sustainability Director Makes Departure Official

As we reported earlier, city Sustainability Director Mark Alan Hughes is leaving the administration.

UPDATE: We just spoke with Hughes, who said he plans to return to work in academia, although he did not detail where that would be. He said he thought the time was right to leave now that his Greenworks sustainability plan -- which lays out a set of environmental goals for the city to reach by 2015 -- was complete.

"I’m going to go back to my native habitat. Back in academia where I will spend some time reading and thinking and writing," Hughes said. He added: "It was always clear I was never going to spend all my career in a tie."

Here's the press release from the city:

MARK ALAN HUGHES ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE

Philadelphia, May 18 – Mark Alan Hughes, Director of Sustainability, announced today that he will be leaving the Nutter Administration. His last day with the City of Philadelphia will be June 18th.

“Mark has been a tremendous asset to my administration and I wish him the best of luck in the future,” said Mayor Nutter. “On sustainability and the Recovery Act, Mark has done what he came here to do. He has put in place a foundation and a set of plans that will guide us to success. Of course we will miss Mark, but my sense is that he will never be far away and always available if we need him.”

Mark Alan Hughes said, “Working for the Nutter Administration to put together Greenworks Philadelphia and the initial preparation for Recovery funding has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. I’m an academic at heart so my goal was to lay the groundwork and set the direction for the future, and do my best to hand over workable plans to the policy implementers. The talent and dedication of so many others in the Administration and in the sustainability community made my job an easy one.”

Mark joined the administration over a year ago to craft the City of Philadelphia’s sustainability framework, Greenworks Philadelphia, which was unveiled last month. This has now moved into the implementation phase with officials from all city departments working towards achieving the many goals contained within the framework.

“With Greenworks Philadelphia Mark has established a very strong sustainability framework and set us on the path to success,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “It’s time to take this framework and put its recommendations into action. We will make an announcement before Mark’s departure regarding who will oversee the implementation of this important plan across the City. We will not miss a beat in pursuing our sustainability goals.”

After President Obama signed the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, Mark took responsibility for the initial stages of the City of Philadelphia’s evaluation of the Recovery Act and the preparation of Recovery applications. In that time he has coordinated a team of people across departments who have identified all funding opportunities and have begun the process of preparing and applying for this new unprecedented investment. He has also overseen the development of the City of Philadelphia’s Recovery website, www.phila.gov/recovery, where citizens can get updated information on all Recovery-related news and developments.

Two weeks ago the City of Philadelphia issued an RFP for a Recovery Officer, to be paid for with funds from the Recovery Act, to coordinate all Recovery activities. An announcement regarding this individual will be made in the near future.

Posted by Catherine Lucey @ 4:39 PM Permalink | 6 comments

Comments

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:53 PM, 05/18/2009

This is the model for city employment -- highly skilled deputies coming in for a time that is goal dependent and moving on to where they skills then take them next for better opportunities. This is in contrast to the desperately clinging patronage employee with little prospect outside city government for a salary and benefits as generous. This is why the mayor has to crack down on the row offices and especially the BRT. He should hire Hughes to oversee reformation at the BRT and other row offices so that they are meeting benchmarks and performing in a way that makes them unafraid of audits.

— CleanupPhilly

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:03 PM, 05/18/2009

Maybe, once he's out of the city clutches, he'll be able to go back to writing some truth. As Director of Sustainability he certainly never did anything to responds to the chemically laced cancer causing soil in E. Mt Airy. You know the project whose environmental and fraud crimes are protected by city political interests. Of course the press never did much about it either except for Jennifer Katz at the Chestnut Hill Local who got the developers to admit that they were trucking out loads of contaminated dirt without a word of warning to the neighborhood full of kids and dripping the toxic soil all over the street. Now, the project is bankrupt. They were there own worst enemy . The string of violations is outstanding . Only a politically protected project (In Philly) could get way with this much environmental crime, danger to a community, etc. But , of course, the word is , they will try to sell in sheriff sale without a thought to the health and welfare of real people.

— maggieanne

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:43 PM, 05/18/2009

maggieanne, if that is the case why not just sue them? Toxic tort lawyers abound.

— Phillyguy4413

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:38 PM, 05/19/2009

Thanks for doing the easy part and then leaving before the hard work of implementation. No succession plan, no one to follow up on the relationships you've built. A staff that is either consultants, non-City residents, or paid by short term grants. What a joke. You almost had us believing you cared.

— Rodzu

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:38 PM, 05/27/2009

What a joke! My dog has done more to make the city green. Good job Mayor keep hiring these type experts that jerkoff for a year then leave. Reminds me of Street's IT expert.

— ritaf

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:54 PM, 06/01/2009

Does anyone have a link to the job description? I'd like to apply!

— YoungJung

6 comments

About The Philly Clout Team

Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.

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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com

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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.

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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans.

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