PubliCola just spoke with the city's newly appointed Human Services Department director Dannette Smith, who came to Seattle from Fairburn, GA last year, about her reorganization of the department. As part of the reorg, three top-level positions were eliminated, the department's deputy director was reassigned, and two other top employees were told they would undergo "further evaluation."Additionally, two divisions of the department dedicated specifically to preventing domestic violence and sexual assault were eliminated.

Smith said the department has no intention of de-emphasizing domestic-violence and sexual-assault prevention. "There's an opportunity to weave [domestic violence prevention] into all our community programs," Smith said. "Quite honestly, before I came here, one of the recruitment questions was do I understand domestic violence. I do--I ran a domestic violence shelter. ... No way in the world is that going to be de-emphasized. Our focus in this reorganization is on women and children."