The search is on for the City of Jackson to fill their public works director position after Khalid Woods resigned for a second time since July.
“After several conversations with Mr. Khalid Woods, he and city leaders came to a mutual agreement to part ways. Mr. Woods tendered his resignation on Monday,” Mayor Chokwe Lumumba’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.
The mayor thanked Woods and emphasized that he appreciates the former director stepping down from a position Woods claimed had become detrimental to his mental health.
“Public Works Director is not an easy job. I respect that Mr. Woods decided to step away from the job when he realized that it was simply too much,” Lumumba said.
This occurrence is the second time in a little more than a month that Woods announced his resignation. He initially announced in late July that he would be leaving. At that point, he had only held the position for 10 days.
Wood’s announcement adds to a series of changes in leadership in the Public Works Department in recent years.
Bob Miller, who started as Jackson’s public works director in 2017, resigned in 2020. At the time, he expressed his gratitude to the mayor and said he hoped for the Public Works Department to continue implementing plans he said he provided.
Miller’s resignation then opened the door for Lumumba to appoint City Engineer Charles Williams to the director position.
Williams’ tenure lasted for one year before he stepped down from the position in 2021, returning to his previous role as the city engineer. Williams was at the helm of the Public Works Department during some of Jackson’s highly publicized water crisis.
On Wednesday, Lumumba announced in a statement that the City is moving forward with a nationwide search to once again fill the position.
“We look forward to now moving forward with our search, and finding someone willing to meet the challenges of our evolving city,” Mayor Lumumba said.
