Mayor Adrian Fenty today is expected to nominate the interim director of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs as the troubled agency’s permanent chief, only two months after saying he could find no one in-house to fill the job.
Linda Argo was named interim DCRA director April 13, days after Fenty’s first pick for the temporary seat resigned. At the time, Fenty said the District’s permitting, zoning and licensing agency was “both managed, administered and structured substandard.”
“I would say in DCRA we don’t think that we could hire somebody from within, which is a great way to hire someone,” the mayor said in an interview with The Examiner.
But on Monday, during an opening ceremony for DCRA’s redesigned permit center, Fenty sang Argo’s praises. Sources in Fenty’s office confirmed Tuesday that Argo is the mayor’s choice.
Argo “represents the best of both worlds,” Fenty said Monday. She’s not tied to the past, “but at the same time, she’s been here as a deputy director, knows the employees and knows the agency.”
“And from everything we can tell, she’s really moving the agency forward,” he said.
Since her promotion from the deputy director slot, Argo has been touted for moving to modernize the agency’s systems and to turn around its historically dreadful customer service.
Before moving to DCRA, she served for six years as chief of staff and communications director in the Office of the Chief Technology Officer.
Also today, Fenty is expected to nominate Clarence Carter, 49, as director of the Department of Human Services. Carter, a Richmond resident, serves as deputy administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food stamp program.
