Good morning and welcome to the pre-agenda interview for Thursday, March 26th, 2026 for the director of the Department of Public Works.

Bill 230 resolution appointing John McClory as a director of the Department of Public Works.

So I will read the oath to you, and then after after that.

Oh, sorry.

My apologies.

So, director, as I believe you're aware, you we have to administer our oath to all directors within the city.

And so I'll read the earth after which you can simply say I do affirm.

Do you, John McClory, solemnly affirm that the testimony you are about to give before this council shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and do you further affirm that you will faithfully discharge the duties uh as the director of the Department of Public Works to which you have been nominated?

I affirm.

Thank you very much.

With that being said, I'll turn it over to you.

You can introduce yourself, say a little bit about yourself.

We we most of us have known you very long time now.

Um, but just tell us why you're willing to serve in this position, and then we'll turn it over for members for questions.

I have 38 years with the department.

Uh public works ran all kinds of different pieces of equipment, stuff that we had, and we don't have anymore.

And I always enjoyed my job and always enjoyed working for the city, serving the public, helping out.

Uh that's about it.

A little nervous, but we're all right, we'll get through that.

No worries.

Um, let the record reflect we've also been joined by Councilman Charlotte online.

Um, Councilwoman Salmetra?

Yeah, I I really don't have any questions for you, Don, just some comments.

I mean, thank you so much for what your willingness to serve in this capacity.

I know it's a lot, but I think you are the right person at this time, you know, uh, to get this department back on track and getting it um moving it forward.

So I really appreciate you wanting to do this and taking this challenge on.

Um, but you know, I know your background, I know your um work ethic is wonderful.

You've been great to division the fifth division, you know, you ran that like it was your own child, you know.

So it was really something special to watch.

Um that's really all I have.

I just I just think it's you're the right person for the job right now.

Definitely.

Well, thank you, Councilwoman.

I also like to say we'll learn together.

Congratulations on your job.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Let the record reflect we've also been joined uh Councilman Warwick.

Uh, Councilman Sharlin, did you have questions or comments?

Yes, thank you.

Uh good to see you there.

Sorry, I can't uh join you in person.

Uh I know it's always weird when you're at the table, and it feels like the ceiling's talking to you.

Uh so apologize for that.

Um to thank you for your willingness to serve.

Um, and I'm I'm also very thankful to have uh director who has spent time running a division.

Um, because I think largely, you know, a lot of the um a lot of the issues that we run into with public works, um, can be you know related to issues that we have at divisions.

So I wanted to touch on that by just asking a question.

Public works is such a broad department.

There's there's so many different facets between environmental service and facilities and the streets division and parks.

you know a lot of the um a lot of the the issues that we run into with public works um can be you know related to issues that we have at the divisions so i i wanted to kind of start off by just asking the question public works is such a a broad department there there's so many different facets between environment service and facilities and the streets division and parks um what do you plan on as your time as director what do you plan on emphasizing um of those uh uh different responsibilities of the uh of public works well public works we'll go with operations um i'm tired of getting beat up in in in the men and women that drive these salt trucks i'm tired of getting beat up in the media when they're out there doing a you know uh a a stressful job um so we're looking at that to get more into we're starting working on a plan well as you know two weeks after I came in we got hit with a snowstorm so uh my plans sort of got pushed back we started working on them now we have like a division the third division that we always it's always been the big division so we're looking at a plan to get them some support over there just for the winter uh some other little plans we have little simple things that make uh make sense uh we're gonna give the foreman in their divisions their own area where we're gonna expect them to ride those streets every street in their area okay see a street blade broke right at see a tire pick it up okay stuff like that little things like that make a big difference yeah I absolutely that was one of the things that you and I talked about that I was really excited to hear can you talk about um the policies that you want to have around uh abandoned tires throughout the city well I mean with the policies we have now the policies we haven't in our operations division I enforce them I mean when we're going down to low wearing a uniform I wear a uniform to think my uniform I wear a uniform if they have to wear them if the employees have to wear them I wear them so I do enforce those policies and I try to like say I lead by example do I like the pants sometimes no but I we have to wear them I wear well you you had mentioned that when we talked about um uh you know having public works employees when they see a tire making sure that they pick up a tire and not driving by the tire um and and you told a story about a traffic cone uh you know in my office could you let the rest of council know that story sure in my division I seen a cone on a sidewalk on Stewin Street I was gonna stop and pick it up and I said let me see how long it takes for somebody to pick it up week went by week and a half went by nobody picked it up so finally I said to my foreman did we not see that cone there and they were like forgot to grab it.

