City Hall
McGinn: Consolidate Housing and Economic Development Departments
Can't say we didn't see this one coming.
This afternoon, Mayor Mike McGinn proposed merging the offices of housing and economic development into a single Office of Housing and Economic Development, a move he says will "allow for greater collaboration among housing and economic development policy and programs to build strong communities and to support citizens towards self-sufficiency." McGinn's office predicts the merger will save the city $338,000, of which $210,000 could be spent on direct housing assistance.
"[B]y breaking down silos between these two offices, we could do even more to promote our goals of shared prosperity, while saving money for direct services," McGinn said in a blog post.
Since early 2010, when former housing office director Adrienne Quinn left the city, McGinn has been cagey about the fate of the housing office. McGinn never tapped a permanent replacement for Quinn, and speculation was rampant among city hall insiders as early as February 2010 that he would merge OH and OED.
The city council will have to approve the consolidation as part of its budget process, which is just getting underway. Last year, the council's entire housing committee (as well as advocates for low-income housing) expressed their strong support for keeping the housing office independent, arguing that to eliminate the housing office would signal a weakening of the city's commitment to low-income housing.
The last major McGinn reorganization---the elimination of the Human Service Department's domestic violence and sexual assault prevention division---prompted an outcry among DV advocates and some members of the city council, who said the move represented a devaluing of sexual assault and DV prevention services.
McGinn's spokesman Aaron Pickus has not responded to an email asking how many employees would lose their jobs as a result of the consolidation.
This afternoon, Mayor Mike McGinn proposed merging the offices of housing and economic development into a single Office of Housing and Economic Development, a move he says will "allow for greater collaboration among housing and economic development policy and programs to build strong communities and to support citizens towards self-sufficiency." McGinn's office predicts the merger will save the city $338,000, of which $210,000 could be spent on direct housing assistance.
"[B]y breaking down silos between these two offices, we could do even more to promote our goals of shared prosperity, while saving money for direct services," McGinn said in a blog post.
Since early 2010, when former housing office director Adrienne Quinn left the city, McGinn has been cagey about the fate of the housing office. McGinn never tapped a permanent replacement for Quinn, and speculation was rampant among city hall insiders as early as February 2010 that he would merge OH and OED.
The city council will have to approve the consolidation as part of its budget process, which is just getting underway. Last year, the council's entire housing committee (as well as advocates for low-income housing) expressed their strong support for keeping the housing office independent, arguing that to eliminate the housing office would signal a weakening of the city's commitment to low-income housing.
The last major McGinn reorganization---the elimination of the Human Service Department's domestic violence and sexual assault prevention division---prompted an outcry among DV advocates and some members of the city council, who said the move represented a devaluing of sexual assault and DV prevention services.
McGinn's spokesman Aaron Pickus has not responded to an email asking how many employees would lose their jobs as a result of the consolidation.
