DPW candidate sails through appointments hearing
Council members praise the mayor for appointing water bureau chief Chow as Public Works director
Rudolph S. Chow was greeted like a conquering hero by the City Council’s executive appointments committee, which unanimously approved his promotion to head the Department of Public Works.
As chief of DPW’s Bureau of Water and Wastewater since 2011, Chow was praised as the right person to head the sprawling agency, with 2,700 full-time positions and a $460 million annual budget.
Councilman William H. Cole IV, chair of the appointments committee, called Chow’s appointment by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake “much better than bringing someone in from the outside” at yesterday’s hearing.
City Council President Jack Young described Chow as “honest” and “a man of character.”
Rudy Chow pledged to “get back to basics in training” DPW staff. (Photo by Mark Reutter)
More words of admiration were reserved for retiring DPW director Alfred H. Foxx Jr.
“You have assembled a staff next to none,” said Councilman William “Pete” Welch, the committee’s vice chair.
For his part, Foxx told the committee that he had recommended Chow to the mayor as part of a “true succession plan” to continue with the mission of public works, which he defined as “all about improving the lives of citizens.”
Transplant from Washington
Chow came to Baltimore following his retirement after 26 years as an engineer for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.
He inherited a troubled unit that was criticized for sending tens of thousands of estimated – and often erroneous – water bills to customers. Chow was credited with drastically reducing the number of estimated bills.
More recently, his office was involved in the award of a controversial “smart” water meter contract, which eventually went to Itron, a West Coast infrastructure company, for $83 million.
He has also acted as the mayor’s point man for sharp increases in water and sewage fees that were approved by the Board of Estimates.
The latest rate hike, passed last July, increased rates by 42% between June 2013 and July 2015. Chow will take over Foxx’s place on the powerful spending board.
Chow told the committee yesterday that he planned to consolidate engineering and other functions at DPW and establish an Office of Strategy and Performance.
He also pledged to beef up in-house training so staff could learn new skills and advance to higher positions. He further promised to “create job opportunities for citizens.”
The five councilmen present at the hearing had no questions after Chow finished his presentation.
Chow said he would move to Baltimore in the next six months, as required by city law, from his present home in suburban Washington. His appointment is guaranteed to pass the full Council at its next meeting.