And I'm not dying my foreman I got great foreman I'm sure you know maybe it did slip their minds.

My foreman were really good.

I mean any one of them can step into a leadership rule and and run a division but that's what ended up happening you know I just let it there for a little bit to see what would happen and then when Deputy Director Green said something to me actually I said yeah I know it's there.

I'm just leaving it there to see how long it takes for somebody to pick it up I'd rather be them be proactive than getting three one's so it and that's really you know what I would like to see happen much more in in public works is you know I I see as some sometimes on main streets or you know often on main streets but but definitely on back streets and I know that you know a public works truck is you know or 15 public works trucks have driven by this today you know be it a an abandoned tire or a uh TV or you know a bag of trash that's ripped open or something like that and I I think of you know how many employees we have that have gone by it and have done nothing um so the neighbors could put it in 311 but why can't we just stop and take care of that while it's there um and I I would really like to see public works move to that kind of model um I think that the uh the example that I used when we talked as everyone knows I had a long uh long time in the sur in the service industry working in restaurants and there's certain things that it doesn't matter if you need to run to the kitchen to put in an order or or whatever you need to do if you you know if you walk by a table and you see that a glass of water is empty you have you have to stop what you're doing to fill that up and I would like to see public works get to the point where they stop what they're doing um uh especially the things like throwing a tire in the back of a truck or throw it you know throwing a TV in the back of the truck the because I I'm sure they're they're driving these streets to get to another job

And there are certain things that it doesn't matter if you need to run to the kitchen to put in an order or or whatever you need to do if you you know if you walk by a table and you see that a glass of water is empty you have you have to stop what you're doing to fill that up.

And I would like to see public works get to the point where they stop what they're doing especially the things like throwing a tire in the back of a truck or throw it you know throwing a TV in the back of the truck the because I I'm sure they're they're driving these streets to get to another job or for whatever reason they need to but getting them to be proactive and say hey you know it's it's only going to take a minute to pull over and throw this tire in the back of our truck here but if not, you know, on on Arlington Avenue or Warrington Avenue we've got thousands of cars that are going to drive by and it really impacts the feel of the neighborhood.

So I I would love to see us get more to that model of taking taking the time and and taking the pride of cleaning things up.

I agree and that's exactly where we're going with this with the forming you and I talked we talked about cleaning liens and what you know my big push and I hope somebody listens to me on this is that if we do clean in liens hard you know right around now when the the weather's starting to warm we won't have they won't be as exhaustive of jobs when we wait until August to start doing them.

So I really would like to see an emphasis early and often on cleaning lines there there's a lot of jobs that we can do with lawnmowers and if we wait until August we have to do them with backhoes.

And you know it it it could really be a 20 minute job for someone to come cut the grass but if we wait until you know saplings start growing in there now we're going to bring out the chainsaws and being able to hit those early I think is important.

It's something that I I don't think I've ever seen done effectively and you know basically when council goes on recess about that time that's that's when people have completely lost their minds and are calling the office irate because they live next to a house that that is now you know an abandoned house or a vacant lot that is now a forest and if we can hit that early that can be a much easier job than having to send out you know uh five man crew to uh you know to clean that up so I I really do think the proactive attitude is really important um from the operations team and I I've got a great uh a great uh fourth division uh I don't know what whatever Jeff Cook's name title is I I work really well with him and uh really applaud his work there but we need to make sure that they've got the resources in the direction to to clean the city up I agree with you there um not last year the year before I think the department did 80 uh superintendent superintendent and deputy director crean I believe came up with a plan where we had taken crews from every division and we go in a neighborhood and do them and that went from 80 to I believe 420 last year.

We're gonna stick with that plan again this year.

