Clarksville, TN – Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts has announced some temporary shifts in City departmental leadership staffing, while permanent replacements are sought.Mark Riggins has returned to the Clarksville Gas and Water Department (CGW) full-time as General Manager, after having also served for a period as Interim Director of the Clarksville Street Department.
“I am grateful to Mark for pulling double-duty at the Street Department while we moved through the 2023-24 fiscal-year budget process this Spring,” Mayor Pitts said.
In turn, David Smith, Director of Building and Codes, is the Interim Director at the Street Department.
“I have come to rely on David’s leadership as he transformed the Building and Codes Department and put it on solid footing,” Mayor Pitts said. “I asked David to take the same approach at our Street Department.”
Smith had also been briefly serving, recently, as Interim Director of City Neighborhood & Community Services and will still provide oversight and management for the department on a limited basis. Mayor Pitts said choosing the next leader of this department is a top priority and he is actively searching for the right, not quick, choice.
Further, Deidre Ward will serve as Interim Director of the Building and Codes Department during David Smith’s absence. She has been working in the Administrative Support Supervisor’s role.
“Deidre has been a positive influence in that department during her time there and will continue the progress we are making in working with our development and contractor communities,” Mayor Pitts said.
With the departure of Director Will Wyatt in Human Resources, Tessa Luntz will be Interim HR Director.
“Tessa is already a respected leader in that department and will serve us well in this important area of our city government,” Mayor Pitts said.
“This is a summer of change,” Mayor Pitts said, “with some interim appointments as mentioned and the hiring of new leaders for some areas.
“We will be expecting to find the right people for the right positions. In the meantime, I have every confidence in the individuals we have placed in interim roles.”
