Committee advances several confirmations and asks administration for resume transparency on department-head appointments

The Everett City Committee on Legislative Affairs advanced several mayoral appointments to the full City Council with favorable recommendations and held others for further review.

Kevin Dorgan (self-identified) appeared for Item 4 as the candidate for director of information technology and described the department’s responsibilities, which serve city departments outside the school system and include liaison work for police IT. The committee moved to refer Dorgan’s appointment to the City Council with a favorable recommendation.

Jay Monti, director of transportation and mobility, summarized recent work and grant activity, saying the transportation office "has done about $50,000,000 in grants in the last, you know, 6, 7 years," and walked councilors through projects such as the North Strand Bike Path, pedestrian improvements and the Davis Company/ExxonMobil-site planning. The committee referred Monti’s confirmation to the council with a favorable recommendation.

Several other confirmations were advanced: Sabrina Sericano (director of public health) summarized a nursing-focused public-health operation and said her office oversees school nurses and infectious-disease investigations; Colleen Mejia (city solicitor) described the solicitor’s office duties and noted staffing shortages. The committee recommended favorable referral for both.

The reappointment of Jerry Navarro to executive director of public works was held in committee for lack of availability. On a related item, Councilor Van Campen’s resolution asking the administration to list department-head positions not yet submitted for Council confirmation prompted a follow-up discussion with the mayor’s chief of staff (Devony). The chief of staff said the administration will provide resumes and work with the Council to align administrative-code language and budget-book titles for clarity and transparency.