Mayor Kenney To Name Human Services Commissioner
by Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- More than six months after taking office, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has finally completed his cabinet.
KYW Newsradio has learned he plans to finally name a Commissioner for the troubled Department of Human Services on Wednesday.
It's perhaps not surprising that it's taken so long to fill the job, given the city's child welfare system is plagued by overloaded case workers, high turnover among staff, and a downgraded state license as it struggles to transition to a new system where Community Agencies manage cases.
Mayor Kenney conducted a national search to find someone willing to take it over, but found his candidate right here in the city, at Congreso de Latinos Unidos: CEO Cynthia Figuero
She brings an impressive resume-- not only experience running large non-profits, such as Congreso and Women Against Abuse, but also having headed the Department's Division of Community-Based Prevention Services.
In her five years at Congreso, she's expanded services and won numerous rewards, still, even her fans say, the job she's taking on is a no-win situation.
Figueroa declined to comment. She was born in Puerto Rico, attended college in Alabama, and lives in Philadelphia with her husband and two children.
