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DC mayor withdraws nomination for public works director

Mayor Muriel Bowser withdrew her nomination of Christine V. Davis to lead D.C.’s Department of Public Works.

Davis was the general counsel for the department and has been serving as its interim director since last year. Bowser requested the D.C. council to withdraw Davis for consideration for the director position.

Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh said she was disappointed with the department’s performance.

“I was disappointed in DPW’s performance and, for me, it’s emblematic of inadequate performance in other areas like the booting and towing operations and the handling of our solid waste contracts,” Cheh said in a statement.

After Monday’s storm, Cheh said the agency failed to prepare to remove the 8 inches of snow that fell in D.C.; and it was also delayed in leaf removal, which started November, but a month later, leaves still had not been collected in some neighborhoods, The Washington Post reported.

Cheh said she hopes to find out what needs to be fixed in the agency in oversight hearings.

“We are about to move into oversight hearings and I hope to find out what needs fixing in that agency, particularly with management. That said, I think the performance in the second snowfall was much improved, which of course was a smaller storm,” she said.

WTOP has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment.

WTOP’s Scott Gelman contributed to this report. 

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