Former director of DPW returns as contractor following mid-year resignation
BALTIMORE -- Director Jason Mitchell is returning to Baltimore's Department of Public Works. Only this time, instead of working as the director, he'll be onboarded as a contractor, according to WJZ's media partner The Baltimore Banner.
Mitchell will be paid $125 an hour to consult on a variety of planning and decision-making issues. The Baltimore Banner reports that his contract was approved by a spending board on Wednesday.
Mitchell resigned from his position as director in January.
Council members Zeke Cohen and Councilman Yitzy Schleifer called on him to resign if he could not formulate a plan to resume recycling pickup.
Cohen and Schleifer used their social media accounts to pressure Mitchell to "resume weekly recycling within the next eight weeks or resign."
Mitchell had been under criticism following the E. Coli contamination in West Baltimore in 2022 and ongoing water billing issues.
Comptroller Bill Henry has suggested that Mayor Brandon Scott is in a "tough spot" trying to find a permanent replacement for Mitchell, according to the Baltimore Banner. He told the Baltimore Banner that he is under the impression that Mitchell will be paid for his expertise on a temporary basis.