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SALT LAKE CITY — A sixth Salt Lake City department director has left City Hall as part of Mayor Jackie Biskupski's transition into office.
After requiring all department heads and mayoral staff to submit resignation letters and reapply for their jobs, the mayor on Monday accepted the resignation of long-time Public Services Director Rick Graham, according to Biskupski's spokesman Matthew Rojas.
Graham served Salt Lake City for more than 30 years.
"The mayor wants to build her own team — one that shares her vision. After working with people and speaking with them, she's making these decisions on a case-by-case basis," Rojas said. "We very much appreciate Graham's years of service for the city, and we wish him well."
The public services department is responsible for a variety of services, including street repair, park maintenance, open space management, golf course operations, snow removal, street sweeping, traffic sign maintenance, recycling and parking enforcement.
City Councilwoman Erin Mendenhall said she's "sorry to see (Graham) go." She credited him with skillfully overseeing services that directly impact residents' lives, from maintaining trees and parks to snow removal.
"I was hopeful he would be retained," she said. "When we think about the amenities that we as residents enjoy here in Salt Lake City, much of those amenities were under the guide of (Graham). Through his stewardship, he has done a wonderful job of helping to make Salt Lake City the place to live in Utah."
A replacement for Graham has yet to be announced. Mendenhall said she and other City Council members hope Biskupski selects a strong candidate for the council to consider during its advice and consent role in hiring new department leaders.
Related:
Biskupski ousts 3 department heads
After requiring all city department heads and mayoral staff to resign and reapply for their positions, Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski has ousted three leaders."Public services affect almost countless facets of residents' lives, and it is a complicated and nuanced management position because of all it oversees," Mendenhall said. "So we, as we will be with other director positions, are going to be looking for extremely skilled appointees."
Earlier this month, Biskupski sent three other long-time department directors out of office, including the executive director of the city's redevelopment agency, the human resources director, and the director of information management services.
Previously, the director of community and economic development and director of public utilities followed former Mayor Ralph Becker out of office.
Biskupski has so far chosen two replacements: Mike Reberg as director of public utilities, and Julio Garcia as the new human resources director.
The mayor has also decided to keep three department heads — City Attorney Margaret Plane, Justice Court Director Curtis Preece, and Finance Director Gina Chambless.
Three more leadership positions are still under consideration: the airport executive director, emergency management program director, and the 911 dispatch bureau director.
"The directors that were working under the Becker administration were some of the best in the nation," Mendenhall said. "We had extremely skilled and capable people in these director positions, and we expect the same caliber of folks to be appointed by the Biskupski administration."