If it works and if it's not broke don't fix it for now we're gonna stay to that plan and hopefully soon we're gonna get out there and start getting into the cleaning lens and it's gonna be run the same way.

And Jeff Cook's the supervisor and yes is he's a great great guy.

Supervisor yeah I uh yeah he he is it and he's very very responsive to you know our needs but um I you know there's a lot of times when I talk to him and he he's all he's like almost exasperated that it's like he's like we're trying to get to all these but we're doing all this work by hand and you know we're doing everything with hand tools because the tiger is down or we don't have a uh don't don't have a trailer or you know whatever it might be um so you know I I don't think that he would be put in that situation if this was was actually a you know a priority to make sure we're cleaning up these neighborhoods so I I ask you to please make that a priority.

Um so you know I I don't think that he would be put in that situation if this was was actually a you know a priority to make sure we're cleaning up these neighborhoods.

So I I asked you to please make that a priority.

I I still believe our city is far dirtier than it than it should be.

Um far dirtier than a city of of our size uh should be and I don't want it to just be that we clean up for the draft and we say you know, mission accomplished.

Uh I want it to, you know, hopefully the draft can be something that a lot uh gives us the uh you know a fresh start to actually cleaning this place out.

No, I agree with you.

Um like we talked about the other day.

Um I believe we'll come up with a plan.

I think it'll work better with a team out of each division.

But we did discuss about the litter coordinator.

It would possibly oversee garbage olympics, which I believe you said your office handled.

Um notes on that.

I think it was garbage olympics.

Yeah, I I I think one of the things that you know it has been studied at this point.

The neighborhood cleanups are fantastic, but um they actually don't have a lasting impact.

And if we're actually concerned about cleaning up the city, it can't be a volunteer activity.

We don't ask volunteers to you know to plow our streets or volunteers to pave our roads.

Um it is a city function for us to clean up the trash in the city.

And we I'm not disagreeing with that.

What I'm saying is it's not asking the community group to do it.

If we have a team of three guys in each division that go out two or three weeks as we talked, Councilman Warwick and I have talked to get the hot spots that we know of.

I'm not I'm not saying rely on a community group.

Yeah, I know I I I understand what you're saying.

I I just I want to again want to emphasize and say publicly that you know I I think trash trash pickup is the only thing we look at as a uh you know as a volunteer activity, and I I think we need to get out of that mindset that it volunteers can help, but we don't we can't rely on volunteers to make the impact here.

It needs to be something that um that our department are leading.

And I don't and I I believe that's where your heart is, and I I want to make sure that that's something we can uh make happen you know over your time here.

Um and hopefully this summer we'll be in a better position than last year.

Yes, I agree.

All right.

Well, uh though that's all the questions I had.

Uh but again I want to thank you for your you know your willingness to serve and I look forward to working with you in the future here, and uh maybe we can get you out of uh out of a suit and back into close your more comfortable life.

Look forward to working with you also.

Thank you.

All right, thank you, Director.

Thank you.

Councilman Warwick.

Thank you.

Um Councilman Warren.

Yeah.

Councilman Charlotte and I are singing in the same choir when it comes to to litter and uh around the city.

So um I'm I'm glad I'm glad I love this idea of a foreman that's sort of dedicated to a specific whatever neighborhood or whatever it is.

Um that's just kind of driving around and keeping an eye on the streets, right?

Because I think that is sort of front is like this idea that it had if it doesn't because of course that's the issue, right?

Like in certain areas, it'll always get called in for 311, right?

Like if you're in, you know, whatever, if you're in Squirrel Hill and there's a bunch of tires on the side of the road, someone's gonna call 311.

But if if if you're in Hazelwood and there's just always been tires, you know, people don't they just like whatever, that's just the way it is, I guess, and that's not okay.

Right.

Um so that's great.

I love that idea.

Um I'm of course, and you know, I mean, I do it myself.

Sometimes I feel bad, like with um on Renova Street, right?

I just hadn't been up there in a while because I don't let like around me, I know like I'm constantly calling in where I go for my walks and constantly putting in uh 311s, but um uh so just to know that like every month or so someone's gonna come through on those streets, and I'm happy to send our you know, my team's happy to send a list of streets where we we know already our our issues.

