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The city of Portland announced on Tuesday morning that the directors of its public utilities will both retire next month.
It’s unclear what led to the departures of the directors of the the Portland Water Bureau and the Bureau of Environmental Services, especially as the departures occur in tandem.
But the city says that Mayor Keith Wilson and City Administrator Mike Jordan are seeking to combine the two bureaus, and will look to hire a director to oversee that new formation. The plan to consolidate the two bureaus into one has been in the works for some time.
Edward Campbell, the director of the water bureau, took over after the former director, Gabe Solmer, was pushed out abruptly. Dawn Uchiyama has led the environmental services bureau since 2023.
Interim directors will take their places, the city said.
Quisha Light will step in to lead the water bureau in the interim. Ting Lu, who’s currently the deputy director at BES, will serve as acting director.
The deputy city administrator that oversees the two bureaus, Priya Dhanapal, wrote in an email on Tuesday morning to bureau employees that “each director made the personal decisions to retire and shared their plans with me independently, with their transitions happening to align within the same timeframe.”
She wrote that given the timing of their departures, the city is “making a strategic decision to advance the One Water Initiative”. That’s a goal to combine the two bureaus in hopes they will be more efficient.
“I understand that this may raise questions, particularly for management and administrative staff, about what this means for their roles,” Dhanapal wrote to water and environmental services bureau employees. “Any potential adjustments would be carefully evaluated, and we are committed to keeping staff informed as we move forward.”