On Monday, the City of Wilmington announced it had hired Dennis LaCaria as its new chief of staff, starting immediately.
The move caught some readers and listeners off guard, both because the city has not had a chief of staff in recent history — and because city leaders spent spring and early summer working to trim its budget, so a new executive-level position was unexpected for some.
According to the city, “LaCaria will lead high-priority initiatives, foster collaboration across departments, and translate strategic vision into measurable results, improving government performance and ensuring high-quality service delivery to Wilmington residents.”
LaCaria previously served as the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system’s executive director of facilities management and the senior assistant to the Mecklenburg county manager, among other bona fides.
According to a city spokesperson, city manager Becky Hawke, who was hired in May following the retirement of Tony Caudle, “identified the need for a chief of staff.”
“As with any executive leadership change, there can be operational additions in staffing to ensure the team aligns with the new leader’s vision,” according to the city.
The city confirmed the position has not been ‘utilized’ in recent years, but noted that “the discussion of this type of role has been considered in the past.”
The position did not require city council approval, but according to a spokesperson, the council “was aware and supportive of the position being hired.”
LaCaria’s compensation is $195,000, according ot the city, which is being funded alongside other priorities through “position vacancies throughout the general fund,” the city said.
Some listeners and readers also noted the City of Wilmington’s Facebook post welcoming LaCaria had disabled the ability to comment. According to the city, this was done because, “there were comments on personal appearance being shared that are irrelevant to the role.”
