Arrested for assault, former streets commissioner demoted and given paycut
Former Philadelphia Streets Commissioner Donald Carlton, who was suspended after he was charged with assault in May, has returned to work in a lesser role with a smaller paycheck.
Former Philadelphia Streets Commissioner Donald Carlton, who was suspended after he was charged with assault in May, has returned to work in a lesser role with a smaller paycheck.
Carlton was suspended without pay after he was arrested for allegedly punching an unidentified man multiple times in the face while at a party in Olney last December.
He returned to work Thursday as a deputy streets commissioner, a job that pays $120,000 a year. He was paid $150,000 as commissioner.
"Don has a long history of service with the city. He made a mistake and he is paying a serious price for it, but we do not think it merits termination," city spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said.
Mike Carroll, a former deputy streets commissioner, will continue as acting commissioner, Hitt said. A decision on whether to conduct a search for the job has not been made, Hitt said.
Carlton, who is scheduled for trial Sept. 26, did not return calls for comment.
His attorney, Thomas Kenny, is in negotiations with the District Attorney's Office about a negotiated plea.
"It's not finalized yet, but we have hopes it will work out amicably," Kenny said.
Kenny said the charges stem from a family holiday party. "Sometimes things get out of hand, and that's what happened, it got out of a hand - just another day in Philadelphia," he said.
According to Philadelphia police, Carlton, 45, and a 50-year-old man had an argument inside a house on the 6000 block of North American Street at about 6:30 p.m. Dec. 6. The dispute escalated to a fight that left the 50-year-old with a fractured rib and a bruised eye, District Attorney's Office spokesman Cameron Kline said at the time of Carlton's arrest.
Carlton started working for the Streets Department as a trash collector 23 years ago. He rose through the ranks to the top job in what Mayor Kenney has called "a wonderful Philadelphia success story."
Carlton took over the department in January when then-Commissioner David Perri became head of the Department of Licenses and Inspections.
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