CLEVELAND — Mayor Frank G. Jackson on Thursday tapped Martin Keane as Cleveland's new Director of Public Utilities, hoping to bring in a seasoned leader during a difficult time for the department.
"Martin Keane comes to this position with valuable experience, having previously served as Assistant Director of Public Utilities as well as a longtime councilperson and chairman of the Utilities Committee," Jackson said in a statement.
A Cleveland native and St. Ignatius High School graduate, Keane served Ward 17 on the City Council for more than a decade before taking over as assistant director. His predecessor for the top job, Robert L. Davis, resigned last Friday.
Davis said at the time:
"I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have provided essential and critical utility services to our customers at an affordable cost. I was able to do help do this while focusing on good quality customer service to make the city of Cleveland a great place to live work and raise a family. The City of Cleveland is truly a great city."
Among the utilities Keane will be in charge of will be Cleveland Public Power, which has undergone serious scrutiny in recent years due to mismanagement and an "unsustainable" structure, as well as an explored rate hike revealed in a consultant's report obtained by 3News last year. Critics, including former Cleveland Mayor (and possible 2021 mayoral candidate) Dennis Kucinich, are instead calling on the utility to cut its rates in order to better compete with private entities like FirstEnergy.
Keane will also oversee operations at Cleveland Water and Cleveland Water Pollution control. Overall, his department employs 1,700 people and sports a budget of $570 million.