So thank you for that.

Um You're welcome.

Uh and I think it would be interesting.

I mean, this this litter sort of litter management coordinator.

Um I wonder actually this is a question, and I we didn't actually talk about this before, but I'm curious from your perspective.

How how how does three one work for you?

I mean, from your perspective from DPW.

Oh, I actually used to set up I set up my day on that.

Okay.

I'll set up my day.

If I would check them in the morning after the crew's right, I'll check them in the morning, check them before the end of the day.

Stuff that came in that day that can be done the next day went on out the next day.

Okay.

Okay.

Plus, there was times we were sitting without any plot hole complaints, and the foreman had their own list to go off of.

Okay.

But I I like 311.

I rely.

I don't like the new system the way it is, but I like 311.

I base my day on it.

Okay.

Um and is there any way when a job is done?

Is there in the new system?

I don't know.

Is there a way like to take a photo or something like that to be like, you know, like with the Amazon package, they take the photo of the package on your porch?

Oh, well, I believe they're notified.

If they leave a number, I believe they're notified that their complaint has been completed.

Okay.

Okay.

Um because I've already got some that said they were complete we completed it and they'd send back no, it wasn't completed, but it was a diff it was a whole different situation.

Okay.

Okay.

Um yeah, that that's interesting because sometimes 311 feels a little opaque.

You know what I mean?

We have folks, and not not specific to DPW or or or whatnot, but um but I'm glad that it works that you feel like it's an effective tool.

Yes, I think it is.

Let me let me come go back to that.

It's not that I don't like it.

It's a little bit more involved of taking things off where the old way was simpler for us.

It's nice that we can reroute to another department.

Okay.

I mean, it does have its good things.

It's just some things.

Not that I hate it or anything, but it's just some things could be simpler.

Okay.

Okay.

Um yeah, I mean, I think you answered most of my questions about litter.

So I guess so.

One thing that I did want to ask, and I and and you know, this is obviously like around the draft, and and um is is there a way with litter that we can kind of because I love a blitz.

Like I like that I love this idea of blitzes, we're doing them a lot.

But also like a blitz is one thing, but like a core process change is quite different, right?

Like that's harder.

You know, it's easy to go out and be like, okay, we're gonna do all these now, and that but then but to actually change the process.

So I'm glad that you're thinking about that, right?

Like in terms of yes, like councilwoman sell nature can let you know we'll call her all caller and say, hey, because we'll be getting complaints on Lish.

And hey, we're gonna do an LA blitz today, and we know the bad alleys that we need to go to.

So I think a couple of them a year.

Yeah.

We do them in our division.

I don't think it, you know, I think it's a good idea.

Yeah, I mean that that's great.

And I I like even the idea of like a litter season, right?

There's like snow season, there's pothole season, there's weeds season, and you know, there's litter season when all the green is dead and you can really see it.

Uh what about the hillsides?

Is that an equipment issue?

I mean, I know there, you know, is that an equipment issue.

Well depends.

I mean, we can go up there.

If it's unsafe, we're not gonna send anybody up, but I mean, if it's something that maybe we can get maybe use a backhoe to reach up and grab it.

Okay.

I mean, but when naturally we won't put anybody in unsist and unsafe situation.

Okay.

Okay.

And I will say, like, e even um just in the past uh few months.

Uh what I've put in 311s, it I mean, it warms my heart to like drive up Greenfield Avenue and see cruise litter picking.

It really does like it's great.

And it, you know, my kid noticed it.

It was just so funny.

He was like, oh no, they were cleaning up there.

And it's not, you know, so it's like I think that may I think that people like it makes them happy to see that.

Um so thank you.

That's great.

Um I just don't have so um, I guess with snow, what is what is the biggest challenge with snow?

Is it is it vehicles?

Is it I mean now of course, like we're out of snow season, but you know, looking ahead.

We're looking ahead already.

Yeah.

Um it's equipment, but as you know, we're getting some equipment's gonna help immensely.

Um the other thing is uh parking.

I mean that's a challenging thing with parking on a street.

You get two sided, you're coming through there with a dump truck, and there's sometimes you have four inches on each side of you.

