Looks like Raleigh Planning Director Mitchell Silver won’t be leaving to head planning in New York City.
Last month, Newsday reported that Silver had been “identified by knowledgeable sources as the leading candidate to run the planning department under the (Mayor Bill) de Blasio administration.” Other news outlets also listed Silver among the top candidates, citing anonymous sources.
But de Blasio announced Friday that he’s going with an in-house hire: Carl Weisbrod, who’s been serving as co-chair of the new mayor’s transition committee. In a news release, de Blasio praised Weisbrod’s 35 years of public service to the city’s planning commission.
“Carl is a quintessential New Yorker,” de Blasio said in the release. “He brings a real passion for our neighborhoods and our diversity across the five boroughs. And he also understands exactly how the city can shape development to stoke the most growth, the strongest affordability, and the best jobs for New Yorkers.”
Silver is also no stranger to New York City: his resume includes time as a policy and planning director for the city as well as principal of a planning firm there. He has repeatedly declined to comment on rumors he was seeking the New York job, but he took to Twitter immediately after Friday’s announcement to congratulate Weisbrod.
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