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Richard Haas, the former county and Navy administrator tapped by Mayor Jerry Sanders in the early days of his administration to oversee the city’s water, sewage and trash collection, has stepped down, the city announced today.
As the deputy chief operating officer for public works, Haas oversaw Sanders’ proposal to upgrade the city’s aging water and sewer infrastructure through fee increases and in discussions over the new curbside recycling ordinance. He joins a growing list of administrators, led by former Chief Operating Officer Ronne Froman, who have left the city in recent months after being recruited by Sanders and Froman to reform the city’s bureaucracy.
Haas is departing the city to “pursue personal projects,” according to the Mayor’s Office.
The news about Haas’ new employment status is buried in the middle of the third paragraph of a press release the Mayor’s Office issued to tout the hiring of other officials, including Haas’ interim successor. David Jarrell, the temporary head of engineering and capital projects, will fill in for Haas beginning Nov. 23.
Sanders, according to the press release, also promoted Kelly Broughton’s promotion to the director of Development Services Department after serving as the agency’s assistant director. Broughton replaces Marcela Escobar-Eck, who departed City Hall this summer in the wake of the Sunroad office building scandal.