Right.

I mean, I've done it.

And that's like I said, that's where it comes into being a very stressful job.

We just don't ride around in a warm cab and drink coffee.

It's it's very stressful job, and you have to pay attention, especially when you have a plow.

Um I'd say that's our biggest thing is people parking.

Um I don't know if we can look in.

We talked about this um just the other day about maybe I know on some ES routes on their days of garbage, they stagger parking.

Which that would even be good.

Maybe a sign going up, but you don't want to litter the city with signs, but uh something like that when it snows, hey, right side park and stagger parking.

Something.

I mean we have to look into things like that.

Maybe that's something like with the messaging when we know, especially if we know that a snowstorm is coming, right, with like the messaging that we can put out for people like if you know, if you can park in your driveway, park in your driveway, if you can, you know, park down on the lower avenue, do it, because if that's an issue on the more narrow streets.

Exactly.

And I don't like I said, I they don't do it on every street for ES, but uh my area up in Beach U, I know there was a few that they did it like that.

Okay.

Okay.

Um yeah, it's hard with signage because of course enforcing, you know, we after a snowstorm, we wouldn't be able to enforce.

So I wanted to ask also um I guess this is sort of shifting back a little bit to litter and the clean and leans, is I've I've struggled with and I've talked with Eric and Takos a lot, right?

So with our with our enforcement team.

Um this balance between like, okay, we can go and enforce, right?

Um, but what can we do?

Like what is the time how can we quickly go in and clean it up but still allow whatever the process with the magistrate to happen?

Like, can we coordinate that so it's like you're getting sighted, we take the pictures that we need for court, and then we're coming in and cleaning it up and charging you, or do we have to wait?

That's I would think we would have to wait.

Like I said, I need to get more involved with that.

Yeah.

Um I would think we'd have to wait before we go in and clean it.

Because now we're using our resources to go in and do it, and they're gonna think it you know, then they say, hey, you've got to clean it up.

I I think you have to wait for the magistrate and I think it has to go through the process.

I think we're going through something like that with the hillside on California Avenue.

It was it's sliding, and we've been out there to look at it, and it's private.

You know, and it's down on the sidewalk and starting to croach into the street, and uh it was in court and supposedly it was thrown out, so we're looking into that to see why it was thrown out.

I mean, that would be that property zone or responsibility to move it.

The secured hillside.

So I think we have to basically wait.

So we're gonna look into something like if we do anything there, can we lean the property ever going to get the money back out of that property?

Right.

What's it gonna cost us to go in there and do it?

Right.

So um yeah, that'd be interesting, maybe from a legislative perspective to see if there's like a public health, some kind of like public health legislation where we could be like I mean, because I've seen, you know, where it's like so gross, and you're like, this is you know, there's rats and there's whatever, and it's like I know that it's private, and I know that we've cited it, but like it just needs to be cleaned up, like it, you know, and and if it's a lean, I mean whatever it is, a lien on the property.

Um or if we could re figure out how to reduce the amount of time.

I don't know.

But um that that that that's another conversation to have because I know that that that can be frustrating um for folks.

And uh one thing I did want to ask with snow.

So I uh you know, so council passed, you know, so city planning is now gonna put together so we're talking about like clearing pedestrian rights of ways, right?

So so city planning is now tasked with kind of figuring out what the priority would be.

Like so in the same way that we already know that we do like the big streets first and then whatever you know, city planning, we kind of help figure that out.

Uh just for for us to know ahead of time.

Is that something from uh from like a uh a person power perspective, just like capacity that DPW would be able to do, or as a city, do we need to I don't know I'm thinking of like in New York City, there was something where they like I I thought I read something about them just like paying people forty bucks an hour to come out and shovel sidewalks or something.

I don't know if that's online somewhere.

I think we wait and see what they come up with and then see what kind of manpower and equipment we have to take care of our I think that's probably the best answer right now is wait and see till they come out and what we would have to do.

Yeah.

And what we would have to put into it.

And also that's also the enforcement end of it too because my understanding now is that maybe it's DOME that does the enforcement but it's like they send a letter and that I mean even just the time for a letter to get there and then you have like I don't know fifty even if you had a week to get to just like it becomes a non-thing so it's like not really a a functional enforcement mechanism.

