By Elissa Silverman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 29, 2006

Mayor-elect Adrian M. Fenty named 15 members to his Cabinet yesterday, although a majority are interim appointees not likely to be sent to the D.C. Council for permanent consideration.

At a morning news briefing, Fenty (D) defended his decision to retain many agency directors and other high-ranking officials of the administration of Anthony A. Williams (D) when he takes over the D.C. government Jan. 2.

He cautioned against a throw-the-bums-out approach. "Sometimes when you knee-jerk look outside the city as the first approach, the city suffers for that," said Fenty, who has traveled across the country to meet with big-city mayors and their top staffs.

During his 18-month campaign for the job, Fenty stressed that he would bring new blood and energy to local government. All but two appointees named yesterday currently work in city government.

"If we just threw out everybody, then I wouldn't be able to come," said Fenty, who for six years was the Ward 4 council member.

Fenty plans to make Harriet Tregoning the director of the Office of Planning, replacing Ellen McCarthy. Tregoning is a former Maryland state planning secretary who is executive director of the Smart Growth Leadership Institute, an offshoot of Smart Growth America, a nonprofit group that advocates high-density development clustered near Metrorail stations and other transit centers.

Lisa Marie Morgan, who formerly worked in the Office of the City Administrator before establishing a consulting firm that contracted with the D.C. government, was named interim director of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

Directors of departments keeping their jobs are Stephen T. Baron at Mental Health, Gregg A. Pane at Health and Thomas E. Hampton at Insurance, Securities and Banking.

Patrick J. Canavan, who is director of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, will become chief operating officer at St. Elizabeths Hospital. Canavan is a licensed clinical psychologist who formerly worked at the psychiatric facility before taking other positions in the Williams administration.

Those now serving as interim directors who will remain in place are Kelly Valentine at Risk Management, Brian L. Wilbon at Human Services and Uma Ahluwalia at Child and Family Services.

D.C. law allows interim directors to stay in place for six months, Fenty said.

Some interim directors are coming from other positions in District government:

Gustavo F. Velasquez, currently head of the Office of Latino Affairs, will move to the Office of Human Rights; Wanda S. Durden switches from chief of staff in the Office of the Chief Technology Officer to Parks and Recreation; Soohyun "Julie" Koo will get a promotion from deputy director of the Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs; Mercedes Lemp will move up at the Office on Latino Affairs; Corey R. Buffo shifts from general counsel to the Department of the Environment; and Oscar S. Rodriguez will go from the city administrator's office to the Office of Contracting and Procurement.

Fenty said Rodriguez will not remain in place beyond six months because he does not have the requisite years of procurement experience.