Shake-up in key positions at City Hall
Two top department directors are retiring, while two others land new jobs, Turner says
Mayor Sylvester Turner announced a staff shake-up Thursday for several top positions in his administration, as four department directors leave Houston City Hall.
City Attorney Ronald Lewis, Solid Waste Management Director Harry J. Hayes, Fleet Director Victor Ayres and Parks Director Steve Wright are leaving their posts, Turner announced, nearly a fifth of the city’s department directors. Hayes and Ayres, both of whom preceded Turner’s tenure, are retiring. Lewis and Wright, whom Turner appointed in his first term, are leaving for other jobs.
Arturo Michel, city attorney from 2004 to 2010, will return to that job, Turner said. Deputy Solid Waste Director Carolyn Wright and Assistant Parks Director Kenneth Allen will lead their offices on an interim basis as Turner searches for permanent replacements. Turner said he will announce plans for the Fleet Department next week.
“They say change is inevitable, and that’s certainly true in city government,” Turner said at a news conference announcing the moves. “Today is both exciting and bittersweet.”
Lewis, a close friend of the mayor, had been city attorney since May 2016, a few months after Turner first took office. He has led legal services for the city, advising elected leaders and representing the city in litigation while leading a department of more than 100 people. He is leaving for an opportunity that Turner said he could not announce yet. The mayor said Lewis is knownfor his sharp mind and remarks that are often brief but insightful.
Michel is a partner at Husch Blackwell and regularly advises school boards, city councils and other government bodies, according to his biography fromthe firm. He previously served as Houston’s city attorney under former Mayor Bill White. His appointment must be confirmed by city council.
Hayes, who also has served as the city’s chief operating officer and was a power broker inside City Hall, was the longest-tenured official among those leaving. He has led the city’s trash and recycling department for 13 years under three mayors, and has worked for the city for 32.
“Harry has been a go-to person for me,” Turner said. “A strong pillar — a rock, foundation, institutional knowledge, and some-
one who loves this city.”
Turner grew emotional in describing Hayes’ importance to him. He tried to retire last year, but the mayor dissuaded him. Hayes has battled health issues in recent years, and Turner said he accepted his resignation this year “with the greatest degree of reluctance.”
“He has stayed the course and given so much to this city, even at his own personal expense,” Turner said. “There does come a moment in timewhen your family and your own health must come first.”
Hayes, who Turner said was known for his “long dissertations” on city operations, oversaw an $88.9 million budget and more than 400 employees. The Solid Waste Department services nearly 400,000 households and hauls roughly 11,500 tons of trash per day, or 4.2 million tons per year, according to a recent master plan for the department. The mayor cited Hayes’ leadership in the city’s cleanup after major storms, including hurricanes Ike and Harvey, the Tax Day flood and Tropical Storm Imelda.
The department has been beset by an aging fleet, service delays and other issues. This year, COVID-19 has led to higher-than-normal trash volumes and staffing shortages that have contributed to delays, as well.
Houston is the only major Texas city that does not charge a collection fee on residents, and its Solid Waste department is underfunded and understaffed compared to San Antonio and Dallas, both of which have budgets over $110 million and more than 600 employees. Hayes long has advocated for a fee to right-size the department and improve service.
Hayes began his tenure at City Hall as an assistant to then- council member Rodney Ellis in 1988. Since then, he has been a human resources manager, safety and training manager and human resources director, according to his city biography.
Wright, the parks director, oversawa $68.7million budget and more than 700 employees, managing a network of more than 380 parks and 160 green spaces spanning 39,000 acres. He will become the parks director for College Station toward the end of the month, responsible for 54 developed parks and a $10 million budget.
He told The Eagle, a newspaper in the College Station region, that he was looking for a smaller city “to really connect to a community.”
As fleet director, Ayres oversaw a $92 million budget and 385 employees. The city has struggled with aging and overused vehicles across many departments. Turner said Ayres helped to address that in his tenure. He was first appointed in 2015 by thenMayor Annise Parker.
Turner joked that the “gate is now closed” at the end of the news conference.
“No more (resignation) letters,” Turner said. “Your next opportunity to retire will be three years from now, and at that point and time we’ll all be going out together.”