Erie Mayor-elect Daria Devlin announces her 15-member transition team. It’s a list of season private, public and community leaders who are ready to help make a smooth transition from Mayor Joe Schember’s administration to Daria’s.
Erie Mayor-Elect Daria Devlin has officially announced her 15-member transition team. The team will be chaired by Lori Radder Spicer, Devlin’s campaign manager, who is set to become her chief of staff.
The team is an impressive list of seasoned public, private and community leaders with a deep understanding of how city hall ticks and what may need to change.
● Wujdan “Wuji” Ahmad, Entrepreneur
o Community Relations
● AJ Antolik, former Assistant Director of Public Works, City of Erie
o Public Works
● Erin Carey, Executive Director, Groundwork Erie
o Neighborhoods and Housing
● Corey Cook, Chief Operating Officer, EDDC
o Downtown Corridor and Economic Development
● Mark Dombrowski, Vice President of Government Relations, Erie Insurance
o State and Federal Government Relations
● Amy Eisert, Director, Mercyhurst University’s Civic Institute
o Youth Engagement and Grants
● Natalie Fatica, Executive Director of Human Resources, Erie School District
o Human Resources
● Curtis Jones, Jr., Director of Government Affairs, ERCGP
o City Council Relations
● Rob Lee, former Director of Communications, City of Erie
o Communications and Public Relations
● Tina Mengine, CEO, Erie County Redevelopment Authority
o Mayor’s Office
● Amy Murdock, Principal, r.plan Consulting
o Outcomes and Metrics
● Jenessa Norton, Board President, Erie’s Black Wall Street
o Equity and Small Business Development
● Raasheja “Nicci” Page, Attorney, Page Law Firm
o Legal and Public Safety
● Brian Polito, Executive Director, Erie CRIZ Authority
o Finance
“So, I really carefully chose the people on this team to represent all the departments at city hall and areas of city work so that we can have some expertise behind us in making these decisions,” the Mayor-elect said.
Those chosen are not looking for jobs in the news administration, although it’s not ruled out. “Could anyone come out of this we didn’t expect, I think they could, but the intent right now is none of these folks will have positions in the administration, they’re to advise us and then step back,” Devlin said.
The Mayor-elect does think the team could help her make decisions on trimming the size of the mayor’s office, one area she’s concerned about. “My understanding is that staff has kind of ballooned over the years. I think some trimming is in order to get us some efficiencies and a little restructuring in some of the departments as well.”
Or they could help evaluate salary structures that in her words are, “all over the place,” to bring them in line with salaries in similar sized cities. “So I do think we do need to do some comparison and make some adjustments in some places, just so we’re right-sized across the board,” Devlin added.
Curtis Jones who served 13 years on Erie City Council and now directs government affairs for the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership said this with other leadership transitions in the region, this transition may be the most significant of his lifetime and he’s honored to be part of the team to help. “With new executive leadership, some councilmanic new leadership, I think there’s an opportunity for our community to do some great things and they could really be transformational, without it being cliche’ term, a transformational season and I’m honored to be a part of it,” Jones said.
Devlin and her team are actively seeking talented individuals with a passion for Erie who are interesting in joining her administration. While they are not advertising specific positions as yet, they are building a resume bank of prospective candidates. Those interested can submit their resumes by clicking here.
The transition team is set to hold its first meeting on Tuesday, and will meet again in December and January.