Yeah.

I don't think I don't think I have anything else right now.

Um just uh oh yeah environmental services this is something that um uh councilwoman Smith used to talk uh a lot about is um if we could talk about just sort of start thinking about um ways because sometimes like a recycling day especially like it's the putting out of trash that results in a lot of litter and um if there are ways is there any capacity with the crew to make sure that you know if you like even if a can is sort of been ripped up by a raccoon that like it to a certain degree that's like cleaned up or like clean up.

Yeah.

Yes I can talk to them I believe um they carry brims and shovels and rakes with them.

Okay.

So that would impact the route you know the their ability to get through the route.

Right, right.

Yeah.

I'm gonna make some notes on that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Uh we talked a little bit too about like clamshell lids and what would happen if we required that.

I know there's folks in row houses that can maybe be difficult but you know just ways for garbage day to not be the source garbage and and recycling day to not be the source of a ton of litter um throughout the neighborhoods you know.

I guess that's it.

I don't have anything else I've always I really appreciate you're always so fast to respond and you know that's uh and uh yeah it's it's it it is as much better and and and really just thank you so much just to have those crews out and seeing folks on the street garbage picking even if it's not and I will send you a list of the hot spots that I know of for sure.

And uh yeah so far so good.

So thank you.

You're welcome.

And I'd like to thank the men and women.

I mean they did a great job this winter.

Yeah and the crews I think they did a great job this winter.

Yeah.

And they're professionals and I I want to see them be treated like professionals.

So yeah no I I agree I and um it's so hard I mean the the work in the winter is just it's next level if you go to the division you see like you know come back in with like a chain broke and come back in back out again like it's a really moving like they're just work it's it's incredibly hard work.

I mean it's hard just driving in my van on a snowy day so um yeah yeah so thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

One question is there anything we as a body could be doing to make your job easier or make your job more efficient can I think about that and get back to you?

Certainly because uh I'm sure there can be and we get a little list of my team together and get their thoughts also.

Sure.

Because I don't I always said to my my crew is I don't know everything.

I learned something new every day and that's a great question.

And I'd like to bring them in and talk with them and then I would definitely get back to you.

Okay.

I mean I know some of it is going to like most things in the city come down to funding right?

Like you the tools and the resources you need to actually perform the job to the greatest extent possible.

But certainly please feel free to get back.

So there might be something I miss.

And then I'll I'll hear it from all I mean say this.

Since since you're here um this recently came up actually yesterday there I have a street in the district where a telephone pole was knocked down and effectively the city came out and just sort of buried it.

And at least four three one one requests have been put in to put the telephone pole back up because that part of the street is now dark.

And I can I can I'll forward it to you just so you can see I have the information.

But each time eventually that 311 crest gets closed and says, Oh, your three one quest is now closed, despite the fact that the telephone poll still hasn't been replaced.

So that's it's just been an ongoing problem.

A resident brought it to me again yesterday.

I didn't I hadn't actually realized they put in all these requests over the course of the last year.

Um so that's just an FYI that I'll put on your radar.

Only other question is to the greatest extent possible, we try to work through the various divisions.

Um as you walked in earlier, you were sort of jokingly saying, I used to get 25 emails a day, now I get 125 emails a day.

And so we don't necessarily want to always like this.

I'll will rise to your attention, but we don't always want to burden you.

Um would you still prefer we try to work through the division and work through the respective four men?

And then if it rises to okay, this isn't being resolved, come to you, or do you have like a number two person send it there first, and then if it doesn't get the correct attention, then alert me.

That's what I was doing, Councilman Warwick.

Um 311 sends it to George and she sees me on it too.

Just so I can see.

Okay.

See what's going on.

But also you can send it to Deputy Director Green.

Okay.

We'll do, and he's normal very responsive.

So I appreciate that.

Um I really don't have any other questions.

You've been doing this for a very long time.

I think you have the utmost respect from all of my colleagues, and I think we believe you'll do a tremendous job.

So with that, I believe we've exhausted uh our business for today, and we are adjourned.

Thank you very much.