Kenney says Philly L&I commissioner is out if he’s in as mayor

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If Jim Kenney is elected Philadelphia mayor in November, Licenses & Inspections Commissioner Carlton Williams, right, will be out of a job. Meanwhile GOP candidate Melissa Murray Bailey has called on Williams to resign. (AP file photo)

The presumed next mayor of Philadelphia will not keep the current Licenses & Inspections commissioner as part of his administration.  

However, Jim Kenney did not swear off recent expenditures by Commissioner Carlton Williams.

“We’re going to have a new L&I commissioner, as I’ve said publicly,” Kenney said Thursday. “Carlton Williams is a good man and a good public servant, and I think he was in an untenable position there.  I’m not going to denigrate him as a person or a public servant.  We just need a new … skill set there at L&I.”

An engineer to oversee construction and demolition work would be the best choice for the position, Kenney said.

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“I think a licensed, professional engineer on the construction and safety side  is required,” he said.

Williams is under fire for spending $15,000 to place “advertorial” articles on philly.com.

GOP mayoral candidate Melissa Murray Bailey, who has criticized that expenditure as a waste of money, called on Williams to resign Wednesday.

Williams defended his decision as the most effective means of publicizing changes in the department since the 2013 building collapse that killed six and injured 13.

Kenney would not rule out paying to post advertorials if he’s elected.

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