City seeking stimulus funds manager

Philadelphia is looking for someone to coordinate and keep track of its federal stimulus money, as millions roll into the city.

With millions rolling into the city, Philadelphia is looking for someone to coordinate and keep track of its federal stimulus money. The task used to fall to the city’s Sustainability Director, but Mark Alan Hughes left that job June 18. The Managing Director’s office is picking up the recovery work for now.

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[audio: 090625lfdirector.mp3]

The really big task of keeping an eye on the stimulus money doesn’t just rest with Managing Director Camille Cates Barnett and her office. She says Philadelphia is ahead of many other cities because it already has a large network of people responsible for parts of the stimulus process.

Barnett: We also have a project team which are the people from the various support and direct departments that need to help in terms of how the money is spent. And we have people in the departments who are working on it.

The city is looking for someone to watch the stimulus money full-time the mayor says he hopes to make an announcement by the end of the month. How will the city pay for the “Recovery Officer?” The position is just one of many city officials hope to pay for with stimulus money.