Change at the top for Philly Dept. of Licenses and Inspections

Philadelphia Mayor-Elect Jim Kenney is keeping many officials from the Nutter Administration.  

But when it comes to running the Department of Licenses and Inspections, he wants new blood.

Current Streets Commissioner David Perri will run Licenses and Inspections, which has been under intense scrutiny since the Center City building collapse of 2013.  

Mayor Elect Kenney says Perri’s the right person for the job.

“Everyone that I talked to talked about his integrity his ability his passion for the city his passion for this department and I am looking forward to putting this department back together again the way it should and the way it will be,” said Kenney.

Perri says he’s honored and promises to improve the troubled city agency.

“I look forward to working with the dedicated employees of the department of Licenses and Inspections and all of our stakeholders to see L & I become an aggressive advocate for public safety,” Perri said.

Current L&I Commissioner Carlton Williams will return to the streets department to be a deputy commissioner.  Kenney explained his reasoning for the change this way.

“It was not a good fit, for Carlton Williams, that job was not a good fit for him, it never was,” Kenney said.  “I do believe there were mistakes made but there were lots of forces within that department, kind of leg sticking out getting people to trip and fall.  Although I am not discounting any of the problems of L & I I’m not discounting the fact that he happened to be the commissioner during those problems, I believe he is a terrific public servant, a terrific individual and he still has time left to serve our city and to show that he is the person that we know he is.”

A spokesman for Mayor Michael Nutter said Perri was a good choice for the position and defended Carlton Williams as a person who had a hard job making changes at  L & I.