Title
Recognizing and honoring Clarena I.W. Tolson on the occasion of her retirement from public service.
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WHEREAS, Clarena I.W. Tolson is a creative leader with over thirty years of public service in city government; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Tolson is a proven and innovative leader in public policy, logistics, strategic planning and organizational management. Having served as Commissioner of two major city departments, Streets and Revenue, her intense focus on public service has resulted in major gains for the city and its taxpayers; and
WHEREAS, During her tenure as Streets Commissioner, where she was the first woman and the second longest serving commissioner, the department made groundbreaking strides on a number of fronts including the turnaround of sanitation efficiency and service delivery and the development of a growing single-stream recycling program; and
WHEREAS, As Commissioner Ms. Tolson led the department in the reconstruction of the South Street Bridge, the largest and most complex project in the history of the city’s Streets Department; and
WHEREAS, As Revenue Commissioner, Ms. Tolson reorganized and implemented innovative strategies that increased collections with the Department. For the first time ever, the Department of Revenue collected over $100 million in delinquent real estate and $900 million in school district taxes for the last two fiscal years of her tenure; and
WHEREAS, In October of 2016 Clarena I.W. Tolson was appointed as the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s Executive Director. As Executive Director Ms. Tolson instituted a series of reforms aimed at cutting costs and increasing efficiency. Under Ms. Tolson, PPA net operating gains went up to 22%, total payroll costs went down 7%, operational support expenses went down 13%, and the total operating expenses went down 9%; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Tolson was named Deputy Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Public Engagement for the PPA. Among many other duties, she built an Evaluation and Analytics Department to provide needed data and analysis for all operating departments. She also built a leadership academy to develop policy, operational and planning skills among PPA employees; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Tolson is a graduate of The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and a resident of the Wynnefield/Overbrook Farms community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby recognize and honor Clarena I.W. Tolson on the occasion of her retirement after thirty plus years of public service to the citizens of Philadelphia.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Clarena I.W. Tolson as a sincere expression of City Council’s appreciation, and commendation on this momentous occasion.
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